It’s not that I don’t enjoy blogging—I do. Writing is my passion, and while I’ve been a bit distracted (more on that later) the bigger issue is that it’s been a confusing process for me. I have plenty of stories that I share with friends and family in social settings, and they always say, “You should put that on your blog.” But it never occurred to me that anyone would really care about my random tales… until I found out that people were actually reading. And not only that, they liked what I was writing. Believe me, it’s not false modesty when I say that I was extremely surprised. After all, my number one hangup with blogging, which has been the source of many false starts in the past, has always been the idea that no one would really want to read about my life. Because really, it’s not that glamorous. Or maybe I’m clinging to threads of my former life when I was painfully shy. Either way, there was something stopping me from hanging around these parts more often.

But you know what? The times they are a-changin’.

Things have really been falling into place for me lately, work-wise. I scored a great interview with David Rocco for Canadian Family and even have a cover story for the May/June issue of Elevate. And with my intern days now officially behind me, I’m ready to dive into this crazy freelancing world and see what I can do.

With all of this awesome stuff going on, I’ve found that my confidence has gotten a major boost, too. I’ve realized that it’s okay to be 26 and not have every part of my life totally figured out. I’m stressing less, which is good news for my creative soul. I’m feeling the urge to blog again, and I’m finally comfortable with the idea that I don’t have to stick to just one thing. After all, it is my little corner—a place to dump the contents of my dizzy head and share my adventures with you, my friends (and lovely strangers—I know you’re out there, too! Thank you!).

So, I guess you can expect to see a lot more of me in the coming days, weeks and months. I have a lot to catch you up on (like that whole wedding thing, for starters) and honestly? I’m feeling good.

Bring on the weekend!

But the awesomeness doesn’t stop there! At some point I was apparently hit with a major dose of inspiration (I’m going to say it was the Nerds Rope that did the trick) and decided to (finally) update my portfolio page. Wondering what I’ve been up to since 2008? Go have a look!

I’ll be scanning some more pages tomorrow, so stay tuned!

I’m not gonna lie—25 was very good to me. But I have a feeling that 26 has some pretty exciting things in store, too! And for my first act as a 26-year-old, I’ve decided to hop on the 101 in 1001 bandwagon. So come on back soon and see what’s in store for me over the next 2.75 years!

And in closing… Guess what song was #1 on the Billboard charts the day I was born?

Welcome to the club.

While B-rad and I are frantically hitting up the stores this weekend (assuming we can get out of the house, thanks to “Snowmageddon” here in Toronto), you can rest easy with a few helpful shopping tips from yours truly, which are being featured right now as part of Canadian Family’s Holiday Survival Guide. 

Until next time, bust out the hot chocolate and stay warm!

There’s no denying that we’ve run into some tough times. But we’re not alone. I recently had the opportunity to read a great piece by Yuki Hayashi in the Winter 2009 issue of Canadian Family that delves into a side of this financial meltdown that we may have overlooked – the global food crisis.

While many Canadians find themselves fighting to make ends meet this Christmas, for those who already struggle to provide food for their families every day, our current economic reality is even more of a crushing blow. And it’s not just here – it’s everywhere. Global food prices are skyrocketing. Staple foods like rice and grain are harder to come by. It’s a dismal truth that even the sunniest optimist can’t deny. Dismal, but not hopeless.

To complement Yuki Hayashi’s piece on the global food crisis, I had a chance to research and write about the many ways that we can get involved and help those in need. (If you’re interested, you can read about it here.) While I mostly focused on how you can help families in developing countries, I think it’s important to point out ways that you can get involved locally to ease the struggles of those in your own community. So, while I’m up here on my soap box, I’d like to suggest a few ways you can help out this season (and all year long):

Support a local food bank. Whether you donate food items or just volunteer your time, you’ll be playing a key role in the fight against hunger in Canada. There are drop boxes for non-perishable items all over the place this time of year, so why not make the most of them?

Give the gift of time. Second Harvest is a fantastic organization in Toronto that distributes fresh food – perishable items that would otherwise be thrown away – to those who need it most, via 250 social service programs in the area. And they’re always looking for volunteers!

Sometimes, it does take a village. Student nutrition programs across the province are working to ensure that kids everywhere have the chance to start their day with a full belly, which has been shown to greatly improve learning. By getting involved, you can help to ensure that no child goes hungry at school. 

Any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them! 

Happy Holidays

Yes, it is indeed yours truly. I had the pleasure of testing the new fragrance by Christina Aguilera called “Inspire,” which is actually quite lovely. And let me tell you, there is nothing more fantastic than free products showing up at your door as though by magic, so I would highly recommend signing up to be a tester on their website.

As for being under the heading of “moms tried it,” well… I’m going to go ahead and assume they’re referring to the cats. Otherwise, I’ve got a lot of explaining to do.

Enjoy!

As much as I loved my old layout, I decided it was time to take this site to the next level and get myself a little attention. Thanks to the creative genius over at Broken Studio, I’m thrilled to be able to unveil this great new look.

Along with a list of the editorial services that I provide, I’ve also added a spiffy new bio and a contact page. Very soon I’ll have some material up on my portfolio page, which will showcase some of my latest magazine work.

In addition to the new look, I’ve decided to take this blog in a new direction. Soon you’ll see posts that reflect my life as a writer and editorial intern, including news, updates and all things word-related. But if you’re feeling nostalgic for the days of random awesomeness, don’t worry! They’ll still be making the occasional appearance, too.

So, welcome to the new aliciamcauley.ca! As always, I’m very happy to hear your feedback. Let me know what you like and what you’d like to see, so that I can keep improving this site as much as possible… But most importantly, stay tuned! There are great things to come