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Communication 102 - In person, on the phone, via the internet

2009-01-05T05:02:00.000-08:00

Communication has changed radically over the last 200 years, and the changes seem to be coming more quickly and impacting us more radically. From letters and poetry, to radio waves and telephones, to facebook and blogs, we are having to alter how we get in touch with the people we love, the people we like and even the people we don't really want to talk to, but must!

Over the next two weeks we are going to delve into the world of communication. We will explore how to help younger generations embrace the dying art of talking and letter writing. We will discover facebook and blogs with quick and dirty tutorials on how to use them to our best advantage. We will even brainstorm some conversation starters for those awkward times when you are in a room full of strangers and need to break the ice!

We have an exciting couple of weeks ahead of us. Please write in and share your tips and tricks with us! Or, feel free to let us know if there is a topic that you would like to see covered by one of our experts. Keep the lines of communication open and we'll respond...that's a promise!

Larissa Kristina
marksl@magma.ca

Christmas is Upon Us!

2008-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year…or so I’m told. Whether you love it or hate it or don’t celebrate it at all, we are here to make your winter better! Over the next two weeks we are going to offer some great gift giving tips for two of the most difficult people to buy for (teens and techno-lovers), offer ways to conserve energy and money, and I’m going to introduce you to my neighbour whose Christmas lights display is even more outrageous than National Lampoon’s.

The upcoming days are going to be filled with fun stories, solid information and photos that are not to be missed. We hope that you will join us in making this a memorable Christmas!

Eco-chic?

2008-11-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

Ah, trends! In my youth, I followed them all. From elephant pants in the 70’s to neon colour hair-bows in the 80’s to the Rachel haircut in the 90’s, I never met a craze I didn’t like. Until recently.

I understand that we are having a serious and detrimental effect on planet earth, but I am cautious to jump on the eco-chic bandwagon for a few reasons:

1) The global-warming trend is too filled with exaggeration and misinformation. Al Gore predicts, in an Inconvenient Truth, that water levels will rise 240”. This number is 17 times higher than that of the United Nations International Panel on Climate Control. This week, we will be reviewing An Inconvenient Book, by Glenn Beck. He devotes an entire chapter to debunking Gore’s exaggerations. I encourage everyone who has seen Gore’s movie to read this book and judge for themselves.

2) I’m finding it difficult to get worked up about the supposed impending water crisis. It falls out of the sky. Enough said, for now.

3) Recycling. I believe that recycling works and is important. I also believe that recycling needs to be paired with more conservative usage and alternatives to “recyclable containers”. As an example: I’ve heard it said that recycling water bottles is better than nothing. But really, using a travel mug or reusable water bottle is a significant improvement over recycling cases of water bottles. I feel recycling needs to be held up as a last resort, not a trendy, gold-star-worthy activity that even Tim Horton’s is engaging in.

Quite simply, to get me to admit to becoming eco-conscious, the Al Gores and David Suzukis of the world will need to do one thing:

1) Stop the lying. Exaggeration, in my world, is akin to lying. Give us the facts, not the worst-case, over-the-top, extreme examples and maybe I’ll consider taking your advice on how to implement changes.

Control Issues

2008-11-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

My sister has always had a fear of the dentist, so it was probably not a good idea to let her go alone to her first check-up in eight years. I say this in retrospect, after she walked home…five miles…with a bib still fastened around her neck.

What is it that makes people so afraid of the dentist? Kathryn, my little sister, at twenty years of age actually left her car in the dentist’s parking lot when she bolted during a routine cleaning. She has never had any horrific encounters while in the chair and has not had many fillings or extensive dental work, so where does this fear come from?

I was pondering this thought last week while having one of my cavities filled, I hadn’t slept the night before and my hands were actually shaking. I was getting a small cavity filled and I was a bundle of nerves! Fully aware that I was in no physical danger and that I wouldn’t feel any pain since I was frozen, I was mulling over the problem when the dentist asked me to open my mouth wider. That is when it hit me. Allowing a virtual stranger to use numbing agents and metal tools in your mouth can be scary because of the lack of control.

Control is important, most of us like to be in control. When you are in control, you know what is coming next and you can avoid pain and hurt. Over the next two weeks, our articles are going to look at control: the good, the bad and the ugly. Here is a sampling of what is to come:

Electronics

v Take control of your pictures with Photoshop

Health & Wellness

v Manage your health with vitamins

Finance

v Budget for greater financial control

Relationships

v Communicate clearly to create healthy boundaries

Travel & Leisure

v Have fun with Adventure Travel

Book Review

v Reading the OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

Quick Read

v The dos and don’ts of funeral etiquette

Change the World

v Médcins Sans Frontièrs, an overview of Doctors Without Borders

How to Project

v How to form a book club or group

Welcome to Retirement in Canada.ca!

2008-10-27T07:31:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Retirement in Canada.ca’s blog! I’m glad you found us.

Whether you have recently retired or are an old pro at the easy life, this website is here to help you make retirement the best years of your life.

From travel tips and how to projects to financial guidance and relationship advice, our aim is to provide you with solid suggestions of what to do and how to do it. With new articles coming out every day, there will be something for everyone!

Here is a sample of some upcoming articles. We hope you will visit us at RetirementInCanada.ca. Please email us if there are any subjects you would like to suggest or questions you would like answered! Larissa Kristina’s email address is marksl@magma.ca

Ø Travel & leisure

o Retreats: relax, mind, body and soul

o Adventure travel: a hot, new trend in vacationing

o How to get freebies from your airline

Ø Health & wellness

o Candidiasis: what it is, how to fix it!

o Vitamins: how to figure out what you need

o Choosing a personal trainer

Ø Quick reads

o Our staff’s favourite sayings and expressions

o Five facts on funeral etiquette

o Fun activities in the snow

Ø How to…

o Make soap for a clean start

o Form a book club or stitch and bitch group

o Make your own candy

Ø Electronics

o Motorcycles: Is it time?

o Why we love Photoshop

o Quick and dirty tutorial on blogging

Ø Relationships

o Introducing your new romantic interest to your family

o Making time for friends

o Christmas gifts that grandkids will love

Ø Book reviews

o Reading the OED

o The secret life of bees

o The autobiography of Santa Clause

Ø Change the world

o Organize a fundraiser, without losing your mind

o World Vision

o MSF (Doctors without borders)

Ø Finance

o Budgeting

o An overview of the recent market happenings in plain English

o Christmas without breaking the bank

Under Construction

2008-10-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting Retirement Reflections. We will be launching our updated website and blog on Monday, October 27. We hope you will join us then!