Life Lessons – hitting on 16

On July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 By thestampsinmypassportIn Uncategorized1 Comment

I was in Las Vegas in the fall of 2003 playing Blackjack at a $1 table a the Sahara hotel. Yes, back then you could still play for a $1. It was our last night there and we were having a blast. Who knew getting blackjack and winning $2.50 would be so much fun. At some point in the evening, the seat beside me opened up and a nice guy sat down and started to play at our table. There was no way I would have known at that time, that this guy would end up becoming one of my best friends and subsequently has been a part of many of my life lessons for the past 12 years.

Okay, so you are probably asking what blackjack has to do with life lessons. There are probably many different life lessons you can learn/teach from gambling but I will share this one with you. It has to do with the number 16.

I know the basic skills about playing blackjack. I know about splitting 8’s and aces, doubling down on eleven, etc. I always got stuck when I was dealt a hand of 16. What is 16? It is a crappy hand. If you stay, you will probably lose and if you hit, you ‘could’ get a good card, but there are more cards that will make you bust than make a good hand.

This is where my first life lesson comes into play. I did not know when my friend first sat down at the $1 table that he actually knew how to play the game – very well, I might add. Over the years that we have been friends we have had many opportunities to play the game together. I learned a lot from him about the game and getting over my fear of that dreaded hand of 16.

The lesson is simple – you can stay, and probably lose your money. You can play, and you may win, or you may lose. Isn’t it better to play? You put your money on the table, and even though the house has the advantage, you “could” possibly win. If you don’t play you may never win.

How does this apply to my life

Job seeking. It is a lot like a hand of 16 in blackjack. Every posting has the employer’s dream list, their ideal candidate for this role they are trying to fill. Blackjack (21) if you will allow me.

The list of requirements are the employers “dream list”. The ideal candidate should have the following skills and/or required education. How many people actually have all the requirements on the employers list? The trifecta? The perfect hand – blackjack!

In the workshops I have been attending they have gone over the postings, and how to really find the right postings to actually apply for. If you have 70% or more of the requirements on the posting, you should apply. So, 70% would be my hand of 16. If you don’t have all the requirements, but you have 70% that is still a good reason to apply. Right? Why not? Like asking for another card on a hand of 16.

I put this theory to the test last week. I saw a posting for a job that was in my related field. I didn’t have everything the employer was looking for, however, I had more than 70% which was good enough for me to apply. So I did. Guess what? I got a call for a screening interview! Yes I did.

Nothing further has happened with it (as of yet), but I will keep you posted.

For now, I will keep playing my hands, and sending out relevent applications and continue my job search.

The search for blackjack continues!

Lisa

Remembering Rama GNO

On July 25, 2015July 25, 2015 By thestampsinmypassportIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Facebook has a new feature that allows you to share memories of updates that you created on the same day but a different year. Today just happens to be the anniversary of a great night out with great friends – last July 25, 2014. We went up to Rama to go old school Huey Lewis and the News.

Seeing the photos today in my news feed brought back the great memories of the night. I thought I would share them, since of course, they involved great food.

There were six of us that planned to go this concert. We were meeting at one friend’s house. I wasn’t really sure how we were going to get there in one car since there were six of us, but one person in the group was taking care of the plans and we were meeting at her house. I, along with others was quite surprised to see a limo parked outside her house. That was great, we could all enjoy and not worry about who was driving.

After the ride up, which took longer than usual due to an accident and the driver having to go on some of the side roads, we arrived at Rama. Let’s just say I had to make a ‘pit stop’ as soon as we arrived( Facing backwards or sideways, not for me) …and then we could continue on with the night.

We had a bit of time to leave our deposits at the casino and then it was on to dinner. We ate at St. Germains Steakhouse which was another special treat for our evening out. It was really an excellent dining experience.

Our friend who had been there many times said we had to have their signature Parmesean chips – which were fresh cooked potato chips, truffle oil and shaved Reggiano cheese – um yes please… We shared some appetizers like shrimp cocktails, wedge salads, etc and then it was on to the main courses for the evening – surf and turf – steak, lobster and more….

We did not have room for dessert (at that time) and we had to get to the concert, so we left St. Germains very fulfilled and ready to kick it old school with our friends Huey Lewis and the News. It was so much fun to rock out with them. Huey shared that they had been together 35 years which of course would bring us to the 80’s and our time to enjoy hip to be square, the heart of rock and roll, I want a new drug a so much more. It was fun to sing and all the words come right back.

After the show, it was back to St. Germains, for…well…dessert of course. Creme brulee and cheesecake were the popular (and limited) options for dessert.

We all got back in the limo, tired and full of laughter and fun. It was a quiet ride back (I slept).

I know that we have a lot of great nights out as a larger or even smaller group, but this memory from last year was a great one. Great friends, lots of laughs and of course, the glue that holds all of us foodies together – delicious food!!

Looking forward to our next night out!

Book review: The Secret Garden (grown up colouring)

On July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 By thestampsinmypassportIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I was quite surprised when I posted a photo of my colouring creation in the book The Secret Garden on Facebook the other day. Close to 50 likes and over 30 comments on the page, questions about the book and wonderful comments about how beautiful the page was looking. There were a lot of questions about the book, the quality of the paper, etc. Since I am a writer, what better than to use my blog to answer all your questions.

Over the winter I saw a piece on the Today Show about “adult” colouring books and how they are becoming all the rage. The piece was specifically about Johanna Basford and the success of her first book The Secret Garden and her new book The Enchanted Forest. It was then followed up on a piece on HuffPost and this is what started the craze that everyone has jumped on.

Of course, I went to to Chapters stores in search of the book. Unsuccessfully, as luck would have it – you get a spot on Today and HuffPost. I ended up ordering it on line and had it shipped to the store. I waited a couple of weeks and then it was ready for pick up.

Do the markers bleed through the pages?

While I was waiting for the book to arrive, I started to read some reviews on Amazon.ca about the book. Everyone was so impressed with the book, loved the pages and was so excited to get started colouring. The one comment was that the colour bleeds through to the page behind therefore you can’t really use the next page. When I got the book, I was surprised about the paper that was used. It is more like a ‘sketch’ pad, ivory colour paper, a bit rough, for lack of a better word. I would have thought it would be a white stronger ‘card stock’ type paper to avoid the colour bleed.

At first, I wanted to “save” the book, and photocopy the pages. I know that sounds crazy (as I was told by a friend yesterday) and decided to forgo that idea and start colouring. I am hooked. Can’t get enough. I have tried to take time out of job searching to get in some colouring. It really does de-stress. Seriously.

I bought a 24 pack of Sharpie ultra fine markers. A cool “80’s Glam” colour scheme. They do bleed through. On the authors blog, she addresses the issue and offers other marker suggestions that she has tried and do not bleed. The brand name is Staedtler Triplus.

Or…you could be like my great Aunt (in her 80’s) who shared a photo of her OWN colouring book using coloured pencils – she said the pencils are great for shading. I haven’t tried coloured pencils yet, but I will give it a try at some point. Some of the pictures have very small patches to colour, and unless you have a very sharp pencil crayon, you may not get in the lines. That may be an issue for some. I am a bit of a perfectionist and I try really hard to stay in the lines, which is why I like the ultra fine sharpies.

The books are not ‘cheap’, but I think it was well worth the money and well worth the wait. Much cheaper than therapy…LOL…seriously….why should kids have all the fun.

Share your photos of your finished pages, I think sharing would give people inspiration.

I am happy my photo sparked such a great conversation.

Off to colour now,

Lisa