Saturday, November 25, 2006

First Post


Alright, I'm going to join the masses and try this blogging thing. The impetus came from a friend who moved far far away and lost touch, then created his own blog to get back in touch with people. (Good idea Donald!) I, too have gotten worse and worse at communicating with family & friends, so I will try this. Hopefully it's a little better than mass e-mails.

In the past year & a half, I gave up a secure job of ten years to start a new business (with two business partners). It's been a real adventure. I've learned a lot about business and bookkeeping and people ... things I never would have imagined just two years ago. The business is The Loop, a cool modern knitting shop in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. We cater to everyone, but the majority of our customers seem to be young professionals and students who are enjoying being in touch with their creative sides. The store's website is www.theloophalifax.ca

In the past couple of months, I've also started another business - I'm making fused glass jewelry and selling it. This started because we need hand-made glass buttons to sell at The Loop. I took a workshop and realized I really like the fused glass work, and now I'm selling stuff to The Loop along with a few other customers. Very fun! After everything it took to start a retail business, it was a piece of cake to get the glass business up & running. I've been told that being an entrepreneur is addictive ... hah! I can see that in a way, but this one was easy. I have 4 retail customers established, one more ready to buy my stuff in the spring, and one wholesale customer. When I get the time (hah!) I might try to sell some online at www.etsy.com.

And even more recently, I've started to do some consulting work for DFO (the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans). This is a perfect addition ... it will help pay the bills while providing a different kind of mental stimulation than running the store. And of course I'm really glad to get my fingers back into the world of conservation.

Oh and I'm volunteering on the board of my condo. Not very exciting but it's yet another use of my time.

With this big life change, I have a lot less time (and money) to travel. This is one of the hardest adjustments for me. But I'm still happily riding my motorcycle (1998 BMW F650) around town as much as I can. Hopefully next year I'll be able to go on a good road trip with my handsome and handy boyfriend Bill. Bill bought a used Suzuki DL1000, also known as a V-Strom, this past year. He loves it.

Well this was a night I was going to try to go to bed early. I seem to be allergic to going to bed early lately, with all the stuff going on in my life. But I miss being in more contact with all of my dear friends (in Canada, the U.S, Europe, Australia ... ) So maybe by updating this once in a while I can be better at being in touch with you, and hear from you too!
Cathy

1 comment:

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