Patricia Sands

Author

follow your dreams

The Wireless Generation – could this be you?

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For a few weeks now you may have noticed me talking on Twitter or Facebook about a documentary project being prepared for Sundance called The Wireless Generation.

Here’s the skinny on it.

“ABOUT THIS FILM

The internet has changed everything. Not just how we work, but where. Working from home in the US has increased dramatically in recent years and they estimate that by 2016, 63 million Americans will work from home at least part time (Source: 2011 Forester Research).

We wanted to look at the edges of this movement, the people who are not just working from home and keeping the status quo, but those who are taking this new freedom — the opportunity to choose to live anywhere without having to consider workplace location — and what happens next.

If you shift your life from being centered around where you to work, to being centered around how you want to live, what happens?  Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?”

Drew and Christine Gilbert’s website is here. I hope you find the time to go and get to know them. Christine’s posts are often hilarious in their honesty and her ability to go with the flow no matter where they happen to be living.

Their dedication and professionalism to this project is serious and I truly believe the subject matter is such an authentic representation of how opportunities are changing in our world for people who have the right set of circumstances to take their work wherever they please.

Check out their Facebook page and send them a photo of you wherever in the world you are working on your laptop. At the very least it’s an inspiration to dream big if travel is your passion.

One of our sons is working on his laptop right now from France. I wrote most of my soon-to-be-published (yippee!! – sorry, just lost it there for a sec – it will still be a few months) next novel from France last summer after beginning it in Florida and finishing it here in Toronto.  A 20-something and a 60-something as part of the Wireless Generation in our family! Love it!

You may well be doing the same thing or thinking about it. If you can make it work, why not? This documentary is about some folks who ARE making it work. It’s interesting, relevant, and a story that should be told. Please help support this by passing the word around. They are doing brilliantly on Kickstarter and with just six days left to jump on board every little bit helps. Got $5 to spare?

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/almostfearless/the-wireless-generation?ref=card

Is this a dream of yours or have you already made it happen? Does it even appeal to you? How are you following your dreams? 

Forgive a little shameless self-promotion here, but I’m following my dream too! The Bridge Club is the Book Of The Day on eReaderNews today. If you can pop over and like their page and tweet it up a storm, that would be magnifique. Thanks. Here’s the link:

Alright! TBC is up on eReaderNews. Here’s the tweet and if you have time to like the Facebook page that would be SO appreciated! Thanks a million. Feel free to add your own comment or hashtags.

Book Of The Day-The Bridge Club –http://ereadernewstoday.com/book-of-the-day-the-bridge-club/6717389/ A book club favourite! #women #life #bookclubs

Choopy’s Cupcakes and Coffee Shop

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Mon Dieu, what a day I’ve had! There’s malware in my Hotmail apparently sending messages to everyone in my address book that I’m in distress in Greece and need money! It took a few hours of phone calls to Microsoft for them to figure out why I couldn’t access my Hotmail account. Now I will have to wait another 24 to 48 hours before I can get back in.  If you happen to receive one of those messages rest assured I’m not in Greece! You know me, I’d rather be in France!

We were up north visiting friends at their beautiful cottage for three days this week and without internet service. I’m now paying the price with overflowing blog and social media matters to take care of.

So I’m taking the easy way out this week and reposting this piece from last year about one of my favourite places in Antibes and the delightful young couple who make it happen. If you are anywhere in the neighbourhood, drop in to see Vincent and Julie!

HERE IT IS:

I love success stories, don’t you? The reason I’m a little late posting this is because I took a few hours this evening to watch the movie The Help with my DH. As well as being an important and well-told story,  author Kathryn Stockett’s backstory about writing The Help is one everyone should hear. It’s a true success story.

She received 60 rejections over a five-year period before one brave agent with an eye for a good story saw the truth in it. Click here to read it from my archives, in case you missed it. She’s hilarious and her personal journey is inspiring to all of us who believe in our writing.

Okay, I’m getting off topic … as I do … this post is about France and it’s about success. It’s about a young couple I met in Antibes whose story also inspired me.

Meet Julie and Victor, the owners of Choopy’s,  who are natives of nearby Nice and about as sincere and delightful a young couple as you could ever hope to meet. This warm and welcoming shop is in the old town of Antibes, through a short archway off Rue de La République.

I have to admit I’m not a true coffee drinker, unlike my DH who is an espresso afficionado.

I am … full confession here … a faux-coffee drinker. I need chocolate in it . Give me a Café Mocha or a Moccacino and I’m in heaven. I appreciate how seriously the French take their café and I know it’s kind of bad manners to even think of having anything but a café (i.e. espresso) or a café crème so I had been pretending for several weeks that I was cool with that (plus a LOT of sugar). But I wasn’t.

So … Choopy’s was new and had a cosmopolitan ambiance AND they had free wifi – bonus! I wandered in one day to see if possibly they might have one of these North American aberrations on their menu. They didn’t. “Pas de problème!” said Victor with his wonderful smile. “Explain what it is and I’ll make you one.” I did and he did. Magnifique!

Julie, a beautiful and engaging young woman, is a graduate of a prestigious 5-year culinary program. Vincent has a degree in business and finance. Soon after graduation they began working. It took no time for Julie to realize she wanted to be in contact with people and Vincent knew he preferred baking cakes to crunching numbers. Their quest began to figure out just what it was they could do to make this happen.

Like so  many other young people, they packed up and had an adventure working and traveling in Australia and Bali. All the while they were on the lookout for something that might be a sign as to what sort of business they should open. It didn’t take long for the sign to appear and surprisingly it was in the shape of … CUPCAKES! 

It seemed as if every coffee shop in Australia also served cupcakes. Mon Dieu! Qu’est-ce que c’est? Who had heard of cupcakes in France?  Not many. You can find more types of pastries in France than practically anywhere else in the world … but not cupcakes!

Visiting cupcake bakeries in Australia before they left, they were convinced that this was their future.  A bit of research back home indicated only one bakery in Paris was making cupcakes. Amazing. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t enjoy a good cupcake … or two?  Julie has become a cupcake goddess and every kind I sampled through the summer was über-delicieux!

Along with the ever-changing selection of cupcakes there are several other equally delicious choices to accompany your coffee. Victor’s banana bread with it’s mouth-watering crunchy topping has already established it’s own reputation.

Lunches and Sunday brunches are also served with all ingredients fresh from the daily market. Get there early as the space fills up quickly. The word has spread and this bright, hard-working and absolutely delightful young couple are seeing their business become a most successful venture.

It was always a pleasure to stop in and see how busy they were. Their energy and commitment to their business is evident in everything they do. Customer service is their focus and after just a few months it was obvious they were becoming a very important part of the charming old town in Antibes. Never too busy for a smile and a friendly exchange, make sure you stop by the next time you are in the neighbourhood!

The strawberry cupcakes are to die for … but then, so are the chocolate … and  … um, well, the Cupcakes De Noël are out now too. Just try them all!

And ask them how they decided upon the name of their shop … very cute …

Here’s their Facebook link. Stop in and “like” them – they deserve it. Merci beaucoup!

What are some success stories that have inspired you? Have you ever done your homework, taken a big breath and begun something completely new and different in your life? Would you do it again?

Your Date Coach is here … got questions?

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Apart from my love of writing and hearing from readers, I thrive on the connections that are constantly occurring in this literary world. Through social media, conferences, writing groups, there are always new and interesting people to get to know … and, of course, everyone has a story.

The fabulous Christine Hart is visiting with me here today. She’s a Date Coach! Whoops, no pushing now! Please line up in an orderly fashion if you have a question or two you would like to run by her about a relationship in your life.

As a Dating & Relationship Coach for over 12 years, Christine is the founder of Your Date Coach Inc., and an industry leader in navigating the world of effective male/female communication. Her guidance and techniques have led to more than 65 lasting marriages. Author of The Art of Living a Flirtatious Life – a book dedicated to helping women connect with the power of their femininity. Find out more about this book and others by Christine by clicking here.
Christine has appeared on various media including interviews with The Huffington Post, The Financial Post, CTV National, CityTV, CTV, CBC, Much Music, GlobalTV, CP24, Elle Magazine, Flare Magazine, Canadian Living, Globe & Mail, National Post and The Toronto Star. She is also one of the regular Dating Experts on CosmoTV’s hit show, “LoveTrap”. She holds a BA in Communication Studies, is a Certified Coach through CCF and a graduate of the PAX Mastery Program in California. PAX is dedicated to transforming the way men and women relate to each other.
Christine is always the best company! You’re going to enjoy getting to know her here. One thing she doesn’t mention in her bio above, is the fact that she is also a talented jazz singer. How cool is that? Read on!

PS – Your choice of career is unique and intriguing. How did it come about?

CH – It really was a natural evolution. It began with getting a degree in Communication Studies and then shortly after, I owned a casting facility for film and television. What I loved most about my job was talking with the actors about their love lives. Then I heard about this concept of speed-dating and it hadn’t really come to Canada yet. I decided to start a business in Calgary and it was very successful. I was always giving dating advice based on the books I was reading and the conversations I was having with my guests. I did a lot of work (and still do) as a Dating Expert on television and then heard there was a career description of  a “Dating Coach”.  Realizing I was actually doing that but not charging,  I formed YourDateCoach in 2007 and have worked full time in that capacity ever since. 

PS – You’ve branched out in several directions with a television show and a published book as well as working individually and in workshops with clients. Whew! You are a busy lady. Would you mind elaborating on those different aspects of your work?

 CH – Yes, the one-to-one coaching is the largest part of my business and from that several wonderful opportunities have come my way. I am often hired to speak to groups of women or co-ed groups. My extensive training with PAX Programs gives me a unique set of skills where I can advise anyone at any point in their dating life whether they’ve been in a relationship for 10 years or just getting themselves out there. My book came from a workshop I taught on helping women connect with their femininity. I felt that many women saw femininity as being a weakness and didn’t know how to connect with that side of themselves. Since their work required them to be masculine, they wanted to learn to be more feminine in their interactions with men. 

PS – What brings you the greatest satisfaction in your career?

CH – I love it when I get a call or email from a client saying, “I just don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t found you”. I have helped hundreds of women and men get better results in their interactions with the opposite sex. I love clearing up misconceptions and helping people relate on a whole new level they didn’t know existed prior to working with me. 

PS – When you take time off from this business, what do you like to do? Travel, sports, theatre?

CH – I’m an experiential traveler and love visiting new places all over the world. I love riding my bike and going to hot yoga classes. As a hobby, I sing jazz. I have an EP that I am beginning to market. www.christinehartmusic.com and I’ve sung all over North America and in Central Mexico.  

PS – Moving forward with your career, do you see any major changes in the future to what you are doing?

CH – My business is transitioning to being mainly online and via phone. I am building programs and products to further help my clients. I believe that you are best able to help your clients when you yourself, are living an authentic lifestyle that keeps you very happy. Having more of an online business allows me to travel more. 

PS – Is there one particular generic piece of advice that you might offer to everyone as a basic guideline in handling relationships?

CH – Men are not versions of women. They are the opposite of women in many ways. What I mean by that is sometimes we look at men and think “Gosh, I would never do that or think that way, what the heck is his problem?!” Both men and women can create an opportunity to gain a lot more peace in their lives through understanding the WHY behind each other’s behaviors. It can be both fascinating (really!) and healing at the same time. 

Christine, thanks so much for stopping by! It’s always great fun to chat with you. When I start to work on the revisions for my upcoming new novel (the editor has promised he will have it to me soon), I may have to send a couple of the characters to you for counselling!

For all of you dear readers who want to know more about Christine, here’s a link to her newsletter that’s always bursting with great information and helpful tips!

She’s also waiting to hear from you at her website www.yourdatecoach.com.
Among other things Christine is a perfect example of people in “The Wireless Generation”, able to work from anywhere in the world. When you have a minute, take a look at this site about a young couple who are putting together a documentary about this new generation of people who are taking their careers online so they can travel the world. I’m one of their supporters as they work to raise enough money to present their documentary to the Sundance Film Festival. If you know others who may be interested in this, please pass it on! Thanks!

Happy Birthday to Me!

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I’m taking the day off to play golf and celebrate. Thanks for all the cards, voicemails and e-mails … the Kazoo serenade was outstanding! See you Friday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQoE4bnpBCk