If money didn’t exist, what would I be doing with my life?

Lately I have been plagued by a question, “If money didn't exist, what would I be doing with my life”?  What if everyone lived the same life as a priest? The seminary makes sure that you have a roof over your head, and food in your belly, but you can't get rich from being a priest. I’m sure that there would still be people who would study scripture, but what about the lawyers, the doctors, the actors; would they choose the same career path? What would you spend your days doing if every job reaped the same financial rewards?

I'm sure there are people who say they would lay around and do nothing all day, but they would soon realize that they would need a bigger purpose. Playing video games, and watching reruns of Futurama are surely only fun for a little bit. After a little bit of this you might say, "How will I contribute to society"? 

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I didn’t find a job right away to do with my field. To be honest, I didn't find one until after I went back for graduate school. That’s beyond the point. However, I found myself working at a small English pub, in a small town outside of London. While I was there I made food my education, working on my skills at work, and studying the craft when I was at home. Like any job though, there are little things that happen that drive people nuts. For one person it can be where you leave the tongs, for another it can be what cream are you using in your coffee, but everyone has some little quirk and they all add up. It was at this point that I realized something, this “problem”; it only exists in this part of the kitchen, in this part of a restaurant, in this small town, in Ontario, in Canada, on earth. No one outside of the kitchen would know about that problem, heck, there are probably people in the kitchen don’t even know about it. If you let them though, all of those little “problems” can consume your life and make you miserable.

By the same logic of thought, your fame, your success, it really only exists to you. While there are people in your life that are highly involved in your life, and you may see famous people, and envy their wealth, when it comes down to it, your career, the success that you sacrifice so much of your life for, it only matters to you, if you’re lucky your family, who live in whatever town, in whatever country, on earth. In a hundred years they’re not going to talk about how great you were at sorting documents, if you’re lucky they will talk about how great of a person you are. You only occupy this small space on the planet, for this small amount of time, so make sure you are doing what you want to do, because life is too short. 


(P.S. I would still do what I'm doing now)

Creative Marketing Ideas (Updated)

I've actually been asked a lot lately about creative marketing ideas. What ideas did you see and just go, you know what, that was just a great idea?

There are four really good examples I can think of, of what I think was just awesome marketing.

1) Diamond Shreddies

The following really explains what happened better than I can. 

2) House Hippo

I remember watching this video and thinking how incredibly awesome it was, and it's Canadian. A really creative way to show people to think about what they are watching. 

3) Old Spice

There's really no way you could make a list without including this. It has been copied (Dairy Queen), reinvented (Fabio) and even included a massive social media campaign. Just when you thought that these commercials were nearing their end, they come back by making videos answering user questions. 

4) OK Go Chevy Volt

So I don't think that this is going to get the same attention of any of the other commercials, but I do think it is a really creative way to market something. Take the most viral band ever (Ok Go) and put your product front and center (Chevy Volt). It's not as though the band played and the car happens to be there, the car is actually a major part of the video. 

5) Walking Dead

If  you are one of the few people who aren't a fan of the Walking Dead yet, here's a good reason to watch. Take an unsuspecting group of theater patrons, create a cheesy rom-com trailer, and insert a zombie into the theater. 

My Top Ten Drummers

For most of my life I've been playing drums. I started when I was five, and up until a year ago I considered myself a drummer. The butt tons of million jokes, drummers are often the most under appreciated member of most bands. 

My list isn't composed of the most technical drummers, there are a million lists of those. These are just the drummers that I found have the best groove, and had the biggest influence on me. 

John Theodore - The Mars Volta/One Day As a Lion

To me he is the most underrated drummer I know of. With more of an emphasis on the beat than being showy, to me Theodore was what made the early Mars Volta so special. 

Clinic Drummer - Benny Greb

It seems impossible to be both a clinic drummer, and groove based. So much about being a clinic drummer is being super technical, without regard for the groove. Greb sets a standard for all drummers to strive for. 

Clinic Drummer - Jojo Mayer

I think with a name like Jojo you gotta be good. Jojo Mayer has been redefining modern drumming and has even done a TED talk. 

Darren King - Mute Math

To me, Mute Math are the most groove based band out there. I mean that the band as a whole has a huge emphasis on keeping the rhythm first. At least that was the case on their debut album, I could never get that into their follow up. 

Nick Mason - Pink Floyd

Who says you have to have perfect technique to be a great drummer? Nick Mason just plays stuff that I think is awesome. 

John Densmore - The Doors

Dave Grohl - Nirvana/Foo Fighters/Queens of the Stoneage/Them Crooked Vultures/Tenacious D

While in recent years he's moved to the guitar, I think a lot of people forget just how good of a drummer he is. 

Abe Cunningham - Deftones

Spawning a generation of drummers to go after things like piccolo snares, Cunningham was definitely a force is shaping my teen years drumming wise. 

David Sandstrom - Refused

This song has the best beat ever. 

Mark Gajadhar - The Blood Brothers

This guy to me is the most under appreciated drummer I know of. You don't realize how complicated his stuff is until you sit down to play it. 

 

How to Live Without Cable

Alright, so that might be a little dramatic for a title. What I mean is we now live in an age where you really don't need to have cable or satellite. There are tons of ways to get all of your favorite shows still, and even better, you get them when you want them.

I'm sure by now most people have heard about Netflix, and also the fact that it is way better in the states. That is definitely true. However, the selection and accessibility you find in Canada is still worth it.

For those of you that don't know, Netflix is a subscription service that you can sign up for and use on all sorts of different devices from your home computer, PS3, XBOX, Wii, and Apple TV. There are movies, and television series on it, and soon, there will be Netflix only TV shows; the most famous of those being "Arrested Development".

In addition to movies, and TV shows, it also has one of the best selections of documentaries I've ever seen.

Here is my current list of top Netflix picks.

Movies




Television


Documentaries
 

2) HD Antenna

One of the main concerns for me about not having cable would be the lack of local news. However, thanks to the switch to digital television last year, I now get CTV 2 (formerly A Channel) in perfect HD. As long as you have a relatively new TV, most have the digital tuner built right in, and in order to get over the air channels, you simply need to get a digital antenna.

Although currently I only get two stations consistently (CTV 2, Omni) CBC is supposed to be making the switch next year.

For more information check out  http://digitaltv.gc.ca/eng/1282825334983/1282825604404.

3) Utilize the Internet

If you check your favorite TV Station, you can find most of your favorite shows available online, for free, and legally. I was really surprised when I started looking at the caliber of shows that you can find for free.



I personally use my Blackberry Playbook, and simply by buying a 15 dollar HDMI to Mini HDMI chord you can display your Playbook on your TV. I then would make a bookmark for "The Daily Show" on my home screen, and I am then able to watch the previous nights episode as if it was on TV.

4) Important Thing to Consider


If you are going to try to use the internet for most of your television as I have suggested, make sure you have a good internet plan. The best provider for me has been Tech Savvy where you can get high speed internet and 300 gb a month for $42.

It is very important to factor this in though, because if not, you could be facing lofty overage charges.