Welcome (back) to my blog

I decided to start blogging (again) because it was that or produce another child. No, a few words on a screen are obviously not the equivalent of an actual living, breathing human being, but when you feel a backlog of creativity in your soul, you have to do something with it, right? And writing just seems like a more economically/mentally/emotionally feasible option than growing another human, particularly when I’ve already brought two little ankle biters into the world.

<<My parents can now start breathing again>>

My first foray into the blogging world was 4.5 years ago when I moved to Bangkok with my husband. Blogging was a way of keeping in touch with friends and family without the use of the dreaded “update letter.” It was also a way to keep a sense of humour in the midst of what was a pretty culture-shocked first year abroad. Besides, who doesn’t love to indulge in a bit of navel-gazing now and then? So blogging was my lifeline in the midst of the strange expat bubble of Bangkok. After a few months, it also led to my first real writing job.

The dubiously-named Expat Ladies in Bangkok magazine was just what the doctor ordered. As a recent grad with a degree in Military and Strategic Studies (sounds more hardcore than it actually is), I was hoping to work at a think tank or an NGO. That specialized in Pakistani affairs. In Thailand. Without a work visa. Needless to say, my job search hit a few cul-de-sacs. So when the editor of ELBKK (yup, you got it – Expat Ladies in Bangkok) offered me work as a features editor and writer for the magazine, I was all over it like a dirty shirt. I got to interview the doyennes of Bangkok expat society, eat at culinary hotspots, and try to convince my elderly, British, male boss that Expat Ladies was a bad name for a magazine. I also took on a few jobs editing for non-native English speakers.

My writing career was looking so promising that I decided to throw a spanner in the works and start cranking out babies. Z was perhaps the largest baby ever born at a Thai hospital. She made our lives better and more tired, and convinced us that living close to babysitters  family was a brilliant idea. So after two years in Thailand, we packed up and moved back to Calgary. It took me around eight months to get used to having hot running water and an actual oven again, but once that sunk in, I was ready to write. I started freelancing for various Alberta publications, and taking writing and editing courses.

And all THAT was going so well that I decided to produce baby number 2. L was perhaps the hairiest baby ever born in a Canadian hospital. She made our lives better and much, much more tired. And living near family was indeed a brilliant idea. If anyone tells you that two kids is not much different than one, they are a malicious liar. It’s 14 months later, and my brain is only now able to string together semi-coherent sentences.

Which brings me to the present. I won’t even pretend that this blog has a defined topic or audience (other than my mother). It’s just going to be the ramblings of a trying freelance writer. It’ll probably include some popular blogging topics like parenting/food/travel/career stuff. Definitely no fashion. Please always feel free to contact me with hot writing tips and/or potty training advice.