570News Blog: Lisa Drew

I am officially…old.
Don’t get me wrong…I know about Woodstock.. but I wasn’t there… and I don’t remember it.
I left my thirty-somethings just a few months back..and I really feel like I am ten to fifteen years younger on most days.
Even with kids.. and not much sleep.

Today’s Globe and Mail has an article on intergenerational relationships on the job. - basically how to deal with the young’uns.. without feeling old!

Generation Y’s are anyone born after 1980..we have them now in the newsroom  ..and a recent poll done by Monster.ca finds that almost half of Canadians working in the so called multigenerational office say they have experienced a “clash” with a colleague from a different age group.

I wouldn’t say we have clashes in the newsroom..
Not at all.
They keep things fun and fresh and teach me a thing or two.
I admit to needing some help from time to time on the tech side of things.. I don’t think that’s an age thing.. more me just being me!

The Globe article says the Gen Y in the office.. is more likely to have a tattoo (30-percent)… and even more will have body piercings.  ( the older me  - no,   and no.)

Turns out these young things also love us.. putting a great deal of importance on intense relationships with fellow workers.. and the boss. 

I am thankful for our amazing and dedicated Gen Y’s here in the newsroom..they keep me hip ( I know.. not the “cool” word anymore!)  and I’m thankful they don’t remind me of my 80’s big hair and questionable music choices when they were just learning to walk!

lisa

I am truly not smarter than a fifth grader.
My ten-year-old brought home his first homework of the year..and I actually had to say ” wait until your father gets home”!

I gave up.
It was math ( not my strong point even on a good day with a lot of sleep)…and it involved triangles and measurements.  Need I say more?
I am a disppointment as a mother..I have reached a new low.

As for that homework..the two of them whipped it off in less than a half hour..!

Maybe parents should be tested at the beginning of every school year to make sure they are ready for the year ahead…and a fifth-grader’s homework.

I will now be tuning in to Global TV’s  “Are You Smarter than a Canadian 5th Grader”.

Send me back to math class.
Ask me about books… and my favourite English teachers instead!

Lisa  

It is the morning after a very successful event in Waterloo.. The first annual Inspiring Women ” The Experience” event…
And what a day!

Congrats to the committee and Kathy Weiss and Deb Ritchie for the months of planning that went into the day that gathered together so many amazing women.
Thanks for including our gang at 570 News. I had a chance to meet and greet and play co-emcee for the afternoon along with my dear radio sister from CHYM FM, Tara Connors.

Broadcaster Dini Petty was the keynote for the day billed as a P-D day for businesswomen, and she talked about embracing your inner bee… as in bumblebee.  Her message is based on a character in the children’s book she’s written -The Queen, the Bear and the Bumblebee.
The story is about a bee that finds out just being yourself really is the way to go  - a very good reminder when you’re having “one of those days”.
Petty spoke about her many failures..and how they really are important when it comes to success and the bigger picture. 
Bottom line:  she says take care of yourself..who else will?

Take care,  and happy weekend!
Lisa

Led Zeppelin is back!
Talk about a flashback to high school! ( Okay, really just grade nine.. then I moved onto the Ramones, Clash.. then onto The Smiths and Depeche Mode.)

The rockers have announced a reunion show for November in London.  It’s part of a tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun.
And how crazy are we to remember those days of tight jeans.. black leather jackets.. and big hair?
The BBC says 20 million people tried to access the site for a chance to get tickets on the first day Led Zeppelin’s reunion was announced this week.
The site averaged 80,000 users a minute and now the site’s service provider is working around the clock to keep the website moving and it’s trying to find a larger server.

Wikipedia says “Stairway To Heaven” is one of the most requested and most played song ever.. and depending on who you were dancing with..that was the longest or shortest song to be played at the end of every high school dance!

For the record.. it is eight minutes and one second long.

Lisa

Yesterday..the local United Way 2007 campaigns kicked off.
The United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area is hoping to raise 5.3 million,
the Cambridge and North Dumfries goal is 2.6 million.

Those are big numbers… for a big and growing community.
K-W campaign chair Jim Kilgour says they would like to raise more  but this is what the community is telling them they think they can achieve this year.

570 News was part of yesterday’s launch in Kitchener..
and I’m heading up our workplace campaign and will take some time over the next few days to let my work buddies know about the goal.. and just how the United Way impacts so many in our region.

Locally.. groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters,  House of Friendship,  K-W Counselling Services,  the YMCA/YWCA,  and  Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region all benefit from just a dollar or two taken off your paycheque.

Thanks.

Lisa

Over 300 businesswomen in the region will get together in under two weeks from now (September 20th)  spending the day at the Inspiring Women ” The Experience” event in Waterloo.  (www.iiiforyou.com)

It’s a chance to see what local women do best…The one day event will motivate and empower…
and I’m lucky to be included in this day as one of the hosts.  570 News is a proud sponsor.

The day of workshops features a keynote address by Dini Petty.
I have followed her career with great interest and awe..
She’s gutsy and a pioneer.. and started out in the radio business.
She became famous manning her own “pink” helicopter as a traffic reporter in Toronto.
She then moved into televison news as co-anchor on City Pulse.  
Dini was way ahead of her time  - back in the 80’s (and TLC’s Birth Stories!) she shared her pregnancy and the birth of her son with viewers.
After talk show success on CTV ..she’s now moved onto to health and wellness issues and has even written a children’s book.
I’m tired just writing this..
How does she do it?  Can’t wait to find out.

I look forward to meeting Dini, and the many amazing women of Waterloo Region.

Happy weekend!

Lisa

Here’s to the teachers and principals and bus drivers this week!
Thank you for all you do.. and for putting up with parents for another year!

At the end of the day.. we tired out parents are happy to go over things  - who sits with who?  Did so and so have a great holiday?.. …as we unload the heavy backpacks and throw out uneaten lunches at the end of the day.
570’s Andrew Mclean spent the morning talking to listeners about back to school and memories of the big day back.
Some talked about that feeling of being “minor niner” (remember that?..and the bad outfit choice - tight Jordache jeans UGGH!)  to being a teacher welcoming students back after a long summer.

Back to school can be exciting… and scary.
We moved a lot as kids growing up in a military family.
Just about every two years my sister and I were the new kids at the front of the classroom being introduced.
I so envied the other kids that knew everyone and grew up in the same city..and always lived in the same house.
We were the kids that lived on the army base..and got dropped off not by school bus.. but by a green military bus.
Now I appreciate ALL those moves.. and all those schools..and the great door to door drop off service!

It was a learning experience… with friends in many cities to thank.  And I wouldn’t trade it for anything now.
Thanks to all those teachers that make the first day a little easier.
Thank you Mrs O’Neill,  Ms Davis  and Mr Felker for making the first day a little less scary..and the lessons that stay with me today.

Have a great first day…and a great year..

Lisa