Kyle Thomas

The Website of Kyle Thomas (KyleWith)

Hiding at Hidden Lake

The first time I went out to Hidden Lake was as a Scout in 2002. It was the annual snowmobile camp where Scouts would spend 5 days out at a camp on Hidden Lake. We’d snowmobile right from town with all our gear, food and fuel for the week. During the week we’d spend it learning about the operations of a camp as well as many outdoor survival skills. Over the years we did many things. One of my most memorable trips was when we did a lake wide scavenger hunt that had us doing activities like shelter building, signal fire building and ice fishing, all guided by a compass and map.

I have gone out to Hidden Lake every year since with the exception of a couple of years where I was out of town. This year I tagged along with today’s Scouts and helped mentor them just like others did for me. One of my favourite events of the winter.

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How a really old Ironing Board became a Standing Desk

This ironing board had been at my house for just over a year – yes I iron, get over it. I found it at the dump here in Yellowknife like any other piece of junk around my house. I gave it a quick spray with disenfectant and frebreeze and was on my wait to wrinkle free shirt land.

Admittedly I don’t use it as an ironing board very often so this week while getting lost down countless rabbit holes trying to figure out how to eaily build a standup desk I came acorss the ironing board in my laundry room.

So I started taking off the layers.

Seven layers later I was down to the frame. The covers on this ironing board dated back to the 70’s. I kid you not. Look at the photo. Apparently people were just lazy enough to leave the previous cover on. There was a couple iron accidents and what also looked like a murder scene somewhere in the early 90’s. I tried not to dwell.

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Anyways I needed to make the ironing board a little bit taller so that the platform was just below my elbows so it was at the perfect place for typing. After some hammering, twisting and brute force it was at the right height. Although it no longer folds down, but I do have a range of about 20 inches.

I will most likely refinish it, maybe add a nice wooden surface and enforce the legs a little more for stability.

It is working great so far though, I’m typing this on it.

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2014, The Awesome Year That Has Past

As 2014 comes to close I will also dip my toes into the waters of reflection and look back over the year.

Without too much thought I have a lot to be thankful for, and, I truly am. This year I have experienced immense growth personally and professionally, and I couldn’t be happier with the direction I’m going.

This past October marked one year in my house. One year of homeownership. One year of making mortgage payments. One year of learning the quarks of the house. One year of having “my own place”. And while in the beginning I thought I would be a regular basket case stressing about this or that I have learned to take things in strides. To be calm when the unexpected happens and to look at things with a level head. I have come to enjoy home ownership, being the homebody I am. This fall I even installed a wood stove and have significantly reduced my heating fuel costs. Homeownership, to me, has become a game of “where can I save money?”.

The game got even more challenging this past July when after two and a half years I left my full-time employment to focus on my own business, With Media. It was a decision not made lightly, especially with the weight of the house mortgage lingering on my mind, but I did it. It was tough to leave behind some of the best co-workers and clients a person could ask for but I knew it was something I needed to do. Something that I had been working towards for about five years, really, since I started working in the marketing and communications industry.

These are two very big changes in a person’s life and I decided to take them both on within 12 months of one another, but I certainly couldn’t have done it without the support of some special people.

While I am a fairly independent person and have strived to set out on my own for a long time, my relationship with my parents has never been stronger and I would not be where I am without them. For that I am thankful. I am the best of both of them, and sometimes the worst. My father gives me regular financial, business consulting and life advice and his personality has started to come out in me. His big persona, charisma for people and eagerness to help. While my mother has shown me how to be a rock in tough situations and has gifted me with creativity, the ability to imagine something and create it. Maybe not creativity in the same ways but the general mentality that allows me to constantly come up with new ideas and think “why can’t I do that?”. It is one of the most freeing feelings in the world. My parents are more than just family. They are my friends too.

But speaking of friends. I have to be thankful for them as well, as without them no one would challenge me or tell me when something sounds stupid. They, in some sense, are my filter. They have told me honestly what they think about my ideas, good or just downright horrible. They have told me to stand my ground and have confidence in myself. They are there when I need to vent or talk through a tough decision. Without them I wouldn’t be moving as fast as I am. There is a quote that goes something like “surround yourself with people who bring out the best of you” and I’m thankful that this is exactly what my friends do for me. I am constantly better because of them.

Finally, I want to thank my clients, who I like to think become good friends. For without them (you) I would not be here in the state that I’m currently in. Even with all the advice and guidance from my family and friends, without the ability to do work and help others I would not have succeeded in the adventure that has been my life this part year. I want to thank my clients not because of the monetary gain I have received but because my clients have allowed me to do something that I have always wanted to do. Help. I love business, I love artists, I love people. I love helping the little guy strive to do what they dream of doing. So any chance I get to provide help in those instances I get very excited and sometime can’t believe how fortunate I am.

As we settle into the holiday season and close off 2014 I, again, want to thank each and every person I have encountered this past year, for it was amazing. And I can not wait to get 2015 started and see where it takes us.

Cheers!

Kyle

Frosty Kyle

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