Self-Intro

Hi, I'm Lindsay Gervais and this is my first blog post for my ALES204 "Communication Theory and Practise" class, which should be interesting considering how our world revolves around social media! I'm your average nineteen-year-old with a huge obsession with nutrition, enrolled in my second year at the University of Alberta, majoring in Nutrition and Food Sciences with a Phys Ed minor. I moved to Edmonton from Calgary in September of 2010, solely due to the fact that the UofC lacks a Nutrition program. I'm hoping to transfer into the Nutrition major after this semester, aiming to pursue a career related to sports nutrition, leaning more towards a holistic perspective.

I've always believed that life should be full of balance - I know that sounds cliché, but it's true! In order to fully experience all aspects of life, including travel, cooking, recreation (and many more) we must take care of ourselves first and foremost. Taking care of ourselves requires a combination of proper nutrition and physical activity. With those simple aspects under control, I have noticed that I've become more self-confident, less stressed out (Bikram yoga works wonders), and am generally more satisfied with life. My interest in holistic nutrition stems from our society's obvious dependence on prescription medications, which often mask symptoms as opposed to discovering the root cause of the illness.

Outside of school, I'm currently employed part-time at the gym on campus at the UofA. I love my job, because it has considerably helped to improve my communication skills by spending entire shifts talking to other students who also love to exercise. Complete strangers have become new friends that I always run into on campus and around Edmonton. I'm a huge fan of the great outdoors, and love to spend my summers hiking, boating, and camping. In the past few years, I've even developed an appreciation for the freezing Edmonton air, and its ability to wake me up on my way to school (literally don't even need coffee on those days). Last summer, I ran along the river valley almost every day with my friend Julie, who's also taking ALES204 this semester! In my spare time I also love to snowboard - a perk of living so close to the Rockies my whole life. All of my extra spending money in the winter months seems to go straight towards lift tickets, but it's honestly so worth it to stand up and feel as if I'm on top of the world. Some of my favorite memories come from piling a bunch of friends into a vehicle for a day of nothing but powder.

 Here's a photo from a gorgeous day of spring boarding that I took in May 2011:

Figure 1: Sunshine Village Mountain

Taken by Lindsay Gervais (2011), Location [digital image]

Retrieved January 7 2012 from Lindsay's digital camera

Although social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook are mostly used to keep in touch with friends and family, this class has already helped me to realize that social media is a multi-dimensional force, opening doors in all aspects of life. Even ski resorts such as Sunshine Village and Kimberley have their Twitter accounts to update skiiers on the snow conditions. I don't believe our generation realizes the full impact social media has on us, so hopefully this class helps to open our eyes a bit.