We’re excited to welcome one of the newest members to the Kashoo team, Miriam Trotscha. And as usual, we’ll introduce her to you through heavy investigative journalism that is 20 Questions… What’s your full name? Only my nearest and dearest friends know my full name. Suffice it to say that my (legal) first name isn’t Miriam, and my initials are BMGT. That’s all I’m sharing! Have a nickname? The nicknames people assign to me don’t tend to stick. Mir, Miss M, M-Dawg… Let’s just stick with Miriam. What do you do at Kashoo? I’m a Customer Engagement Specialist! I respond to questions that come in to Kashoo Support. It’s the dream job of an outgoing Gen-Yer: I get to chat with others about technology via technology all day long. How many Apple devices have you owned in your life? One MacBook, three iPhones, and an undeterminable number of iPods. I still use the iPod shuffle I bought in 2007 for running! What’s your all-time favorite ski mountain? That’s a tough one. I’ll always have a soft spot for the mountain where I learned to ski in Maine, Sugarloaf. Also Mad River Glen in Vermont is awesome because they have a single chair and don’t groom their runs. But Mt. Baker down in Washington state currently holds the top position. The terrain access is incredible and it holds a lot of snowfall records. What are you currently listening to and why is it awesome? Chromeo! They’re touring their new album right now and my friends and I have tickets to their show next month. Have to warm up those dancing feet? Check out their collaboration with Toro y Moi. What’s your tech setup? A MacBook Pro plugged into a 27’ cinema display on an Ergotron stand up desk. I love the stand up desk! Additionally, I have a VOIP phone with a Microsoft LifeChat headset for calls. What’s your favorite app (besides Kashoo, obviously)? The Dark Sky app is thebomb.com, especially for those of us residing in a coastal rainforest. It’s all about precipitation, precisely when and where, with beautiful illustrations. Brilliant stuff. Any pets? No, though I desperately want a dog. Apologies to Hansel the office dog if I seem a little too interested in his whereabouts. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Jarkarta, Indonesia holds that distinction. What were you doing before Kashoo? Before Kashoo I worked for an association of housing co-operatives, primarily on the member relations side. They’re a lot like other forms of small business in their financial management and bookkeeping needs. What was the worst job you’ve ever had and why? My first job was in retail at a small bike and ski store. I was assigned to vacuum the shop at the end of every shift, seemingly because I was the only female on staff. Tell us about a great conversation you’ve had recently with a Kashoo customer… The other day I was speaking with someone in New York at a small fashion design firm. She was having difficulty locating an accounting software that would link to her business’ particular financial institution. We walked through the steps to set up her bank feed over the phone to ensure it would be successful. It was. The excitement in her voice was palpable! Why is accounting important to you? Besides the obvious necessities, I value the financial intelligence that accounting provides in return for all those entries. Whether it’s a snapshot in time or year-end figures, it’s pivotal to making informed business decisions. You get one super-power. What is it and why? I’d like to be able to record my dreams, and maybe those of others, and then play those images back as a movie. While it might encourage unnecessary psychoanalysis, I imagine it as more entertaining than anything else! What’s your favorite movie of all time? Anything with Harrison Ford from the 70s or 80s. If you don’t believe me, head on over the IMDb. Plus The Fugitive! Let’s not forget those epic chase scenes with Tommy Lee Jones in the name of justice. What’s your favorite blog and why? Scout Magazine. It has all the local happenings in one place, with a focus on neighbourhoods, west coast culture and food. Great writing and photography, as well. Beverage of choice? It’s an ongoing competition between beer or wine. Beer usually wins. Favorite book? Too many. Right now I’m reading Ender’s Game because a friend left it behind at my place. Also on my nightstand are The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson, a Murakami novel and several issues of the New Yorker. A friend is in Vancouver for 24 hours. Where do you take them? First, a stop at Matchstick Coffee to load up on caffeine and pastries before heading over to the North Shore for a hike. I would take them up to Eagle Bluffs for a 270 degree view of the city and Howe Sound. Once back in the city we’d jump on bikes and do a brewery tour around East Van: Brassneck and Parallel 49 are among the best. Sushi is a must if you’re visiting from out of town, so we’d hit up Kishimoto on Commercial Drive for dinner. Top it all off with a nightcap in Chinatown at Bao Bei if we’re not already spent! And that, ladies and gents, is Kashoo team member Miriam Trotscha.
