Wednesday Randoms

Turn On The Water!

Before I get random, allow me to blow off some steam from a most stressful day. Why do I need the water turned on?

(Buckle up, I feel a rant coming on)

Because I spent the ENTIRE day putting out fires! One after another. Luckily, I was able to stomp them out before they engulfed the entire building, but these fires were like the Whack-A-Mole game at the arcade. Once you smacked one down, another one popped right up. I needed two mallets. 
Part of the 'House Rules' of this blog is not to delve into work details, but this week is pure chaos. A bonafide hot mess. Stress turned-all-the-way-up-and-blowing-out-the-speakers- if you needed a visual.

I thought by waking at 5:30am to the blaring sound of Outkast's 'Hey Ya', the day was destined to be great (alrightalrightalrightalrightalrightalright) That's really putting the glass half full. The week before school starts is a notorious landmine of problems and last minute people coming out of the woodwork wanting everything done at the snap of a finger. Not gonna haaaaapppen.

Last time I checked, Hogwarts wasn't on my resume and I don't possess any powers of wizardry. So when myself and the rest of the staff deliver the harsh reality that when you wait until the last minute and- your procrastination does not make it our emergency- people react with the biggest shocked face of their life.

I seriously looked up at the ceiling in my office a few times today, looking for the hidden camera in the corner, swearing I must be being taped for some prank show. No cameras to be found. Some of the phone calls that came in- I swore someone was creating a 2011 Jerky Boys edition of me at work. Un-be-lieve-able. I wish I could go into details but in a public forum, I must make the wise choice. If you really want to know, call me. I'd be happy to reenact some of the happenings of my day- complete with voices, accents, hand gestures- everything. This performance would be Oscar worthy, I promise.

I do love my job. 90% of the time it's smooth sailing, but that 10% that happens certain times of year, oh boy, do I get hammered from all sides.  I got home from work and Brian Williams and Nightly were just ending... sigh... couldn't even watch my fav news show. So I ate a few cookies and started blogging like mad. Because that solves everything, right?  : )
Oh and that vacation... it can't come soon enough! 

Okay, time to shut off the water and pay respect to the greatest day of the week known for its randomness- Wednesday!

• Got myself and my friend at work some fancy chocolate cupcakes from Whole Foods. I'm more of a salty snack person, but who can resist a delicious cupcake with a crazy mountain of chocolate frosting on top? Not I
• Do cookies and french toast count as dinner? They did tonight.
• Can anyone explain why a supposedly rational person would drive their car through rushing flood waters in the middle of a hurricane? Don't ever underestimate mother nature, like those few unfortunate people did this past weekend.
• Still not sure how I feel about the whole Michael Vick situation, with his fat pockets and $100 million deal. I'm pretty close to the biggest animal lover you can find (well, one who still eats minimal meat, but whatever), but he went to prison, and while it's debatable how truly remorseful he is, how long will everyone continue to vilify him?  Should we judge him simply for the job for which he was hired? Professional athlete and role model pretty much go hand in hand, so now he has to lie in the bed he made. I don't agree with what he did one bit, but how many times can something be rehashed? I'd be anxious to see how forgiving the masses would be if the Eagles won the Superbowl with him at the helm...
• US Open tennis #loveit
  
• This is the cutest!!!  Take a look at that link and tell me that's not the cutest thing ever.
• One of my neighbors (someone I really don't know) has OCD. Like, crazy OCD you'd see featured on some A&E show. It's fascinating to watch. It all about rituals and repetitive actions with this person. What I've witnessed is 5-10 trips walking back to a car that was parked and locked- only to check the doors again and again to make sure it's locked. Scary.
• Fall is in the air! When I have to turn the heat on in the car for a minute in the morning, I know the festive fall season is right around the corner. Once school starts (and I'm again battling the school buses on the road), it's a fast downhill ride right to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and my favorite... Christmas!!! I won't get all Christmasy on you the last day of August, but the minute that turkey dinner is cleaned up and over with, it's 100% Christmas excitement for me!

See, blogging is so cathartic. What started out as a major rant from a terriblehorriblenogoodverybadday has ended on a festive Christmas note!  Yay  : )


Bonus W.R. Question:
Think of the last person who you really knew that died. You have the chance to give them 1 hour of life back, but you have to give one year of your life. Do you?

I'm going to play selfish on this one and say nope. 1 hour is nothing.

I need two mallets, please

Rained Out

Thankfully, most people I know came out of this hurricane unscathed. Not to say there wasn't some hard work being done in basements into the early morning hours, but my sister's house in Philly stayed dry, as well as my parent's house both here and at the beach. From my 8th story perch, the rain was no issue for me. No loss of power either.

Manayunk is a mess, as it always is after a big storm like this. Water is so damaging. I'll be mindful to check the flood zones when I invest some money in a real house someday.

A weekend stuck inside left a lot of time for... internet browsing! My favorite thing. This time I logged a considerable amount of hours on www.tripadvisor.com I love this site and it's been so helpful on many of my trips. I try to give back and provide reviews after I return from my travels to help others out.

You can guess what this means. That vacation I've been debating, mulling over, going back and forth and back again since February? I'm thisclose to making it happen. I'm not going to reveal my proposed destination, but I've worked up an itinerary and set the email alert for the flight fare. The more I read up the more excited I get. After a really busy August at work, this would be the perfect reward for the end of September. Nothing is definite, but we shall see...

We d ne s da y Ra n do m s

Not sure what's up with that headline. Looks like Wednesday Randoms got a little shaken up... can't imagine why... it's been such a calm week so far.

• Right right. Eathquake! Let's get it out of the way right up front. Cool, unexpected, eerie, and a ton of other things. Media overload, news reporters trying with all their might to mask their disdain as the same clips played overandoverandover. My grandpop turned 91 yesterday, so when I called to wish him a happy birthday, I asked what he thought of the little shake up... he was apparently resting at the time and thought "someone was trying to break in the house" Gotta love it.
• Speaking of natural disasters, I really hope this hurricane veers east and misses us. Another weekend of rain is the least of our worries. These storms can tear up the coast and wreak havoc. I so loved the years I vacationed on the Outer Banks... please stay away from there! Oh yeah, and stay away from Rehoboth Beach too. Thanks.
• Is it me, or does Moammar Gadhafi (or however you spell it the 7,000 different ways) look like a crazy cross between Carlos Santana and Ice-T?  Come on, I'm so right on this!

• I can not wait for the 4-day weekend I have coming up at the end of September. I'm getting the urge to go somewhere! Always wanted to take off [x] number of days and just book a random trip the night before, just for the sake of spontaneity. Pick a place where the weather is good and the deal is too good to pass up- and just go!
• August is such a blur. The most busy time of year by far at work, and I honestly can't recall what I've done the past 3 weeks. If Outlook didn't timestamp everything and have the ability to categorize sub folders within sub folders... I would be sooo incredibly lost.
• Tennis time. US Open 2011 starts next week! NY isn't that far. I have to go to see one of these majors. Wimbledon is my dream, but I'm not sure how much of a reality that is. I certainly can't get any closeups of Roger from halfway up a stadium. When my current TV kicks it, I'm going all out and getting a 52" high def LCD. I can so see myself doing something like that. I've never been a crazed sports fan, but I WILL rearrange my entire schedule so I can watch a big match. (Excited!)
• I've seen a few stories lately on the local news where pathetic excuses for human beings people have faked a cancer diagnosis and held fundraisers and other events to raise money... to keep for themselves! (What!?!) Mental illness is the only excuse I can come up with to justify someone even considering a move like this. If karma is real, these people better start running NOW... and fast!
• Fall is just around the corner. Which means... it will soon be time for Pumpkin everything! Coffee, pie, bread, muffins, scones, ice cream, bagels, pancakes. It's all so delicious. I'm a big, big pumpkin fan. Now you know, the 'pumpkin' taste we all know and love is really the sugar and spices, not the actual flavor of the inside of a real pumpkin. Long ago, during a pumpkin carving extravaganza I decided to eat the stringy inner parts, thinking it would taste like the pie I so loved... nope! You can thank the clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar added in for all that signature pumpkin yummyness.

 As an added W.R. bonus for readers, I've Googled

"What is a random question to ask someone?"

Keeping in the spirit of all things random, on the most sacred random day (Wednesday), I'll pick a question from the list and answer it.

Here goes.

You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Easy. The dog wins- without a second thought. Fire me.

Back at it

After a little bit of a hiatus with all this hot weather... I'm back

With fall being my favorite time of year for outdoor activity, I needed a push of motivation to get me back on the program. Motivation of this sort comes with a date on the calendar and a swipe of the credit card. That's all it takes- and I'm ready to go.

I opted not to do the 1/2 marathon. Ehh just wasn't feelin it.  I'm not sure I have enough time to properly train and the one I chose is in the burbs and much more exciting... ready?.....

A Halloween themed 13K

 (blackandorangeblackandorangeblackandorange)



I love Halloween and 8.07 miles sounds a whole lot better than 13.1! The registration fee was also $80 less. I'm not about paying a high price for all that sweating and physical exertion. This is totally doable, won't require tons of time dedicated to training, and will keep me following a schedule as we head towards the holidays, my favorite food season of the entire year!

I tend to hit my stride at the 3-4 mile mark. Maybe that's why 5Ks never did the trick for me. 6-10 feels just right. Enough to keep me in shape and not cut into the rest of my life. Double the laundry and showers, you can't escape that, but at least the runs won't go much beyond an hour+.  I want to keep it where I enjoy it. I didn't run XC in high school all those years because I hated it. If it becomes work and like a chore, you're in danger of turning something you really like into something you resent. Not a good thing.

So it's back on the plan... only 2 months to go  :)

A little Sunday cooking

So the beach didn't happen this weekend. I'm definitely not driving 2.5+hrs if I see the thunder cloud and lightning bolt on the mobile weather app. Good decision on my part, as we have yet another rainy Sunday. I made it out for a decent run this morning before the skies opened up. Early morning activity always supercharges my appetite, so with laundry, Job1 work, and other tasks to catch up on, I wasn't going to let the rain hold me prisoner. Time to cook!

I've previously mentioned on this blog my love of Italy, especially the food, since traveling there last year. I'm not really a pasta person- never have been- but the stuff I had there was melt-in-your-mouth fabulous! Having really good, authentic food in the actual country will create an instant food snob of anyone going forward (guilty). I talked about making my own pasta from scratch several times, and well... today I did it! As always, thanks to my Canon EOS Rebel XS 1000D for the lovely pics.

 I literally Googled "how to make pasta from scratch".  No fancy stuff here. I get my ingredients and tools all ready.




                                                                  
                                                                    
 This is an image widely seen on any cooking show.  I'm unsure of the significance of the whole 'mound of flour with the egg mixture in the middle', but something about it screams authentic and old country... I'm a wannabe authentic, but definitely not old country.

Next was the fun of kneading the dough. There is a technique to this, and it took about 5 minutes for me to figure it out. The website I was using was not technique-specific.

                                                                 

Floured up the counter and rolling pin and got to work. I finally bought a rolling pin recently after a laborious effort involving Christmas cookiedough from scratch and a pint glass serving as a makeshift rolling pin (effective, but not recommended).

My goal is to flatten this to 1/8", so I keep rolling...heavy on the flour.

After your dough circle is flattened to the desired 1/8", your supposed to roll it around the pin and slide it out, so you have a cylinder of dough prime for cutting.

I use my favorite 'murder knife' (kidding) to slice the dough. It's slightly thicker than I want, but I'd rather this than everything breaking and falling apart after all this effort. Angelhair, this is not.

In the pot it goes, 3-4min for an Al Dente result

Finished result! A little sauce made in my food processor with tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic, and pepper, as well as some sweet basil from my own plant. It certainly had the fresh taste you don't find from the box pasta, but it was a little too firm for my liking. I have a whole bunch drying, so I'd adjust the cook time accordingly next round. Not bad for less than an hour of work. I'll save this effort for my next dinner party. I'm not doing all this on a weeknight after getting up at 5am  : )

Wednesday Randoms

Came up a little short on the creative headline. Nothing's worse than trying to outdo yourself and failing... soooo it's back to the original. Until I come up with something brilliant (just you wait)

Another crazy day at work has my mind going in a million directions. Perfect time to get random, as I have a feeling I won't be in peak writing shape after going out to dinner later...

• Let's start with some politics. Michelle Bachman, how about hiring some fact checkers before you go blabbing your mouth to a large crowd wishing Elvis a Happy Birthday on the anniversary of his death. And not just a quick mention, you belabored the point. I'm a little hesitant of quoting a movie unless I'm sure I'm spot on. Fingers crossed this woman gets nowhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
• Now on to sports. Jim Thome, a Phillie once upon a time, reaching 600 home runs. Not bad for 40. See, people can stay out of the doping club and still achieve great things.
• Food! Talenti Caribbean Coconut Gelato. Get some. You'll thank me. Coconut anything is a dream come true. http://www.talentigelato.com/
• Pretty sure I'm seeing a beach trip in my crystal ball for this weekend. Wanted to do some sailing before the summer's end. We shall see. You know it's a good weekend when you're shaking sand out of the floor mats of your car on Monday morning.
• I'm incredibly envious of this guy's job. I'd do this for free
• Check this out for a solid California wine http://www.wilyjack.com/  I'm partial to the Zinfandel.
• I've posted some of his videos on Tumblr and follow him on Twitter, and Daniel Tosh is my kind of funny. A little more tame than Dane Cook, who delivered a funny yet raunchy set when we saw him at the Hard Rock in Vegas.
  
  A few Tosh good ones
  Simple delivery equals funny
  
  Love it
  
  That's all the randomness I got for today. See ya next week

New Spot

After a 5am wake up and a mentally exhausting day, I needed a run. Bad. With the sun finally shining after two days of rain, there was no way I was treadmilling it at LA Fit. Give me the outdoors!

I suddenly thought of a park less than 2 miles from me. Last year when I drove by it was still being created or renovated or something, but I figured it had to be finished by now. When I drove up I was pretty excited to see it was all ready to go, and I had the place alllll to myself!


Well, almost.

There were 3 people riding horses. (Odd? A little. I did grow up in Worcester though, so seeing this type of thing is nothing new) However, I really had to watch my step running around all those paths  : )

Did 5K and ran back around after I was finished to take the pics (Thank you Android for some great looking pics). This place is really well hidden and off the road, and a little bit scary to run around by yourself, even if it is 5:30 and the sun is shining bright. Nothing makes you run faster than the thought of someone popping out of the woods, that's for sure. The surroundings were lovely, and as I ran through the open fields and wooded areas the fragrance of honeysuckle would hit me in waves (deep inhale!) There was even a butterfly garden they planted in the back of the trail, complete with stone pavers in the shape of a huge butterfly. It's one of many township parks, and very well maintained. Glad to see my tax dollars at work.

Not many butterflies hanging out there today

Scenery- not too bad

Tempting to stop running... and just stand and stare. Beautiful!

Always have to check out the stream

Very excited to discover a place which has been sitting around the corner for the past year. I get bored of the same surroundings after a while. My favorite time of year to run outside is quickly approaching, and this park should be great for some September/Fall running. I need to get it all in before winter sneaks up and forces us to run the road to nowhere (the dreaded treadmill) for 4 months.



Wow, tomorrow's Wednesday already. The masses are anticipating a brand new, fabulous edition of randoms! (thunderous cheers) Oh, I know you are. I'll make sure I'm well rested so I can bring it.

Knot Gonna Lie...

...Indoor rock climbing is a really fun time, even for someone like me who took 10 minutes figuring out how to tie the knot on my stupid rope! (This was after an hour of instruction and repetition. Ugh)

Another weekend adventure. Same crew, different place. And that pesky rain making an appearance again. No worries though, a little rain won't slow us down. 

How sweet are these shoes?

So... the rock climbing thing. Challenging? Yes. Requires focus? Yes again. Way harder than it looks? (For me) Yes! It takes some serious upper body strength to climb some of those walls. I made it all the way up twice- and then I just couldn't make it happen the remainder of the time. Hesitation was my downfall; if I ran up the wall fast like a squirrel, maybe I wouldn't have gotten stuck halfway up, frozen with indecision looking for my next move.

Every sport has their special equipment and characteristics of its participants. I think I could find the same crew rock climbing that shops at Whole Foods, REI, the incense store, and the vegan cafe. (No stereotypes on this blog...never) It seems you need a bag of chalk, some crazy shoes, a disaffection for haircuts and shaving (if you're a guy), and a passion for a gnarly climb to fit the part. Right on.

The chalk

It's probably considered a good night at the climbing wall when you emerge sporting a mix of sweat and chalk.



On a serious note, it is a fun time and a good way to challenge yourself and put your trust (and life) in the hands of others. My skilled belayer only left me swinging from the rafters once... and I lived to tell! Fun time though, for real.





Back to my inability to tie this knot. I'm going to blame it on...

• My sub par preschool teachers? (Nah, too early to learn knot tying)
• A defective rope? (Nope. Rope was fine)
• The a-a-a-a-a alcohol (Not even close)
  
  Can't even lie my way out of it.

I think you get the picture



What the...

Alright. I've been in the promo/liquor/beverage biz for a while now, so I'm always keeping an eye on the newest trends, flavors, packaging, marketing strategies, etc. It is kinda what I spent 4 years studying at SJU, and it really captures my interest. 

I saw this yesterday at the liquor store, and oh yes I went and pulled out my phone.

Neon rubber Henny flasks?!?!

The generations of French producers of this oh-so-exquisite type of brandy will probably faint when they see these. Who needs a snifter when you can take a swig of Henny right from your day-glo orange flask? These would have come in handy at that 80s theme party I attended a few years ago...

Maybe it's me, but I can picture Kanye West on stage with some kind of trench coat and whipping it open, and having about 12 of these lining the inside.

Certain brands have infiltrated the hip hop culture hard.

 It's no accident I constantly hear people asking for Moscato at the liquor store:

"I'm a sip Moscato and you gon' lose them pants"

-No Hands, Wakka Flakka Flame

The same goes for Bacardi, Grand Marnier, and... Hennessy!

So if you're cravin a little cognac after a fine meal, forget the fancy glassware and pulling the bottle from the liquor cabinet. Reach in your pocket, grab your neon Henny flask, and you're good to go.

I don't think I'll be purchasing anytime in the future. Unless, of course, they're glow in the dark. Then I'm buying one of each. Annnnnd walking outside at night to drink it.

FriendsFoodFantastic

Notice I did put 'friends' before 'food'.

I must have lived a past life in Italy, because I have such a penchant for long conversations over food and drink with great friends. I'm usually always eating on the run or making something fast (I don't even own a kitchen table at the moment), so while I enjoy some quality food, whether I'm the chef or someone else is, I seldom take the time to really sit and enjoy it. Probably a good thing too. Constant carb loading would be detrimental to my workouts and my waistline.

As busy as everyone is, I so appreciate the nights when you get together with friends and have a really great couple of hours catching up, joking, and adding that dash of insight into each other's lives. I consider myself fairly open minded and appreciative of others' points of view. It never ceases to amaze me though, when in conversation with some good friends, I'm always introduced to a different way of thinking, or seeing something from a completely different angle. I thrive around these types of people.

As many know, I've been a fan of Oprah all my life. My 4pm hour will have an obvious void this fall now that her show has ended (sad face). She has done amazing things for herself, women, and the world. Her story is beyond inspirational. One of my favorite life lessons comes from her. If you think about it, it's such a powerful statement:

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher"

Not trying to get all crazy with the quotes, but think about who you spend time with. You know the types of people who teach you something, or have a vested interest in an area you know nothing about. It fascinates you, and leaves you wanting to learn more. Let's be realistic; not everyone can be like this. There's going to be the average neighbor/friend/family member who has nothing spectacular to say, but is an all around good person. You need them too. A majority of those you count as your inner circle though should inspire you to be someone better. That's the truth, readers.

Now on to the food.
I'll end this post by saying I had some chocolate hazelnut gelato tonight and
It.Was.Bangin

Now go find yourself someone who inspires you!

.-- . -.. -. . ... -.. .- -.-- / .-. .- -. -.. --- -- ...

(Morse code for Wednesday Randoms. Really? Yes. )

• What if Wednesday Randoms went big time? Like, ad-sponsored blogger big time? I'd be okay with it, never fearing a shortage of material because this potpourri of random genius comes straight from me. And I will never run out of things to question, examine, ponder or rave about.
• I might be the only person on the planet who loves going to the dentist. Why? Because my dentist is awesome, only slightly older than me, and I feel like I'm visiting old friends every time I go. I went today, and it's such a pleasant experience. My dentist runs too, and suggested I come for a run with her club in the fall. I just might do that.
  
• This random violence, both locally and internationally, is out of control and plain horrifying. High speed chases in Philly, daily shootings, mandatory curfews… And then everything going on in London. These people are acting like complete savages, and using my beloved Twitter to coordinate their criminal acts! I was happy to see the tables turn and the TT appearing to initiate a cleanup effort. Without some further thought, I can’t think of the proper way to punish the guilty ones. Permanent expulsion from your own country?
  
• I met with a family today to re-enroll their kids in school after they took last school year off to sail up and down the east coast. Of course I had a million questions. They gave me the info for the blog their kids maintained (fellow bloggers unite!) and I can’t wait to read it. While the rest of their peers sat at home playing PS3, these kids were sailing to the Bahamas, New England, and stopping at tons of places along the way. Their parents incorporated a homeschooling lesson plan into this trip, (a stop at Six Flags to calculate G-forces was part of the Physics lesson. Yessss). What incredible memories and ample material for college essays! Like Europe, I think we should do the whole gap year thing over here. If I could go back in time, I might have opted to start school a year later and spend a year globetrotting.
  
• Looking forward to some Italian BYOB tomorrow night with my oldest friend. She’s got a new gig and I’m so thrilled for her. I've got a bottle of Toscana and Chianti that are begging to be cracked open.
• These military stories on Nightly get me every time. The surprise reunions when military parent come to their kids schools, and this one I'm watching now about the helicopter that was shot down in Afghanistan. This poor kid wrote the media a letter saying all they talked about was the loss of the Navy SEALs, and never once mentioned his dad, who was also killed piloting the helicopter.
• Another gem from a convo with a parent today. http://www.houzz.com/  If you're like me, and pour over interior design and architecture magazines, this site is crazzzzy good. How did I not find it before?
• I think I mentioned this on Twitter previously, but these face transplants they can do now are wild. The woman who was attacked by that rogue chimp recently had one. I guess if a monkey ripped my face off, I'd be game to have any face again.
• Happy Birthday to Roger Federer, my most favorite athlete, who turned 30 on Monday. Welcome to the club!
• Need to get back to the theater (ahem, I meant theatre) to catch some shows. I could see Phantom and West Side Story 100x and never get sick of them. I'll admit, I sometimes turn on the Broadway/Show Tunes channel on internet radio.
• I need a Johnny Depp fix. I think it's time I watch Blow for the 462nd time.

A little small, but, as promised, here's the ghetto motel pic referenced in the post earlier this week

Write On

I meet a lot of people at my job. This time of year especially, it’s like a revolving door of people moving in and transferring out. I enjoy the conversation and chit chat that fills the 30min it takes for me to do my thing, and then it’s off they go, and I usually never see them again.


Today someone came in who was pleasant and chatty like the majority of the people I meet. As she was sitting at my desk across from me, I couldn’t help but feel her staring right at me…for about 5 minutes. The I’m-sitting-three-feet-from-you-but-can’t-find-anything-else-to-focus-on stare. Then I notice she’s watching me write, pretty intently, and then asks if I had taken handwriting lessons (??!??) It was a compliment for sure, so I say thanks and try to turn the conversation from awkward back to normal, and find something else to talk about. She then goes on about how she hates her handwriting and she wishes she could type everything, blah blah.

There are all sorts of handwriting analysis quizzes and explanations out there. We all have the same foundation of elementary school writing lessons. That annoying lined paper with the dotted line for lowercase guidance- hated it! The entire time we learned printing and then cursive, I felt my creative expression was oppressed by these evil classroom teachers. Why couldn’t I write my hybrid of printing and cursive? I couldn’t understand at 6yrs old why I wasn't permitted to write things exactly the way I wanted. Why my writing, the physical manifestation of my thoughts to paper, had to be the same as the other 20 kids? I was also insistent on writing in pen- for everything- and couldn’t stand anything written in that No2 pencil. These were two reasons (out of many) I couldn’t wait to get older and have the freedom to do what I wanted! I’m really happy public school had no uniform policy. That would have killed me.

No real reason behind this post. Just some life observations to throw on the blog… and if you have really great or really bad handwriting… someone is bound to notice and call you on it (hopefully on the complimentary side!)

Tales From The Road...

I just got off the phone with a friend who spent a long weekend in Vegas and hit the Grand Canyon while out there. If you've never been to Vegas, I command you to drop everything you're doing and book a trip for next weekend. Call out of work. Rearrange you plans. You must visit this city at least once in your life, ideally while you still have it in you to stay up all night.

The Grand Canyon is another worthwhile spot on the map to hit... well, 4 hours out of the way worthwhile, but since you're already out there...might as well. I'm so guilty of that 'hit every place in one trip' mentality. "Oh, I'm in Sydney, I should hop a plane to New Zealand for 2 days" (didn't happen), or "Wow, I'm in Hilton Head, I might as well head to Savannah for some dirty south country cooking in 100* weather (did happen). Why not? I go places to satisfy my curiosity and see/do something I haven't seen/done before. I've done the 'lay by the pool/beach' vacations, and while relaxing and peaceful, it's not fulfilling. Not for me at least.

So on the way to AZ from Vegas they hit up the trusty Yelp app to find a place to stay. Seems a $45/night motel in Kanab Utah came highly recommended (I won't name names, you can figure it out). So for $45/night... you don't get a flat screen TV (oh the horror)... or a microwave with enough power to pop a bag of popcorn (the nerve!) The best part was her telling how the motel manager explained how the 'air conditioning' worked. No fancy thermostat folks, this was a vent in the ceiling blasting ice cold air with a piece of a cardboard box duct-taped over it, acting as a makeshift vent (4.5 out of 5 stars on Yelp holla) When the airport bar tab for your layover is more than a motel room for the night...you know something's wrong. There are pics to back up this story, so I'll try to post them.

Enough about the dumpy places. The best hotel I've ever stayed in was The Taj in Boston in one of their suites.
Yes, I was impressed 
I stayed there for a weekend for a wedding and I could certainly get used to that level of luxury had I a money tree in my backyard. Mints on my pillow, sheets turned down each night, robes, slippers, bottles of a million things in the bathroom. Uberfancy, yes.

But remember... as the saying goes... and this always applies while traveling:

"Bad decisions make the best stories"

Overboard x 3

Yes. Overboard. Three times. Those are my impressive personal stats from a super fun day in Jim Thorpe white water rafting www.jtraft.com . That's also the explanation for the bruises on my legs which look like someone took a boat paddle and used me as their personal pinata. (Side note: Were I a pinata, I would be filled with M&Ms, Swedish fish, and gummi worms) 
No big deal. So it's pants only for the next week. I'll manage. (And no, I'm not posting pics!)

If you haven't been on a trip like this- you should go- it's loads of fun! I can't take credit for suggesting it, but someone equally as adventurous as myself and fond of outdoor excursions made a great call with this one. Props.

Finding some awesome boat mates makes the trip even better. It's a random selection if you start with less than 5 people in your party, but with some good vibes and a strong hunch, we found ourselves some really great people who not only pulled me out of the water, but stayed to hang out for some drinks later that night.

Now let me clarify this whole overboard thing. I'm hardly clumsy, so it wasn't like I leaned back too far and fell off the side. I am to blame though for sitting in the front, zoning out for a moment (or ten), not holding on, and failing to see the huge underwater rocks coming up as we went down the river. (Oops) Imagine riding a bike fairly fast and hitting a foot high curb straight on. Bike stops, you go flying. Well, our raft was the bike, the rock was the curb, and I... went... flying. A little ouch, but more funny than anything. Thankfully, I never have trouble laughing at myself. I was a novice rafter, so I'm writing it all off to inexperience. Next time, I'm showing that river who's boss!  : )

Bottom line: This kind of trip has all the elements for a guaranteed fun time. Beautiful scenery, a great workout paddling and navigating rocks and some rapids, throwing water at strangers (including groups of touristy-like people who are constantly taking pictures...I'll stop there), meeting some cool new people, and creating some fun stories and memories.

A few final notes...

• Don't go on a trip like this if you're going to complain about getting wet... while you're on a RIVER. (Yes, someone did this)
• It's absolutely hilarious to witness an entire bucket of water thrown on an unsuspecting family in the raft next to you. (All in good fun!)
• There's a common thread in all those outdoor guide-type people. They're so one with nature and love their job. Good for them. If only everyone could get paid for doing something they truly enjoy.

Spontaneous Post

Yay. I just finished working at maximum efficiency all day. On a Friday. My day's not over yet, but that's another story. No headache. No stress. Just a feeling of genuine satisfaction. This, my readers, is a great feeling.

There's one simple thing that helps me in this area. Something I use several times a week and I credit for being able to juggle so much.

You're waiting for some grand announcement, aren't you?

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint. Nothing to shout from the mountaintop, but something I stand by and recommend others use.

Here goes...
(crowd waits in anticipation)

Task List/Project Templates!

Oh, I can hear the nerd alarm sounding from every corner of the world. Hear me out though- if you're not using something like this- you should be!
Here's an example
There are lots of programs out there, and some can even sync up to your calendar (I'm a frequent clicker of the 'Flag for Followup' option)

If multitasking is your middle name- at home, work, wherever- sorting it all out using a tool like this will guarantee more productivity- and peace of mind. I realize everyone has a different style and method of accomplishing things, but I've seen too many scatterbrained people who could benefit from using something as simple as this.

That's all. Just sharing a little something that works for me that might work for someone else too.
Stayed tuned for my list of upcoming appearances as a motivational speaker...
Topic: "Project Managing Your Own Life: How to not screw it up!"

W_DNE_D_Y RA_DO_S

"Pat, I'd like to solve the puzzle."

(Spoken slowly and emphatically)
"Wednesday Randoms"
(Generic audience applause and fakes smiles follow)

• I'm starting right off with food. One of my favorite to-diiiie-for combinations: hazelnut and chocolate. It's heavenly. Dark chocolate. Milk Chocolate. I don't even care- just give it to me! Some day I'm going to grab my jar of Nutella and some of my Baileys (original, mint, or caramel? I got all 3) and make the craziest drink/milkshake/I don't even know what that anyone has ever tasted.
• Unless you have an extremely urgent phone call that needs to be made/taken, lose the Bluetooth when you're out shopping. You look like a dumbass
• I'm holding a clinic: "How to Merge at 40mph on a Major Highway at Rush Hour". Why?  Because I'm an expert at this and the other 10 cars in front of and behind me every morning....aren't.
• How about that blogging teacher controversy in Bucks Co? She'll be going back to work soon enough.
  See story here
  This is of particular interest to me both as a blogger and an employee of the same industry. Nowhere did it say she specified any student by name. From a common sense, professional standpoint should she have refrained? Yes. Easy answer. But... freedom of speech y'all! The same thing that allows us to verbally bash our president, celebrities, and everyone else allows this poor example of an educator to sound off about her bratty students. Get over it. She'll receive the same bashing tenfold for her lack of discretion from the community, media, etc.
• Watching Nightly News as I write this and the segment just on said 21 million households are now receiving federal assistance (food stamps). 36% of the state of Alabama. To the average person this all becomes too much to try and figure out. I won't comment without some thorough research, but how much of this is attributed to poor personal management compounding year after year, or a nasty domino effect of something beyond their control, such as natural disasters (hurricanes/tornadoes/floods)? If you know me, you know personal accountability is something I both practice and preach (not literally preach, but suggestively imply on occasion). YOU are the manager of your life. Some folks really need to fire themselves, regroup, and give it another go.
• Brian Williams and his ad libbing on Nightly is priceless! He strikes the perfect balance of humor, candor, and utter serious when needed and hits it every time. Guess you'd have to be watching it too to appreciate my comment.
• Still need to listen to a few CDs I picked up at Amoeba http://www.amoeba.com/ in Hollywood on vaca. All 3 of us went in and found 3 random, unfamiliar bands and tried them out. Maybe a music review might be coming up on the blog... (ooooh get excited) Rolling Stone magazine this is not, so maybe I'll just report back whether they are worth a listen or not.
• This is a great website. I'd love to contribute a couple ideas. I'll... get right on that.
  http://www.despair.com/

Nice Day

Summer is winding down and August typically smacks us right at the end with some unbearably humid weather. I'm proud to report today was an exception!  It's still 92deg out at 5pm, but a sizable drop in humidity makes all the difference.

So out I go, through the neighborhoods next to the park and I'm definitely feeling the heat about 10min into this run. Also suuuuuper thirsty despite drinking a liter of water prior. It's especially fun when you're running by and you smell someone's grill cooking hot dogs (instant food envy).

I also had this weird sense of deja vu while out. The sounds, the surrounding, everything about it reminded me of the hours and hours of miles we logged in HS during preseason for the various sports I played. We started in August and went through the fall, and being outside today, for a moment, it felt like I went back in time 15yrs (has it been that long??) Yes. Ugh. My HS was in a similar suburban neighborhood setting, so who knows what brought back that flashback, but it was definitely there. (Would have been nice to have that iPod back then too!)

I only got about 3mi in... but it's better than none. Can't wait for the fall weather to return so I can go back to VF.    

See ya tomorrow for some random awesomeness

Internet down + Verizon tech support = Kill me now

Oh my blogging fingers were on fire to write this one.

After the internet was restored, of course

In the years I've been here it's only happened maybe 5 times, but my beloved internet connection will shut off out of nowhere. I've taken a few notes and try the basic 5 troubleshooting steps, but when the connection is still a no go and I've got YouTubing, Googling, Twittering work to do... (big sigh)... I pick up the phone and make the dreaded tech support call.

I'll consider myself lucky this round. Only 45minutes on the call and it began working again. The initial automated questioning thing just fires you up right from the start. This robotic female voice asks all these questions, gives you half a second to respond, and replies with a
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear your answer" after I'm shouting "No!", "Yes!" or whatever else loud enough for my neighbor to hear. Ahh! (My neighbors are close, I'm not that crazy)

Then you're connected to the technician (who you pray isn't the outsourced employee sitting in another hemisphere who you'll have to concentrate with every brain cell to try and understand. Notice the PC angle I'm taking on this very obvious stereotype?)

Anyway

The technician was easy enough to understand, but she got a little smart when asking me to read my modem address off some site. (Now if you've read my previous blog entry on spelling out web addresses over the phone, this story will have a humorous tie-in)
I was reading off the alphanumeric address to her and got to the letter 'Q'.  So cut me a break, I've been up since 5am, it's Monday and at that moment I paused, because I couldn't think of a word that began with Q.  So being the honest person I am, I said "Q as in... I can't think of a word"
And she loudly barks into the phone:

'QUEBEC!'

Are you kidding me?!?! Yes, that really happened. So blog readers and citizens of the world, when you need to communicate the letter 'Q' over the phone, Quebec IS THE WORD YOU USE. She also paused a good 10 seconds after anything was spoken and I could almost see her scrolling through the If--->Then tech support trouble shooting guide. I swear I wish I could record some of the calls I've been on. They would be instant viral gems on YouTube!

Then the 'engineer' has to 'check' the line 17 times to make sure nothing else is wrong. If only they knew I put them on speaker and started tearin them up on my blog as they've finished troubleshooting me! (hee hee)

The funny part is when they ask if the line has a dial tone. Well, I have a land line, but it's for the DSL, not a phone. I have 3 jacks, but no phones plugged in anywhere. The calls at 5pm every night were getting a little too much. She asked if I could test the line, and I said I had no phones plugged in the house anywhere. She then asked if I had an extra phone I could plug in. Oh yes I do. I have my Dale Earnhardt Jr NASCAR phone someone bought me as a joke because it was $5 at Best Buy like 6yrs ago. I don't know why I've kept it... possibly for situations like tonight! So I drag out the race car phone and starting plugging and unplugging, and finally the internet starts working again. I just got slight deja vu... have I blogged on this topic before? Weird.

3 takeaways from this:

• I have a NASCAR phone in my possession, but if I need to... I can explain
• Next time I have to say 'Q' over the phone, I'm NEVER using Quebec!
• I don't care who you are, but everyone can relate to the frustration with tech support calls (Can I get an amen??)

But let's look on the bright side... at least it wasn't the shower or dishwasher I was placing the call for.

This guy wouldn't have tried that 'Quebec' line