And the award for blog slacker goes to...

2 weeks and no new posts??

My deepest apologies.

How will I ever expect to keep my thousands of followers? (Okay... that's an outright lie)

I'm sure other amateur random bloggers like me lose focus during the nicer summer months. I always aim to have the idea first and then start writing, rather than sitting clueless in front of a blank screen waiting for the inspiration to hit me. That never works.

Reminds me a little of my journaling. Yes, I do that too, but that I've done the past 12 years, old school style in a notebook. I knew it was bad when I turned to the last entry and the date was 3yrs prior! Oops. I swear it didn't seem that long. Journaling of any sort is highly recommended, both as an outlet for frustration, and also to work through a lot of things that may be on your mind. It's really fun to page back and read prior entries, where I've been shocked on many occasions just how accurate I was in predicting the future. You know yourself waaay better than you think.

Although I love my social media, I miss the days of getting 'real' mail and letters from people. I have one friend who I've know since I was 12, and although we went to different schools and lived only 10 minutes from each other, we always wrote each other letters and silly notes throughout high school and up through college. Of course now we're friends on Facebook, but I can guarantee we could pick back up on our letter writing thing tomorrow if we wanted to. Each one of my friends offers something unique and completely different from the others. I'm glad I have a wide variety of people making up my closest friends. I think it's because there's so many things that interest me, each one adds something different to my life. It's fabulous.

Drifted off topic there a little.  I shall be back next week with another round of randoms. (Looking at the past 2 wks though, I may need to set a recurring reminder on my phone for this!)  : O

Vacation tomorrow!

As predicted in a previous post, here I am, the night before vacation running around gathering all my bottles and chargers and shoes and more shoes, and over-packing for certain.

Ecstatic to get back to the left coast, a little more south this time, and have a jammed packed, fun-filled, crazy random 4 days of awesomeness!

Yay!

Write ya when I'm back... if I decide to come back  :)

Wednesday Randoms

Oh hello Wednesday.

You snuck up on me this week. Random time.

• Casey Anthony. I don't even know what to say. You're schizophrenic, you're a pathological liar, and the fact alone you took 30+ days to report your CHILD missing- GUILTY. Karma will getcha and the guilt will eat you alive. Have fun!
• 1 week til Hollywood! Looking forward to some super fun times on the west coast with some great people. Food, fun, beach, bars... so excited!!
• Fun times at the beach this past weekend. Surf, sun, bike rides, and a little kayaking made for a pretty active mini vacation.
• Excellent timing when Job #2 slows down just as Job #1 starts getting insane.
• Delaware must have mosquitos with time release itch causing poison, because these bites I got on Sunday night are killin me now!
• Zuckerberg is bringing video chat to Facebook. Oh, thank you so much. Hopefully it will be used the right way. Multiple video chatting, possible with something like OoVoo are so much cooler than the 1-to-1.
• It's been almost 3 months since I made the switch from Blackberry to a Droid. And... I don't miss the Blackberry a bit!
• I think I'll start hitting the gym late night for the rest of the summer. There's something gross about dozens of strangers sweating in one place, and if I can help it, I'd like to avoid as many of them as possible.
• Golden Grahams is sooo delicious. I really think I could eat half the box and not think twice.
  
  That's all I got for the randoms today. Tweeting is so much easier than blogging :)
  

Still Not Tweeting? #youshouldbe

You know what I can’t stand?  Boring people. Those dull, lackluster, lovers of the status quo. The types you can talk to for 10 minutes and struggle to find some meaningful takeaway from the conversation. We can’t all be a walking, talking ball of charisma, but sometimes I meet people and wonder if the AA batteries in that panel on their back need changing. Whatever the reason, if you or someone you know would tie for 1st place with a roll of paper towels in a personality contest, hang on tight- because help might be found with just one word:



                                                               TWITTER


It’s time for me and my (sometimes) opinionated self to once again sing the praises of Twitter, my favorite addiction form of social media for well over a year. I've signed on in the earlier days of March 2009, and now you can't open a magazine, webpage, or see an ad without the recognizable 't' icon.


You can’t tell me in 5 minutes of tweet-scrolling you haven’t learned something new, disagreed passionately with another’s opinion, promised yourself to look further into a certain topic, or #hashtaggedaridiculousstatement punctuating your 140 character pearl of wisdom.
I’m right. You can admit it. I can honestly say I’ve done all of these things…and then some (Dozens of twitpics? Guilty. Tweeted from my Kindle, Pandora, and Droid? Guilty.)


There’s no exclusivity factor in Twitter; no wall to shamelessly tag 10,000 pictures of yourself (blurry, out of focus ones included), no pressure to sit there and dig deep in your reservoir of funny, insightful material hoping this time the thumbs up count from your loyal circle of friends hits the double digits! (How AWESOME would that be?!?!?)


Nope. No friends (or followers, as they say in twitspeak) required. The experience is much more enjoyable though when someone replies to your A+ gem of a tweet… and maybe even retweets it! (This is an honor held in extremely high regard in the Twitter world.) You pick and choose who you want to follow- be it your favorite athlete, politician (not gonna go there), radio DJ, that person hiding behind the quasi-famous escape artist snake (@BronxZoosCobra and yes, I’m a follower and a fan!), or a friend. Tweet whatever you're feeling or strikes you as humorous, or don't tweet at all. Silent twittering (following only) will still hit you with tons of info faster than anything other form of media. Really though... who can keep quiet when there's so much to say??


The possibilities are now endless with retailers, restaurants, and nonprofits also making up the mix of the thousands you can follow. Unlike Facebook, there’s no drama when you ‘unfollow’ someone, as the majority of those you follow don’t personally know you. Getting bombarded by Lady Gaga’s incessant tweeting about her new music? Easy. Unfollow her, and follow again after the album drops. The menu is easy to navigate, and there’s no labyrinth- like adventure to update simple settings like some applications (**cough** Facebook)


The key to all of this is the 140 character limit. It actually encourages people to get to the point. None of the babbling, never-ending status updates you find on Facebook, as people painfully describe the nightmarish Friday traffic on the way to the shore, or recap the cloudy weather the entire weekend (weatherman lied!). Twitter thrives on the ‘short but meaningful’ theory. It takes a little to get used to, but after a while it’s easy to share your thoughts in 140 characters or less. With a little practice, you’ll soon be speaking fluently in the language of @ and #. There’s also an obvious lack of generic contributions on Twitter, at least from those I follow. The waste of space I see on Facebook updates such as ‘at work’ or ‘going to bed’ are scarce in the world of tweets.


So back to my original point- next time you or someone you know is at a loss for small talk at the neighborhood picnic, grab the phone, discreetly scroll through the tweet log, and there you go- instant conversation starter!  In 10 minutes a day, broken down to five 2-min scroll sessions (my usage is slightly higher than this haha) you will be thoroughly updated on your favorite people and interests. If you follow the right mix of news/music/celebs/sports/business/friends, you'll be Twitter crazy no time.

#ithinkilltweetthisblogpost

Happy Summer- It's Wednesday Randoms

I missed last week's edition of Wednesday Randoms. Blame it on my other 'job' of pouring tequila and getting paid to love every second of it.

Random time!

• Welcome humidity. Ugh. We really do get the most extremes of each season, don't we? My flowers outside are flourishing, so maybe I have the humidity to thank? Or maybe I should thank my green thumb and self control to not over-water like I have in the past?
• If you've never tried Mango Habanero salsa, you are missing one of life's greatest sweet/hot combos. It is AMAZING. Try Mrs. Renfro's for a taste your mouth will thank you for. It's that good.
• Had a near heart attack on Sunday. I wanted to let my birds play together and as I went to pick up Blueberry, she flew out of her cage! Their wings are not clipped, and I spent the next 3 minutes chasing her around the house like a mad woman. I'm not sure if she intentionally tried to make a break for it, or in her usual skittish demeanor she flew out the open cage door by mistake, but she didn't get far. And, as I always suspected, flew right towards the patio door and the mirrored wall. Luckily, her flying is neither fast or strong, so she couldn't get up any speed to hurt herself, but she gave me a most stressful experience.
• California in 3 weeks! Lots to do before then. I like opening my suitcase on the floor a good 2 weeks before vacation, just so I know it's right around the corner. You'd think in doing this I'd be packed and ready to go a week before. Nope. Still jamming stuff in the bag 5 minutes before I run out the door.
• Rory McIlroy takes the US Open in record breaking fashion and Wimbledon starts this weekend! Yessss. Love my tennis and golf watching. Funny how my desire to play tennis never faded, but I just can't get into golf. Not fast paced enough for me to play. Love watching the pros, but 4 hours is too much of a time investment with not enough return. If I were schmoozing clients on the course and expensing it, maybe.... but unless I meet someone who can convince me to get into it, I'll enjoy it from the couch.
• Tragic story about Ryan Dunn. I was never a huge Jackass fan, but I watched enough to know the main players and cringe as they filmed themselves doing the most painfully insane pranks. They confirmed today he was legally drunk, and sadly, he and his friend paid the ultimate price. Thankfully they didn't hit anyone else, but how horrible that such a bad decision will leave 2 families and countless friends forever impacted by the loss. Bam is right- people like Roger Ebert need to STFU.
• And how many people do we now have running for POTUS in 2012? I've lost count. I'll tell you one thing- if Mitt Romney wins, we're going to have to employ an entire hair and makeup team. He's definitely looks on the high maintenance side. No way he jumps out of the shower and his hair looks like that. Mirrors too. Everywhere.
• Lots more to read on the Kindle. In the 6mos I've had my Kindle, I know I've read more books than I did in all of 2010. Oh Oprah, you were so right! I've got my eye on 'Hunger Games' next. Supposed to be in the 'young adult sci-fi' genre. It's been widely talked about, and even though I'm out of the young adult category (in age only, not spirit), I think I'll enjoy it. We all know my feelings about the Twilight series! (love it sosososo much)
• Think I'll skip the random picture for a while. I think it's skewing my off-the-charts hit count on the blog by people image searching and then ending up here. Someone was actually searching for a garden rake. I would have loved to see their expression when they clicked and saw a totally irrelevant blog post to accompany the pic. Ha!

Meeting the world- without moving an inch

I've dealt with a bit of blogger's block lately. I figured the whole 'practice makes perfect' thing would carry this blog straight into the stratosphere! Hmm...not quite. (On a positive note, the hit count has gone up) I never have a shortage of things to talk about, it's the whole writing thing that's a challenge!
So... a topic struck me on my (very cautiously, carefully driven) ride home. I meet some of the most interesting and unique people from all over the world at my job. In a way I'm the gatekeeper to the entire district- so anyone new has to meet me first, prove their eligibility, and submit the required documents. I then chat them up a little, explain some important materials and send them on their way, beaming with pleasure knowing their children are enrolled in one of the best school districts in Pennsylvania.

Being so highly sought after and close to a major metropolitan area brings people from all over the world. Literally. This afternoon was a parent from England, who has been living in Singapore the past 3 years while his 2 sons attend a British international school. A majority of the time it's a job dictating the next location for these highly mobile families. Some have moved as frequent as 7 times in 2 years! (That's one way to banish clutter from your life... and hello frequent flyer miles!) Other times the back story is unfortunate- most recently some families displaced as a result of the tsunami in Japan.

Every time someone comes to see me, there's always a short conversation about where they're from, the differences between here and there, and some great anecdotal stories I've come to appreciate and look forward to with each new international registrant. I  don't ask any of these questions; it's none of my business. People just seem relaxed and eager to open up. Maybe they're making conversation, or just being polite. Maybe they know I have a real penchant for travel, accents, and different people and places so I can blog all about it later! (...maybe not) 
Most are people native to their homeland, coming to the United States for the first time. Japan, Korea, Australia, Belarus, Finland, Venezuela, France, UAE, Israel, Greece, and Egypt is a sampling of where these families have moved from. 

The language barrier can be difficult, and some of the intangibles for doing a job like mine is having the patience, understanding, and solid communication skills to explain the requirements to attend a public school system to someone who has just stepped off a plane 24hrs earlier, from a place worlds away from where they stand now. In my mind, the phrase 'good communication skills' has lost its meaning and importance, weaseling its way onto nearly every job description and resume on the internet.

What determines though how 'good' one's skills really are?
Emailing your boss when you're not able to meet a deadline?
Preparing a neatly bulleted meeting agenda?
Ehhh...not really.
Try explaining to someone (over the phone) who speaks 50 words or less of English the residency, registration, and medical record requirements needed to attend a public school. Thankfully we utilize a really fantastic interpretation service where a translator can be called in pretty much any language or dialect you can imagine (in just minutes!) I've been through the trenches of the retail food industry, and honing your customer service skills is one thing. You take for granted the person complaining and giving you a hard time understands everything, as do you with them. Dealing with someone who understands neither the language, geographical area, or culture is having to reevaluate the entire way you explain something in a limited span of time. 
I realize there are many jobs way more difficult than mine, and there's no horn tooting going on here, trust me. I've gone on a bit of a tangent, and as you can imagine, I don't collect too many cool stories from the people who don't speak English. My point is, that side of my job, while fairly infrequent, has immensely improved my ability to explain something as objectively, efficiently and thoroughly as possible. Every day is something new, and in a few more years I'll have more fun facts and stories about so many places I'll be forced to take a trip around the world so I can see all these things for myself! As for now... I'll live vicariously through my weekly visitors  : )

W.R. (Wednesday Randoms)

Hmm...There seems to be an awful lot of 'randoms' posts and a lot less of the thoughtful, detailed material which filled this blog 4 months ago. Maybe a shift in format to an all randoms blog??

We'll see.

Ready? Go

• Rep Weiner- you are a moron!
• Christina Aguilera- you have become the peroxide version of Snooki. Lose the weave, scrub off the 10lbs of makeup, and focus on what you do best- singing!
• The Bachelor? Garbage. The Bachelorette? Bigger garbage.
• I've looked at too many Groupon emails and Daily Deals and haven't hit the button on any yet. Some of these are too cool to pass up! I'll Groupon something by summer's end.
• Looking forward to my first flight since becoming a Kindle owner in December. Books, magazines, blogs... the normally never-ending west coast flight should be a breeze! I could've used one of those on the plane to Sydney...
• Sephora: I <3 you! In case you needed a reminder.
• Pleased at durability of my many appliances since I've moved here 7 years ago. Dirt Devil vac still going strong, dishwasher, and washer/dryer. Hopefully saying this won't cause everything to break next week!
• I've never liked myself on video, but I'm really curious to see how many hits my youtube video would get if I put in some effort on a highly searched topic. I'm thinking cooking or some type of hair/cosmetics thing. I'd have to keep it around 7min or so, but with the right keywords, maybe I'll have a big hit! Thinking of getting a flipcam for my trip to CA too... this could serve many purposes!
• Working a lot lately. I can't even get to the beach because of all the jobs I've (voluntarily) taken. Gotta make that money now- while it's right in front of me, easily within reach!! The surf and sand will always be there. But, as always, I have one eye on the present and another always looking towards the future. There are some awesome vacations in my future- can't wait!

There's something a little scary and...manufactured...about hybrid fruit. It's also pretty cool.