A few (purple) steps to happiness at home… and how Los Angeles wants those steps in one community repainted

Have you ever used sidewalk chalk?

It’s fun. It’s vibrant. It makes you feel like a kid again.

What if you permanently added color to your sidewalk?

As in trade in that lavender chalk for some lavender paint?

I’d say that would be pretty sweet. But, imagine five years later having to go to court to tell a judge that, yes, you will paint your sidewalk white again… to conform to all the other “squares” in the neighborhood.

That’s what is happening for artist Annakim Violette tomorrow. (She is the daughter of my favorite singer, but this blog post is not about that.) Five years ago, during a rain storm, she painted the sidewalk leading up to her secluded house in the Silver Lake area of LA. Now, in this new legal rainstorm, she must repaint the sidewalk to its concrete color. She must conform. No artist wants to hear that. That’s worse than the other c-word.

I am not familiar with LA and won’t pretend to be as I write this blog post – I am writing it to stand up for an artist who should be able to make her home what she wants it to be. However, I did some quick Googling on her neighborhood and found a headline from the Los Angeles Times about Silver Lake. The headline is Silver Lake: Creative and Artsy Folks Call it Home. Sounds like some neighbors don’t agree with that association, otherwise, why would a resident make a civil complaint over purple steps?

Images from Annakim's house - wish I could find one of the sidewalk. This image is credited to ladyfingers.tumblr.com

Foam Magazine called Annakim’s Los Angeles home a “cottage of curiosities.” I’ve seen pictures. It is. And, if I was not bound to the East Coast, I surely would love to visit this colorful abode. Here is the article about Annakim’s house from Foam Magazine, pasted into her blog.

In fact, Annakim’s home has been the subject of many beautiful magazine and blog articles for its artfulness. These mags features gorgeous pictures of the eclectic rooms and outdoor spaces. She explains in her Foam interview that her house is fearless.

Here is another blog post from Braided Unicorn that calls Annakim’s house “drool worthy.”

Here are a slew of colorful pictures from The Selby that show Annakim’s house.

Here’s the post, which Annakim wrote on her own blog today about the notice she received from the city. She writes here how much is sucks that some people just want the world black and white.  (Note – scroll down past several pictures to get to the post…)

I am Annakim’s friend on Facebook and since I am on her list, I received a message from her today about her situation. I told her I would blog about it. Not much a blog can do to make a difference by tomorrow morning, but at least it will make some noise about this — perhaps even allowing her permission to once again paint her sidewalk the color she wants.  She wrote back to me and accepted my gesture to write a blog post and added a few comments about how her house is considered a work of art for its warmth, color and vibes. She wrote about the situation:

“I have to say, it’s very 1984 and I have lived here all my life and traveled the world… When I’m not home (the house gives) a universal symbol of a young girl that does not wish to see alarm systems or gated windows or cops every five secs….”

She’s referring to a yuppie neighborhood popping up around her once artsy ‘hood. Gates and cookie cutter houses. Houses that don’t have personalities and developers making sure it stays that way.  She said there is a growing crime rate, and questions why then, is a focus of the community on harmless purple steps? I’m with ya sister!

I don’t own my home, but I do everything I can to make my rented place as happy and “me” as it can be. I have retro music stuff around my living room and lots of inspirational quotes hanging around my office. My bedroom is Asian-themed with Buddah stuff and such. I like to keep piles of clutter, too, because I feel a certain comfort in having lots of stuff.

I say that all of creative people with a vision of a more colorful world band together and paint our steps purple!!

~Who says exterior design is only landscaping?

~Why can’t we paint our yards? Our steps?

~Why can’t we add some “abnormal” colors to an otherwise white, beige, or brick community?

~Why can’t our sidewalk chalk be permanent?

Henry David Thoureau said, “the world is but a canvas to the imagination.”

I think we have a right to painting that canvas whether it’s a bedroom wall or steps leading to a dream home.

Good luck Annakim. Even if your steps must remain “their” color, you can still paint the world a happier place with everything else you do. Let them be miserable and know that you rock.

P.S. This situation is like a hybrid of two childhood classics, only it’s Annakim and the Purple Paintbrush Battle LA and Where the Sidewalk Painting ends:

Some others have also blogged about this:

http://happylolday.blogspot.com/2010/01/steps-to-happiness.html

Social Media Workshop Next Month at Wilkes University

I love my alma mater, Wilkes University. So much so, that I am now part of the communications studies faculty as an adjunct professor. My first class, Social Media & PR, starts in a few weeks. I’ve also become active with our alumni association as a member of the communications committee. The Wilkes alumni office has been putting together some really great programs for recent alumni, a mixture of social events and workshops.

They invited me and Stephen Moyer, another Wilkes graduate that I also met at Tweet Up, to lead a social media workshop this February. I am very excited to be a part of this. The event is not limited to Wilkes alums, either; it’s open to the public.

Here is the awesome flier that Bridget designed:

Don’t Leave 2009 Behind! Do it Again in 2010!

Ah, New Year’s Eve.

I woke up this morning from a dream about work. It happens a lot, really. But in this one, my dream guy was our company co-founder, Scott Sanfilippo. He announced over the office loud speaker we could leave at noon, but first we all had to write a year-end “Best of” blog post. I texted my friend immediately to tell her about this dream. She texted back, asking if I was going into work because the roads were bad from an unexpected morning snow fall. Wow, I thought. Maybe my leaving at noon dream will come true.

As I remained in bed, hitting snooze two or three more times (or, 18-27 minutes), I thought about what I would write about if I had to, by noon, write about the Best of 2009. Then I realized something.

If something was the Best of 2009, why would I not want to also carry that into 2010 instead of making resolutions for all new things? This morning, I wrote a blog post on my company’s blog with this same title, but geared more toward the eCommerce business owner. I encouraged people to take an inventory of what worked well for their business in 2009 and continue to keep those practices up in the New Year.

All day, though, I thought how I could apply this hybrid resolution into my own New Year.

I did a lot of things right in 2009. I started a lot of great, new things that I must continue in 2010. Things like this:

• Starting to attend more local creative and arts-oriented events, where I also met a lot of new, inspiring people, many of whom I can now call friends
• Started my MFA in creative writing, which is just about finished
• Started journaling and always keeping a Moleskine with me to jot down story ideas or ideas for dialogue that come from personal experiences and random observations
• I started a new medication for a sleeping disorder I have
• I reunited with some family members I have not seen in over a decade
• I have attempted to get back in touch with other relatives that I don’t see often by sending hand-written cards that express I missed them (this was not successful; however, there’s still this year…)
• Started doing speaking engagements on social media and writing/public relations – and was hired to teach this Spring at Wilkes
• Started a few new blogs – www.social-media-for-writers.com and another one related to the sleep disorder I have and both have received some nice response from the people they serve
• I can’t believe I am even sharing this in this blog, but I’ll end this bulleted list with one other thing I started — and, it’s still new, so I don’t want to jinx myself — but, I finally let someone in after almost two years of not dating and it’s pretty awesome so far. But, I don’t think I would have achieved all I did this year had I not been alone.

So, with all of those things, both personal and professional, public and private, I don’t feel I should focus on starting a bunch of new things in 2010, and rather, really hone in on this stuff that has a good start. There’s a great quote, I think from Wil Rogers, that goes like this: Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

I’ve been on the right track for so long, but I was in great danger of getting run over. It was as if I was that damsel in distress in the silent films, the one that’s tied to the tracks, in fact. It’s time to be my own heroine and get going. I made some great progress and have some great ideas — now I must focus on the doing. What I’ve started in the later part of 2009 needs to continue stronger into 2010.

However, there are some things that I want to achieve this year:

• Find an agent for my memoir.
• Start an after-work routine so that I don’t just go home and slump over the computer. This may be the gym, but it’s not a resolution to lose weight or get in shape. It’s more of a solution to my problem of being in a slump at home. Going to a gym or going for a walk or going to a Zumba class will energize me and clear my mind and get me in the mindset to be creative when I get home.
• Focus on getting closer with my family.
• Instead of work on ten ideas at once, I want to choose one new book project and start a new manuscript — and get serious about it. I need to be done with my writing ADD.
• Clean out my storage shed and get my clutter down to an amount that will fit in my apartment. That will also require some cool new organzation of my closets and basement. But, I will feel so great to finally get rid of junk. This may need to wait for Spring because the flea markets and yard sales don’t go over too well in PA in the winter and there’s too much stuff to toss; I want to sell it.
• Start writing short pieces to submit to literary or consumer magazines.
• Try to land more teaching or speaking engagements.
• Cut down on drinking and going to bars. This will help accomplish what I just said because it will be better use of my time, both at night and the next morning.

Quality vs. Quantity

That’s it. I am not making unrealistic goals. I am not putting numbers out there. I am making more of an effort to improve the quality of my life, and that is just measured by smiles, feeling good about myself, and not feeling stressed.

That’s a bit of my outlook for the New Year. It’s not about wiping out 2009 and starting over. It’s about keeping up with what you are doing right all along and making tweaks here and there.

Happy New Year, everyone.

From Twitter to Twilight, it ’twas a great weekend.

I do what I want! I forget what movie that like is from.

Weekend kicked off with a great NEPA TweetUp at the Banshee in Scranton. Here’s a great slide show of pictures from this event that drew dozens of people from around NEPA. Saw the ‘usuals’ and met some nice, new people, too, that I know I may not have met otherwise. That’s one of the best things about TweetUps. Meeting people in real life that you enjoy following on Twitter, as well as finding other people you didn’t even know were on Twitter.

Today, I had a great Sunday matinee with some of my girlfriends. It’s been something we’ve been doing know for a few months and I really enjoy it. Today was especially nice because it was a cold, rainy, miserable day in NEPA and I would have stayed in bed had I not had something to look forward to. Here’s the thing. I love vampire movies. But, I was scared to watch Twilight. I didn’t want to fall into the hype surrounding this. I was uncertain, since I’ve heard all the criticism about it, if I would enjoy it. I made an excuse to one friend, “I didn’t read the books or see the first movie.” She dropped of the first movie yesterday and I watched it this morning over waffles (okay, the waffles were gone in just seconds). I liked it. For 122-minutes I was entertained. Did I predict things? Sure. Was it a movie I think I would nominate for an award? Nah. But I liked it. I didn’t hate it. And, I can’t say it sucked compared to the book because I didn’t read the book. All I knew going into the movie was that there was Team Jacob and Team Edward and that the vampires sparkled.

I also did enjoy this spoof of Twilight from Oatmeal – which is pretty dead on. But, when I enjoyed the movie for what it was, I didn’t mind it. However, I love this post from Oatmeal. Anyone with any kind of intelligent humor — whether you like Twilight or not — will find this smart and funny. Especially writers.

So what about the “I do what I want” comment? For some reason my usual lively comments that follow my (often silly and random) Facebook status updates were sprinkled with some negativity. And, by people I like, albeit some I have seen in many, many years. At any rate, it just irked me a little. I love a healthy debate, but I don’t like when people say negative things JUST to complain or JUST to be mean. If you don’t like something, say why. If you want to create conversation about something, ask me my opinion, don’t just state yours.

This is what the person said:
I hope you’re interested in horrible screen writing and terrible actors because its littered with both.

I have some talented screenwriting friends that would probably agree, but they wouldn’t just say that. They’d say WHY it was horrible. They know it is horrible because they know what a good screenplay should be. But, I am also sure that my screenwriter friends have enjoyed, laughed at, cried at movies that had horrible screenplays because after all, we are still human and still can feel. Even if something is poorly written, if I somehow connect to a character, I may end up liking the story. Believe me. I am not saying I love Twilight, but people I love, do. And I wanted to give it a chance and I kind of liked it and am now curious to what happens next. (My exact words were: “You guys are all assholes. Now I want to read the book!”) I never said the movie was horrible without giving it a watch. I never would, with anything. I may have said I didn’t want to see it, but that was based on not wanting to fall for the hype. (To this day, I have not seen Titanic for the same reason.)

I also once commented on my friend Cory’s blog here about Twilight, too, where I said I didn’t want to see the movie. So, now that I did, I feel like a hypocrite, but at least I admitted to it. My mind was changed and I went to see the movie. But, unlike the Facebook commenter, Cory created a compelling blog post with a well-thought out, well-defended stance on Twilight. That’s the way it should be. His post has varying comments all that are well-said. That’s the kind of debate I like! Not little one-sided hate-droppings.

I admit that because I have some academic experience in the literary world, I was almost embarrassed to have some of my friends in this realm find out that I went to see Twilight. But then, doesn’t that offend my other friends who do like it? I’m not going to not be me. I think most people agree and I was definitely worried for nothing.

Oh – and the Twitter. I got flack for my Facebook comment post NEPA TweetUp. I had said:

And then some people commented on how there is nothing intelligent on Twitter and that it’s overhyped and that it sucks. I happen to love Twitter and hold it dear, so comments like that sting a bit. I mean, I guess it’s partially my fault for taking ownership of Twitter so much to let negativity about it hurt and I know that everyone can’t possibly like everything (although I seem to come close in my shiny, happy world), but come on. Some Twitter supporters came to support me in the comments, though. Here were my responses:

(In the last image above, when I said, “I think so.” I was referring to someone asking if people were complaining to complain.) Was I highly offended by those comments I talked about? Nah, not at all. Just a little peeved. But it’s out of my system now. Now, let me go make an intelligent tweet that I just posted a new blog.

P.S. Since that’s an image above you you will not be able to click on the Huffington Post article by Gretcehn Rubin (10 Reasons Using Twitter Will Boost Your Happiness), you can read it here. What a great read.

And if anything, I learned that I often misspell Twilight. Haha.

Moments of Wit & Wisdom – Or, funny stuff from Facebook

I like to think that I can be witty and clever. I love play on words and stuff, so sometimes, I just try to make the most of a status update or tweet. Here’s one I made about two minutes ago. As soon as I hit send, I realized how dirty it sounded.

And, here’s another one-liner that made me laugh. Of course, you may have to read the news story to understand why I wrote what I wrote. Basically, two young high school teachers were caught topless together in a classroom:

This was just amusing. This was after three straight days of eating cheese as a snack.

And, I am so glad that my friends think I am funny. Feels good to laugh, be laughed at, be laughed with.

I don’t really know the point of this post except to show how much fun engaging with other on Facebook is. It’s seriously way more then, “Just ate dinner.” Come on folks! It’s about staying in touch and being social and having meaningful interactions with great people you may not get to see all the time.

I Love Uncontrollable Fits of Laughter, Even at Inappropriate Times

Ever laugh so much you cry?

I sure as heck hope you answered, “Yes. Often.” If there’s any trait I like in a friend or boyfriend, it’s the ability to laugh. I think that’s why I’ve assembled such a great group of people I associate with because the ones to which I’m most close, we have these uncontrollable fits of laughter. And you know what? Sometimes they are at nothing. Sometimes, you “just had to be there.” But those moments are so memorable. I can tolerate boring people, but if you can’t laugh, chances are we won’t get along too well.

And the past seven days, it’s been a Thursday tradition of sorts. Today and last Thursday, I laughed until I cried until my belly hurt as if I actually did something with my abs.

NAME SOMETHING THAT WOULD CAUSE A MAN TO LOSE HIS MANHOOD

This is an insanely fun game.

Last Thursday was the first time since I’ve been in my new place that I actually had a group of people over. It was for a laid back board game night. It was great. I picked up two cases of beer, some cheese, some crackers, some tortilla chips, some cookies, some soda, made a killer nacho dip and laid out the spread. My friends brought over mango sangria, a hot spinach dip, salsa, and an amazing banana cake.

Then, the games began. We chose Loaded Questions: The Adult Version, which was my secret Santa gift from one of my Wilkes creative writing friends at our April retreat (yes, I just said Secret Santa in April – I told you. I have fun friends). As if the game wasn’t hilarious to begin with, one question spawned the best laughing fit I’d had in months. If you aren’t familiar with Loaded Questions, basically, one question is asked and players write down answers. Then, whichever player’s turn it is, must guess who wrote what. On this particular turn, it was my turn to read the answers for someone to guess. I forget who was guessing, but that part doesn’t matter. The question is: Name something that might cause a man to lose is manhood.

J.S. (female) hands me her sheet and says, ” I am not sure if I spelled that right.”

I look at it and see she crossed out a bit of the word and rewrote it, but I knew what she meant. “It’s all cool. No worries. I gotcha. Doesn’t matter how ya spell it.”

I assemble the entries from the other players- there were 7 of us total. I read through them, and get to J.S’s.

“Va… Uh, vast…. uh…”

Shit, I think to myself. I know this freakin’ word. Why can’t I say it?

“Vast economy!” I say.

I realized immediately I messed that up.

“Vast economy?” laughed J.S.

Everyone started to laugh so hard that no one said anything to each other for a good two or three minutes. Seven adults. Crying. Laughing. Gasping for air. It was so freaking comical.

Of course, I was trying to say “vasectomy” but the Yeungling Lager must have messed with my pronunciation. So glad I mispronounced it. It made for an incredible, uncontrollable fit of laughter with friends. Of course, the rest of the time, R.S. and K.K. especially worked “vast economy” into regular conversation. K.K. is in sales, so he was like, “Tomorrow’s gonna be a big change at work. My number will soar because it’s a vast economy.” R.S., who is a newspaper reporter chimed, “I better call the business editor! Cover story! The recession is over! It’s a VAST ECONOMY.”

I was showering the next morning and starting to laugh. I started to laugh so hard, I had to prop my naked self up agains the wall and take a deep breath, “Oh, God! Vast economy, hahahahhaa.” I was hoping my neighbors didn’t hear. That Friday night, J.S. and another friend, K.S.,  who was at board game night, but had to leave before Vast Economy, went to the movies and J.S. and I were laughing even more as we told our other friend. Ah, here’s hoping 2010 does bring us a vast economy… what that even means.

I’M SORRY. WE DON’T COVER MEDICAL EXPENSES RELATED TO BLIMPS

To bring us to the next uncontrollable fit of laughter, we go to a company-wide benefits meeting this morning, which happens to include K.S. who missed out on Vast Economy. A woman from an insurance company is going over some voluntary benefit plans we could enroll in. One of them was accident insurance. I was paying attention, but also reading ahead.

I started to read some of the fine print, such as things that aren’t covered, accidents related to: skydiving, bungee jumping, race car driving, war… I am amused. I push my copy of the pamphlet over to K.S. and point.

She scans it and points to one of the sentences and giggled: Falling out of an aircraft.... (like a blimp or balloon).

I jot down on my notebook: “What if I am pushed?”

She reads it and immediately covers her mouth and starts to laugh, which makes me laugh. We are both in an important meeting trying so hard to contain the laughter. We’re not laughing out loud, but we’re crying. Our bodies are moving like we’re laughing. She’s crying and just looking at her is making me laugh.

I fell out of an aircraft once as seen here.

I am thinking of the lady up front doing her job (and well by the way – she and our corporate HR people are very dynamic and nice and make benefits not painful to listen to) and hoping she’s not thinking we’re laughing at her. This proceeds to make me laugh even more, because now my comment wasn’t the only funny thing. The situation is also terribly funny.

Finally, I just can’t hold it. I let out a burst. Just a little one, but something came out.

“Bless you,” says another co-worker. Thank god he thought I sneezed. But, that he thought I sneezed made me laugh even more.

She and I could not even look at each other for fear that we’d not make it. We finally regained composure, signed up for dental coverage, a flexible spending account, and filled out a questionnaire on what information we wanted about those extras. Then, we laughed when we were finally out of the meeting.

What makes you laugh? Share your story….

My Numerology (Life Path #3) is Eerily Dead-on

Here’s a little backstory, not that it matters, but a friend I were recently discussing boys and coincidentally, she, I and several other people we know have all been attracted to people all born in the same exact year. I joked that maybe numerology has something to do with it. Of course, after looking into further, I realized that year alone isn’t how you figure out the Life Path number, but if you consider Chinese astrology, then all those people do in fact fall under the same sign. At any rate, it got me uber curious to determine what my own life path number is. M

My birthday is July 16, 1978.  7+16+1978 = 2001 and 2+1 = 3. So, my numerology Life Path Number is 3. I also added up my birth name to find my Destiny #, which is 9. I was extremely freaked with the results. Astrology has always been fascinating to me. I like to read what they have to say as it helps me look at things in a new way, however, I don’t think I actually ever looked at my Life Path Number. If you know me casually, you will see how true this is. If you know me really well, you will see even more how uncanny this is.

Here is the content directly pasted from the website I looked at:

The Life Path 3 indicates that you entered this plane with a strong sense of creativity and with wonderful communication skills. Achievement for you most likely comes through engaging your ingenious expression. A truly gifted 3 possesses the most exceptional innovative skills, normally in the verbal realm, writing, speaking, acting, or similar endeavors. Here we are apt to find the entertainers of the world, bright, effervescent, sparkling people with very optimistic attitudes. The bright side of this path stresses harmony, beauty and pleasures; of sharing your inventive talents with the world. Capturing your capability in creative self-expression is the highest level of attainment for this life path. Life is generally lived to the fullest, often without much worry about tomorrow. You are not very good at handling money because of a general lack of concern about it. You spend it when you have it and don’t when you don’t.

The 3 loves connecting with people. The characteristics of the 3 are warmth and friendliness, a good conversationalist, social and open. A good talker both from the standpoint of being a delight to listen to, but even more importantly, one who has the ability to listen to others. Accordingly, the life path 3 produces individuals who are always a welcome addition to any social situation and know how to make others feel at home. The approach to life tends to be exceedingly positive. Your disposition is almost surely sunny and openhearted. A happy and often inspired person, you are constantly seeking and needing the stimuli of similar people. There is a remote side to your 3 Life Path, as well. This comes as a surprise to the native and to those who think they are well acquainted. The 3 is actually a very sensitive soul. When hurt, you can easily retreat to a shell of morose silence for extended periods. Nonetheless, the 3 eventually copes with all of the many setbacks that occur in life and readily bounces back for more. It is usually easy for you to deal with problems because you can freely admit the existence of problems without letting them get you down for too long. Because of your own sensitivity to hurt, you have a caring disposition and seem to be very conscious of other people’s feelings and emotions.

In romance, the 3 is a very ardent and loyal lover. Affairs that don’t go well can leave scares that seem to linger. Emotional experiences of all sorts tend to deeply touch the 3 and the drama may take some time to play out. Regrettably, the giving disposition of the 3 often attracts demanding partners. As with most of life’s issues for the 3 Life Path, balance in relationships is illusive. Your big test with a 3 Life Path is controlling your highs and lows. You won’t survive very well in any routine environment or when you are placed under dominating management. Slow thinking and overly contemplative people tend to frustrate you, and you don’t function too well with this type whether you are working for, with, or under them. Your exuberant nature can take you far, especially if you are ever able to focus your energies and talents.

For the few living on the negative side of this Life Path, a 3 may be so delighted with the joy of living that the life becomes frivolous and superficial. You may scatter your abilities and express little sense of purpose. The 3 can be an enigma, for no apparent reason you may become moody and tend to retreat. Escapist tendencies are not uncommon with the 3 life path, and you find it very hard to settle into one place or one position. Guard against being critical of others, impatient, intolerant, or overly optimistic.

Here’s my Destiny Number:

The number 9 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be in benevolent activities, in compassion, and in worldly understanding. You are living up to and growing toward your Destiny when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion, and allow yourself to be sensitive to the needs of others. You must be willing to help others as you were intended to be the “big brother or big sister” type. You must work well with people, for you have the potential to inspire. Creative ability, imagination and artistic talent (often latent) of the highest order are present in this Destiny. Career fields in which you can excel are many and include advisory roles, medicine, legal fields, artistic fields, diplomacy, and religion. Friendships, affection, and love are extremely important. Your personal ambitions must be maintained in a very positive perspective, never losing sight of an interest in people, and preserving a sympathetic, tolerant, broad-minded and compassionate point of view. If you are able to achieve the potential of your natural Destiny in this life, you are capable of much human understanding and have a lot to give to others. Undeveloped or ignored, the negative side of the 9 Destiny can be very selfish and self-centered. If you do not actively involve yourself with work that benefits others, you may tend to express just the opposite characteristics. It is your role to be very involved with other people and their needs, but it may be difficult for you achieve this role. Aloofness, lack of involvement, and a lack of sensitivity mark the low road of this Destiny.

Overhearings at Thanksgiving Dinner

Random memories and ramblings from Thanksgiving this year:

Best line overheard during dinner prep:

“I need another stick of butter for these potatoes.” – Mom. That one made my mouth water.

Best insult uttered:

Sister, getting ice: Ew. It smells like butt in here.

Brother: That’s just the freezer blowing your ass breath back in your face.

Almost mortifying moment:

Donna: Burp

Brother: What was that face for?

Donna: I almost barfed when I burped and had to swallow it. I think I ate too much.

Weirdest moment:

Finding out my little sister can form a butt (or balls) from her loose stomach skin. See, Mom and sister were comparing stretch marks, and sister demonstrated something strangely fascinating: her recent pregnancy means stomach still elasticy. When she bends over, she can make her that loose tummy skin look like part of the male anatomy. It was hysterical.

Moment we realized it’s the season of giving:

When stranger knocked on door because her car wouldn’t start. Mom left to bring her jumper cables and help her start her car.

Most Typical, Usual Moment:

Mom beat me at Scrabble, but only by 52 points. It was that damned seven-letter word.

 

Working 24 Hours Straight at Solid Cactus – Programming Marathon

So, for those of you who know me, you know that I love my job. So much so that I am sticking around for the Solid Cactus Programming Marathon, or Program-a-thon as it’s been called, too. To get our client sites ready for Cyber Monday – the kick-off of the online shopping season, we held a promotion last week – anyone who signed on for a redesign or features by a deadline would be a part of this programming marathon.

I am writing this post as of 12:30 a.m. – made it more than half way through. There’s a few programmers and me left. A bunch of other staff stayed late as well. My role is just to be here to give away things and make food runs, and be the team cheerleader. So – figued I would share this pretty cool event with people beyond the Solid Cactus and eCommerce realm on my own blog.

Here are a few places you can go to read about the progress we’re making (or have made, depending on when you’re stumbling across this post:

Solid Cactus Blog – read posts about the marathon, see some video updates from our co-founder Scott Sanfilippo, and see a video of a coffee run gone wrong.

Follow @cactus_donna, @solidcactus, and @scottsanfilippo on Twitter, as well as the #scprogramathon hashtag.

Talented People I Know #3 – Ashley Ambirge – Writer, Designer, Blogger, Awesome

When I returned to Wilkes to finish my BA, I was older than most people in my class (although there were a few people in the communication studies departments also in their late 20s). That said, I never saw many of my fellow students so much outside of class and that said, therefore not many close friendships formed the way that they had been my first time at Wilkes as a traditional freshman. BUT– I met some amazingly talented people and love following the successes and journeys of my fellow communication majors. One spunky young lady in particular is Ashley Ambirge. Had we been closer in age, or even just spent more time together, I am convinced we’d be like peas in a pod. She is, in a way, who I desire to be.

Ashley Ambirge is one of the talented people I am lucky to know | Photo Courtesy of TheMiddleFingerProject.org

We just had a quick correspondence on Facebook, just an hour ago. She commented that she liked my haircut, and I take that as gospel from her because she is quite the fashionista. I wrote her back to ask how her grad school was going. She replied, and shared with me her new blog, The Middle Finger Project. It’s a blog about lifestyle design. I haven’t made a Talented People I Know post in a month or so, so I immediately started this post to spread some love for Ashley and her blog.

Ashley’s Middle Finger Project is all about living life the way you want to lead it. Being non-traditional. Non-conformist. Living for the now. Being a bit impulsive. Doing only what makes you happy. These are all things that I believe in, and I actually teared up reading her About this Project page because it’s just so amazing to see a beautiful, talented woman living her life the way she wants. Her unique and optimistic outlook on life is very similar to mine, except for one small difference – she took that leap of faith and is DOING it! After reading her blog post, I cannot help but think that maybe I should be doing more. I can’t say I haven’t thought about it. The tagline of her blog is – Rejecting the Status Quo and Rebelling Against Mediocrity.

She’s well-traveled, well-dressed, and well on her way to big things. Meet Ashley. Here’s a snippet from her Who’s Behind This page:

I found this fascinating quote today:

As excited as I am to implement these objectives, I’m also a firm believer that the journey is equally important (if not more so) as the destination.  A lot of my impulsivity is rooted in that particular belief, and I make decisions largely based on what I feel will add the most value to my life both immediately and in the long-term, in line with the goals I’ve outlined above.  If that means doing things in an unconventional matter, then so be it.  For me, life is an adventure to be lived, an experience to be had, and one that should not, by any means, be disrupted by mediocrity and routine.themiddlefingerproject.org, Who’s Behind It

You should read the whole article.