I just realized (looking back) that today is my One Year Anniversary blogging on here! I guess I've seen it referred to as a 'Blogiversay'... or something to that effect. How time flies!
One thing I can say about blogging is that it has served as a great outlet for me vent, as well as share stories of my travels and life with friends and family, who I may not get to talk to very often. Or at least as often as I'd like to. :)
So here's to being here one year with more to come in the next. Thanks to all those who actually read (and comment on) my blogs. I know sometimes they may seem like a rant, but most of the time I think I share some good stuff. :)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday
Was it just me, or were there not as many spectacular deals out there this year?? Maybe it was because what did look like good deals weren't things I were looking for. Who knows... either way, I'm curious to know how Black Friday turned out for retailers compared to previous years. I know they weren't expecting anything to good.
I didn't hit any typical Black Friday sales, myself. Well, technically, I guess. I DID go down to Edinburgh Premium Outlets at midnight. yes... they opened at midnight, and it was PACKED! There was a back-up on the interstate to get off on US 31 to the mall. Eric and I finagled our way past it and in a back entrance, parked on the outskirts on the grass, and walked in. Eric has no patience for things like that - I told him he didn't have to go. But he still insisted. Initially, I planned to do the midnight thing to avoid any conflict with other sales I might want to hit. Well, I didn't end up wanting to go anywhere else, but didn't think to change these plans. Oh well. Got it over with. In all honesty, though, if I had wanted to hit other sales, this would've worked out perfect since we got back to Indy around 3:30am. There were a few stores opening at 4am that we could've hit directly from the outlet. But we didn't. We went to bed and slept till noon, instead.
Why did I want to go to the outlets, you ask? Well, there were a few items that I typically have better luck finding in outlets, especially with the difference in regions between where I live and where I gift. I was worried when what i thought was my 'sure thing' stop didn't pan out... but I still found what I was looking for at another store. And Eric even made it worthwhile for himself by buying a Columbia jacket for $70. The line sucked and he got a little frustrated waiting... but he stuck it out.
So that was my Black Friday in a nutshell. After waking up and getting some motivation, I got the rest of my Christmas lights up outside, too... did the roof lights last weekend. So all it all, a productive day.
I didn't hit any typical Black Friday sales, myself. Well, technically, I guess. I DID go down to Edinburgh Premium Outlets at midnight. yes... they opened at midnight, and it was PACKED! There was a back-up on the interstate to get off on US 31 to the mall. Eric and I finagled our way past it and in a back entrance, parked on the outskirts on the grass, and walked in. Eric has no patience for things like that - I told him he didn't have to go. But he still insisted. Initially, I planned to do the midnight thing to avoid any conflict with other sales I might want to hit. Well, I didn't end up wanting to go anywhere else, but didn't think to change these plans. Oh well. Got it over with. In all honesty, though, if I had wanted to hit other sales, this would've worked out perfect since we got back to Indy around 3:30am. There were a few stores opening at 4am that we could've hit directly from the outlet. But we didn't. We went to bed and slept till noon, instead.
Why did I want to go to the outlets, you ask? Well, there were a few items that I typically have better luck finding in outlets, especially with the difference in regions between where I live and where I gift. I was worried when what i thought was my 'sure thing' stop didn't pan out... but I still found what I was looking for at another store. And Eric even made it worthwhile for himself by buying a Columbia jacket for $70. The line sucked and he got a little frustrated waiting... but he stuck it out.
So that was my Black Friday in a nutshell. After waking up and getting some motivation, I got the rest of my Christmas lights up outside, too... did the roof lights last weekend. So all it all, a productive day.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just wanted to take a moment to say 'Happy Thanksgiving' to all my friends and family following me online! :) I know I have plenty to be thankful for, including all of you. And as we all sit down to stuff ourselves today, just remember, don't stuff yourself too bad because we have to go shopping in the early AM! LOL
Seriously, though... for those hitting the stores early, be careful! A lot of people let their crazy side out when going after a bargain! :)
Seriously, though... for those hitting the stores early, be careful! A lot of people let their crazy side out when going after a bargain! :)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Annual Company Holiday Party
So I attended my first company holiday party with my new company, RW Armstrong, last night at the Hilton downtown. And I must say, they really try to take care of their employees.
It started with the usual appetizers and drinks - OPEN BAR. They had the LED cubes they put in everyone's drinks, too... kind of fun. From there, we had dinner. It was an around the world buffet of sorts... set up in a circle, different foods from all over the world. I thought it was pretty good, myself, but Eric turned his nose up at a lot of it., I think he's just picky. And after dinner, of course, the band started and there was dancing (Eric doesn't dance, the bum!). So as far as a company party goes, this all was pretty much standard.
It was some of the extras that made it even more fun! Similar to the LED ice cubes, they had other unique things that I had not had at Christmas parties. Another neat idea was to have a photographer there, not only do the candids that will show up digitally somewhere later, but they had a set up like you would at prom. The difference being you could get pictures with whomever you wanted, and as many people you wanted, as many times as you wanted. So you can imagine, as the night went on and the drink flowed freely, these even started to get fun! :)
Also to add to the fun, after dinner and after the dancing had started, they passed out colorful scarfs and berets. Last year they did feather boas and fuzzy hats. So this is a normal thing. But again, as you can imagine, once these things went out, more fun pictures happened. :)
So all in all, it was a good time. I think Eric even had fun, which you can probably see. :) And it's kind of nice to have this done before the holiday season gets too crazy in the coming month. Can you believe it's only 32 days till Christmas!!! Yikes!!
It started with the usual appetizers and drinks - OPEN BAR. They had the LED cubes they put in everyone's drinks, too... kind of fun. From there, we had dinner. It was an around the world buffet of sorts... set up in a circle, different foods from all over the world. I thought it was pretty good, myself, but Eric turned his nose up at a lot of it., I think he's just picky. And after dinner, of course, the band started and there was dancing (Eric doesn't dance, the bum!). So as far as a company party goes, this all was pretty much standard.
It was some of the extras that made it even more fun! Similar to the LED ice cubes, they had other unique things that I had not had at Christmas parties. Another neat idea was to have a photographer there, not only do the candids that will show up digitally somewhere later, but they had a set up like you would at prom. The difference being you could get pictures with whomever you wanted, and as many people you wanted, as many times as you wanted. So you can imagine, as the night went on and the drink flowed freely, these even started to get fun! :)
Also to add to the fun, after dinner and after the dancing had started, they passed out colorful scarfs and berets. Last year they did feather boas and fuzzy hats. So this is a normal thing. But again, as you can imagine, once these things went out, more fun pictures happened. :)So all in all, it was a good time. I think Eric even had fun, which you can probably see. :) And it's kind of nice to have this done before the holiday season gets too crazy in the coming month. Can you believe it's only 32 days till Christmas!!! Yikes!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
I *heart* IKEA!!
I visited my 5th Ikea today. I love Ikea.
It was a deary miserable day in Indy, so Eric and I took a drive down to Cincinnati to check out one of the newest Ikeas, and now the closest Ikea to Indy. Previously, we'd have to drive to Chicago, which I love to visit for other reasons. But it's a quite a drive, unfortunately. :(
Today's trip had a mission, however... Eric was looking for some specific furniture to finish out his bedroom (he got a nice iron bed frame last year). Though we fell up short on that (they were sold out of some of the pieces he wanted), we found some other fun stuff to take home. Most of what we found was for Eric's place - I didn't really need anything this trip. But I was getting ideas to store away for later. :) Besides, I was just as the Schaumburg Ikea a week ago and got fun stuff for me, then. LOL
Ikea has their Christmas stuff out now, too. They don't have a lot, but what's nice is that what they do have is different than what you find elsewhere. For example, I found some really cool ornaments - glass hearts with glass 'strings' inside. When you have it amongst lights, you get some cool refraction through the glass. So I got a couple of packs of them last week, one in clear and the other in a light blue. Can't wait to put them on my tree. Ikea is also the store for LED lighting, whether permanent or for Christmas. I got a string of LED star lights, too.
See... fun stuff. I love Ikea.
We also hit one of the Pink stores in Cinci (the store Victoria's Secret spun off for casual clothes). Yes... I drug Eric to a mall and into this store. He did go to Sears to look a tools part of the time... he was desperately trying to hang onto his 'man card' for the day. But I didn't do anything that would've made him feel uncomfortable amongst all the lingerie.
It turned out to be a fun day... and a great way not to feel so miserable with the dreary weather. We had a good time, even though we didn't really do anything super exciting or different. I like trips like that. :)
It was a deary miserable day in Indy, so Eric and I took a drive down to Cincinnati to check out one of the newest Ikeas, and now the closest Ikea to Indy. Previously, we'd have to drive to Chicago, which I love to visit for other reasons. But it's a quite a drive, unfortunately. :(
Today's trip had a mission, however... Eric was looking for some specific furniture to finish out his bedroom (he got a nice iron bed frame last year). Though we fell up short on that (they were sold out of some of the pieces he wanted), we found some other fun stuff to take home. Most of what we found was for Eric's place - I didn't really need anything this trip. But I was getting ideas to store away for later. :) Besides, I was just as the Schaumburg Ikea a week ago and got fun stuff for me, then. LOL
Ikea has their Christmas stuff out now, too. They don't have a lot, but what's nice is that what they do have is different than what you find elsewhere. For example, I found some really cool ornaments - glass hearts with glass 'strings' inside. When you have it amongst lights, you get some cool refraction through the glass. So I got a couple of packs of them last week, one in clear and the other in a light blue. Can't wait to put them on my tree. Ikea is also the store for LED lighting, whether permanent or for Christmas. I got a string of LED star lights, too.
See... fun stuff. I love Ikea.
We also hit one of the Pink stores in Cinci (the store Victoria's Secret spun off for casual clothes). Yes... I drug Eric to a mall and into this store. He did go to Sears to look a tools part of the time... he was desperately trying to hang onto his 'man card' for the day. But I didn't do anything that would've made him feel uncomfortable amongst all the lingerie.
It turned out to be a fun day... and a great way not to feel so miserable with the dreary weather. We had a good time, even though we didn't really do anything super exciting or different. I like trips like that. :)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Me against 'The World'
Every so often, I get to feeling like the Midwest is completely against me. It makes me sometimes question (again) why I moved here, and more importantly, why am I still here. I get a little homesick for Florida...
It's something I feel like I've fought from day one that I moved to Indiana, especially at my first job where my work ethic was questioned. Now part of that was because my boss was from a foreign country, but others in the company seemed to be annoyed with my more laid back approach to working - I didn't stress over little things like they did. I just grew up in a much more laid back environment. I can get as much, if not more, done than the next guy. It's just not worth stressing over too much at work. So I didn't.
Most recently, however, I found myself in a group conversation where they started completely dogging on the State of Florida. They said it had no culture. They'd never want to raise kids there. Traffic was worse than Chicago (how????). Etc, etc, etc... And for the first time in a very LONG time, I felt offended. I was raised in Florida, and I thought there was plenty of culture and I wouldn't trade growing up there for ANYTHING! I feel like like I was better off because I was raised in a much more tolerant and diverse environment with LOTS of DIFFERENT cultures surrounding me.
It takes a lot to offend me. So much, in fact, that I sincerely cannot remember the last time I was actually offended by something. Unfortunately, this was someone who could ultimately approve/deny something for me, so I bit my tongue, as I find I often do up here. But this led to a pretty crappy weekend for me where I found myself biting my tongue when ever anyone started to dog on my team or question the way I did something. So I was upset pretty much all weekend.
It just seems that sometimes people in the Midwest truly don't believe there's anything good outside of the Midwest. There are a lot of great things outside of the Midwest. The Midwest isn't bad. I have nothing against people from the Midwest... except for the way so many Midwesterners act so superior to every other region of the Country. Not all do. In fact, very few of the ones I know do... probably because if they did, I wouldn't become friends with them. But a lot still do. And around them, I do bite my tongue a lot. Because I don't feel as if I should question the way they live or do things. That's their right. But they should as least respect those who don't choose to live their life that way. You can still be close to your family even if you are a 1000 miles away. In fact, I probably talk to my family a lot more than some of of these Midwesterners who live 100 miles (or less) away from their family do. I think being away from my family has made me appreciate them more and I think we're closer than if I would've stayed in FL or even within an afternoon's drive.
This intolerance to 'outsiders' is what makes me NOT want to raise kids in the Midwest. I want my kids to know there's more out there and there are lots of GOOD things out there, anywhere they want to go. Go explore the world - your family will always be here for you, whether you are close by or far away. I don't want them to go to college in state - go somewhere else. Make new friends. Discover yourself for who you want to be, not how your family defines you growing up. This is how I felt I was raised. And I am glad for this. I may get the argument that if you want your kids to be like this, than raise them like that. But the bottom line is, you can only nurture so much... nature and their surroundings will still have influence.
I apologize if this blog come across as harsh to the Midwest. But the fact is, the Midwest comes off harsh to me at times. And quite frankly, one can take only so much harshness before they break.
It's something I feel like I've fought from day one that I moved to Indiana, especially at my first job where my work ethic was questioned. Now part of that was because my boss was from a foreign country, but others in the company seemed to be annoyed with my more laid back approach to working - I didn't stress over little things like they did. I just grew up in a much more laid back environment. I can get as much, if not more, done than the next guy. It's just not worth stressing over too much at work. So I didn't.
Most recently, however, I found myself in a group conversation where they started completely dogging on the State of Florida. They said it had no culture. They'd never want to raise kids there. Traffic was worse than Chicago (how????). Etc, etc, etc... And for the first time in a very LONG time, I felt offended. I was raised in Florida, and I thought there was plenty of culture and I wouldn't trade growing up there for ANYTHING! I feel like like I was better off because I was raised in a much more tolerant and diverse environment with LOTS of DIFFERENT cultures surrounding me.
It takes a lot to offend me. So much, in fact, that I sincerely cannot remember the last time I was actually offended by something. Unfortunately, this was someone who could ultimately approve/deny something for me, so I bit my tongue, as I find I often do up here. But this led to a pretty crappy weekend for me where I found myself biting my tongue when ever anyone started to dog on my team or question the way I did something. So I was upset pretty much all weekend.
It just seems that sometimes people in the Midwest truly don't believe there's anything good outside of the Midwest. There are a lot of great things outside of the Midwest. The Midwest isn't bad. I have nothing against people from the Midwest... except for the way so many Midwesterners act so superior to every other region of the Country. Not all do. In fact, very few of the ones I know do... probably because if they did, I wouldn't become friends with them. But a lot still do. And around them, I do bite my tongue a lot. Because I don't feel as if I should question the way they live or do things. That's their right. But they should as least respect those who don't choose to live their life that way. You can still be close to your family even if you are a 1000 miles away. In fact, I probably talk to my family a lot more than some of of these Midwesterners who live 100 miles (or less) away from their family do. I think being away from my family has made me appreciate them more and I think we're closer than if I would've stayed in FL or even within an afternoon's drive.
This intolerance to 'outsiders' is what makes me NOT want to raise kids in the Midwest. I want my kids to know there's more out there and there are lots of GOOD things out there, anywhere they want to go. Go explore the world - your family will always be here for you, whether you are close by or far away. I don't want them to go to college in state - go somewhere else. Make new friends. Discover yourself for who you want to be, not how your family defines you growing up. This is how I felt I was raised. And I am glad for this. I may get the argument that if you want your kids to be like this, than raise them like that. But the bottom line is, you can only nurture so much... nature and their surroundings will still have influence.
I apologize if this blog come across as harsh to the Midwest. But the fact is, the Midwest comes off harsh to me at times. And quite frankly, one can take only so much harshness before they break.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Historic Election
Election Day is finally upon us! Did you make it out to vote??
I voted by absentee last week - I knew the lines would be bad, so I did the snail mail route. No regrets. This election was too important to get frustrated with crowds and lines and long waits. So I did what I knew wouldn't hinder my voting.
Now I watch and wait. Of course they're making all sorts of judgement calls on who won what state - the polls are still closing out west! But they gotta make it dramatic - that's just the media this day and age. Though I have to say, it looks good for Barack Obama. Which makes my getting his book autographed even cooler! ;) I definitely have a good story to tell my grandkids... one day... a LONG time from now!!
Finally, as we all gather around the TV to watch the results, take a moment to remember where you are right now and who you are with. This election is something you'll be telling stories about to your grandkids, too. :)
I voted by absentee last week - I knew the lines would be bad, so I did the snail mail route. No regrets. This election was too important to get frustrated with crowds and lines and long waits. So I did what I knew wouldn't hinder my voting.
Now I watch and wait. Of course they're making all sorts of judgement calls on who won what state - the polls are still closing out west! But they gotta make it dramatic - that's just the media this day and age. Though I have to say, it looks good for Barack Obama. Which makes my getting his book autographed even cooler! ;) I definitely have a good story to tell my grandkids... one day... a LONG time from now!!
Finally, as we all gather around the TV to watch the results, take a moment to remember where you are right now and who you are with. This election is something you'll be telling stories about to your grandkids, too. :)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Crazy Busy Weekend!
I think things are finally back to normal after this past weekend.
It all started Friday, of course... HALLOWEEN!! I didn't do any parties, but I did do some bar hopping. We actually followed 'The Captain' around for a bit, got some 'booty', and drank a lot of Captain (of course!). I needed a night like that... low key, yet a lot of fun with fun people.
On Saturday, I had to run around a lot (including to watch the first half of the Auburn game... woe is me...) before getting an early start on parties that night. I headed to my first one around 5pm!! The first party was very low key... not too many people even dressed up!! But there were a few. The second was all about playing flippy cup!!
We had 4 teams rotating around!! It was a good time, actually... probably cause I wasn't on the losing team. :) Finally, around 11pm, I headed to my last party for the evening. And since it was after 11pm, it was back to being low key, with the fire pit blazing and only a few stragglers still playing flippy cup (I didn't realize that game had gained so much popularity among the 30-something crowd!). It was a good way to calm down and end the night, actually. And since it was the night to turn the clocks back to standard time, being out late didn't even phase me since I got that extra hour to sleep!! Here are some pictures if you want to see some of the action.
So on Sunday, Eric and I had lunch with some friends to catch up. We were there for awhile before we realized we had to go if we wanted to get downtown in time to do some tailgating before the Indy/Patriots game! So we did that... after I had to run to Target to get my niece her birthday gifts and get them packed up to send out. But we made it in time for the 8:15pm kick off, so all was well. We only stayed through the 3rd quarter... but it was just such a long weekend and I think we both needed to crash!
So today I went to work to relax. Just kidding!! It was actually crazy at work, too, because I'm only in town today and tomorrow before heading to Chicago for a conference!! THEN I will relax! :)
Oh, and if anyone was wondering about my costume...
Please read the safety card in your seat back pocket... :)
It all started Friday, of course... HALLOWEEN!! I didn't do any parties, but I did do some bar hopping. We actually followed 'The Captain' around for a bit, got some 'booty', and drank a lot of Captain (of course!). I needed a night like that... low key, yet a lot of fun with fun people.On Saturday, I had to run around a lot (including to watch the first half of the Auburn game... woe is me...) before getting an early start on parties that night. I headed to my first one around 5pm!! The first party was very low key... not too many people even dressed up!! But there were a few. The second was all about playing flippy cup!!
We had 4 teams rotating around!! It was a good time, actually... probably cause I wasn't on the losing team. :) Finally, around 11pm, I headed to my last party for the evening. And since it was after 11pm, it was back to being low key, with the fire pit blazing and only a few stragglers still playing flippy cup (I didn't realize that game had gained so much popularity among the 30-something crowd!). It was a good way to calm down and end the night, actually. And since it was the night to turn the clocks back to standard time, being out late didn't even phase me since I got that extra hour to sleep!! Here are some pictures if you want to see some of the action.So on Sunday, Eric and I had lunch with some friends to catch up. We were there for awhile before we realized we had to go if we wanted to get downtown in time to do some tailgating before the Indy/Patriots game! So we did that... after I had to run to Target to get my niece her birthday gifts and get them packed up to send out. But we made it in time for the 8:15pm kick off, so all was well. We only stayed through the 3rd quarter... but it was just such a long weekend and I think we both needed to crash!
So today I went to work to relax. Just kidding!! It was actually crazy at work, too, because I'm only in town today and tomorrow before heading to Chicago for a conference!! THEN I will relax! :)
Oh, and if anyone was wondering about my costume...
Please read the safety card in your seat back pocket... :)
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