Camp Gyno: My New Favorite Ad

It's honest. It's true. And it includes the word "vagina" several times without anyone cringing. I LOVE THIS AD!

Drinking My Spinach

Today I decided to finally jump on the smoothie train. Mostly because I found one for a peanut butter banana smoothie that also included 4 cups of spinach. I love most kinds of greens, but spinach is not my favorite, so if I could get it without tasting it, BOOM! 

So I plucked out the 43 year old blender and went to town. Chef decided he wanted to try one too. I have to say, it was delicious. And what makes a smoothie taste better than Wonder Woman? I knew that I would need a cup with a straw for it and stopped by Target for one. There was a boring plain old one or one with a Wonder Woman wrap. I think my choice was obvious.

Gotta say that I'm gonna have to try more smoothies. Chef was also down for this one and more. Got any good recipes?

A Few Days in Chicago

I had one of those meetings where you aren't actually in a big city, but in the suburbs nearby and have no real opportunity to see the city. Once I literally had a meeting where we stayed in the hotel ATTACHED to a Tampa airport and never left. It was the business meeting version of the movie The Terminal.

This week I went to Chicago for a marketing meeting for a client. It was for about a thousand people, and you could tell that the organizers were determined to make it a good time. There was an awards dinner, a disco and an appearance by a special guest...Jamie Foxx. There was also a video greeting to the group by LeBron James. That doesn't normally happen at a lot of meetings that I go to. Not only that, but one of our clients is friends with the family that owns Superdawg, so we did get off the hotel campus for a one meal--and it was delicious.

Despite all the bells and whistles, it was a good learning event too. I also got to meet and see a lot more people on the client side, which is always a good thing. Did I mention that I love my job?

Here are some of my photos from the trip:

Not only did the hotel have my name on the screen only a few minutes after I checked in, but they also provided me with tampons for the duration of my visit. Classy!

The inside the hotel reminded me of a complicated game of Jenga.

My first visit to Superdawg--hopefully not the last!

The outside with the Hot Dog Couple

All beef Superdawg--I loved the peppers!

The packaging was classic and cute too.

Jamie Foxx had just come in from his stay at Comic Con promoting The Amazing Spiderman 2. He plays the newest villain and we got to see a clip. Looks pretty good.

THe other guy is George Leon from Columbia Pictures marketing. He was SO excited about this movie. Jamie Foxx was also very entertaining. 

I danced a little, but the disco was not entirely my scene.

More Pics from My Talented Husband

Since I'm inundated with work and finishing up the sloppy first draft of the novel (almost there), I haven't been as attentive to this blog as I would like. But for those of you who have toughed it out with me, I'm rewarding you with even more beautiful animal pics from my talented husband and our trip to the Los Angeles Zoo. I particularly like the Tiger with his tongue out. Enjoy!

I'm Not As Young as I Used to Be . . .Duh

I have another version of this
where Chef is flipping me off.

I clearly don't need any more evidence that I'm getting older. I figured that out loud and clear with my arthritis. Oh and the fact that I wake up from sleep sore. I'm so decrepit now that I get sore from resting. My real threshold would be pulling a muscle on the toilet. If that ever happens, I'm gonna shake my head and wonder if my exercising is worth it.

My latest case in point is my trip down memory lane. Chef and I (at my urging) went and played miniature golf in the Valley in sweltering heat. We were sandwiched between two very large, very slow groups of kids with one adult accompanying them. Which meant a lot of waiting with the kids behind us on our heels. I particularly loved that the parents of the kids behind us decided to skip over us while we were waiting on the hole in front of us. The DAD actually did that because they had to go. I know Chef and I would've

Torn blister on the first night

gladly let them do it without complaint HAD THEY ASKED, but I'm not sure teaching your children to be rude is the best lesson. 

After we finished sucking at golf (which we both did--but I sucked worse), I decided that I wanted to utilize the batting cages on site.I hadn't played softball in YEARS, but I used to do it for hours on end each day for a decade or more, so I figured I'd still remember some of it. 

So it was me in jeans and some flats with no traction and a batting helmet swinging away at baseballs with a softball bat. I'm happy to say that whatever I once had, I still have some of. I only missed two completely out of 75 swings and hit a lot of them solid. At one point the kids outside the cage next to mine were making fun of their friend because he was missing while I was connecting. I have to say that I was proud.

Torn blister five days later- still hurts.
But my nail polish has held up.

However, I felt it the next morning. I realized leaving that I had busted a blister on my thumb that had busted and two new blisters on my palm. I also realized that my shoulder was barely able to move. 

I guess I either need to go to the batting cages more or quit aging. 

What was the first thing you did that made your realize your age?

Our Trip to the Zoo (aka Look at How Talented My Husband Is)

Last week, Chef and I went to the Los Angeles Zoo. Partly because I had free tickets to the Zoo that were going to expire soon, and partly because my very talented photographer husband wanted a place to practice some fun photos. I had a blast. He had a blast. And the pictures, well, I'll let you decide for yourself. Below are some of my talented husband's photos from the trip. If you could see how far away and how shitty the light was, you'd be even more impressed.

Next time, though, we're totally going to drive down the San Diego Zoo. I forgot how much I liked them until I went again!I guess when you don't have kids, you forget about this stuff.

Look at the lashes on this beautiful giraffe. I couldn't see those from my vantage point.

Check out the feathers on him.

He's giving us the original chin nod.

Not as pink as the plastic ones in my room, but still beautiful.

I love big cats. This jaguar was gorgeous and pacing his cage.
I'm surprised that Chef got a pick of him that wasn't blurry.

My favorite animal there were the tigers.They were both playing ball in the pond.
Those balls must've been made of titanium.

As per my custom, Chef bought me a stuffed animal of my favorite exhibit.
At the aquarium it was the otters. At the zoo, by far, it was the tigers.

As you can tell, he didn't take the last pic. My animal photos were not nearly like his. Of course, I literally just point and shoot. Hope you enjoyed!

Public Relations isn't . . .

Since I did a post on what Public Relations IS, I thought I'd also clarify what it ISN'T for the record too. Public Relations ISN'T:

• like it is on TV. Samantha Jones would not be just calling people up and yelling at them to correct things or sweet talking them into writing things. That's not how it works. 
• like it is in books. I've read several books where the character doing PR will demand the media cover something and BAM! There just there for a completely non-newsworthy event (like a conference where nothing exciting is announced). 
• putting the media on beckon call. The only time in my career when ALL the great media outlets have voluntary shown up somewhere to cover something is when something crappy is happening. Every other time takes work, begging and relationship building. 
• about attending all these great and fun events. I have NEVER worked an event and had time to enjoy it. Usually I'm running around in heels and wishing that I were repping a sneaker company because then doing an ode to Melanie Griffith a la Working Girl wouldn't look inappropriate.
• Party planning.
• without strategy.
• spending all day on Facebook, twitter and instagram for funsies.
• without a budget. You have to be part time accountants to keep track of hours, dollars and everything in between. 
• about letter writing. Last time I checked, most people around me also had college degrees and can string together a form letter. Editing or pumping up said letter can be on the agenda. 
• stagnant. We tend to know about social media and "the next big thing" because we have to be able to explain to a company/brand/management why they should or shouldn't be on it.
• about perky sorority girls going to parties and events. 
• being a lawyer, but having to know a lot of law nonetheless. 

I'm sure there are other misconceptions out there, but just wanted to clear a few things up. Anything here surprise you?

Public Relations is. . .

I find I have to explain what I do to people a lot. When I worked for a company or non-profit where I was the sole PR person, it was a constant push-pull with my colleagues as to what I was supposed to do vs. what they were asking me to do.

Working for an agency, my co-workers clearly know what it is that I do because they do the same thing. It's kinda nice to be able to bounce ideas off of someone who gets it. The challenge now is making the client understand what it is that we do for them.

Honestly, my own family probably has a hard time really understanding what it is that I do with my work, so here is my short and sweet way of trying to explain it to the world.

Public Relations is:

• NEW: one of the only industries that has the word "disaster" or "nightmare" behind it when you hear about it in public. Like "Paula Deen is dealing with a Public Relations disaster." Or "The BP oil spill is STILL a PR nightmare."
• NEW: something you only hear about when it goes wrong. When it goes right, people think that you did nothing at all. 
• Working with the media to try and get your company/brand/product or your client's company/brand/product mentioned in a positive light on TV, the radio, in a newspaper story, online or via social media.
• being excruciatingly detailed in working plans for events.
• being able to toss out said plans at a moment's notice when stuff doesn't work out exactly as you had it drawn up.
• event planning.
• working hard for all reporters and having some of them hate you. 
• spending all day setting up an interview to have it called off because Justin Bieber got in a car accident. 
• working with mascots and crazy mascot rules, and the crazier people that abide by those rules on the daily.
• saying stuff like "unfortunately, we can't move the priceless work of art that weighs 2,000 lbs because it's in your eye line as you're giving an interview. Perhaps you can just ignore it or maybe move as you weigh less than the art?" with a straight face. 
• feeling elated when politicians cite a statistic you provided them with in a media interview or otherwise on the record.
• seeing your spokesperson and information correctly represented in a news story.
• having a speaker you prepped deliver everything exactly as you had told him or her to deliver it. 
• being an impromptu graphic designer when stuff has to get changed immediately and you have to pull a Tim Gunn.
• having a sense of gratification when you see a sizzle reel of all the work you did.
• knowing what a sizzle reel is.
• convincing people you work for that you can't just call up the major newspaper in your city and have them come out to cover a check presentation ceremony.
• reading a lot and writing a lot. 
• knowing you'll probably end up working with a lot of women. 
• becoming an expert in things you never knew you'd know like the difference between heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease or how to earn a Girl Scouts patch or why librarians are so disgruntled. 
• so much more than working with the media. 

Okay, PR friends, what else am I missing?

Two Years In and Still Loving It

Our nontraditional wedding

Yesterday was the second wedding anniversary for Chef and I. Of course, we've been together almost nine years in total, but two years ago today was the first time I officially woke up with his last name. (although that too took a ton of paperwork and time--and I might still have my old name on a few items so sue me).

The awesome thing about getting married so close to a federal holiday is that we get a few extra days to celebrate, which we did. We hung out together the whole long four-day weekend, went to the zoo, went shopping, stayed in, and FINALLY got him a wedding band. It's bad that we hadn't made that happen earlier, but the timing worked out well with a sale and an order and BAM! They didn't have his size on hand--so to speak--but he'll soon have a wedding band. It actually made him even cuter to me when he was trying it on, which is kind of a double edged sword, as I bet it will also make him more attractive to all females. Damn our warped laws of attraction.

Nonetheless after nine years together I am happy to say that I love Chef more today than when we were first together. I never thought that I'd marry my best friend, because frankly I have the BEST friends a girl could have when I met him. And not that I don't anymore, but it's amazing how he's become my best friend. So proud of him and to call him my husband.

Happy anniversary, Chef! Thanks for all you do for me, including scooping litter boxes. :)

How BIG a Cat uses This Litter Box??

Chef and I were out and about today. We did many things, including FINALLY getting him a wedding band, which will be here next week--just after our two year anniversary (yes, I kinda slacked on that one).

While putzing around, we hit up PetSmart, because I can't shop without thinking of the kitties. We saw this GIANT litter box. It was about two feet wide by three feet long. We both looked at each other and wondered what the hell kind of cat uses a litter box that big. I think all of our cats could use it at the same time if they were so inclined. I think this thing would take about 20 lbs of litter just by itself.

Happy Independence Day from Beautiful LA

Ever since I worked for an international company, I've taken to calling it "Independence Day" since everyone has a July 4th. Ours is just special. Hope yours was awesome and wishing you a happy day from Los Angeles!

Even though it's a Faux Hump Day

This commercial makes me laugh every time. And even though it's a "Friday" for most of us, who couldn't use a laugh.




Happy HUMP DAY!

Another Award? Why thank you!

My friend Nicole over at Destination: Unknown was kind enough to include me in a blog hop award to help expose other people to new and different blogs. I'm totally into this and hope to do this thing justice. These awards are kind of like chain letters (Remember those?? When you were a kid did you ever do one just because?? I did. But I loved getting mail. Any kind of mail.) but still very helpful in seeing who out there blogs. However, I can say that I'm not sure that I know 11 blogs that could use the new audience--strike that. Everyone can use more audience, right? 

Here goes--the rules:

The rules of the award are that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow.

11 Random Facts about Me 

1. My cats are all named after war lords or great assassins (even our female cat).
2. I love composition notebooks, but only very specific ones.
3. I once lost a good chunk of my hair in high school due to stress.
4. Although I never wore a vest when I was a waitress, I always feel like a waitress when I wear vests.
5. I met my husband using a matchmaking website NINE years ago when meeting people through matchmaking websites was scary.
6. I still secretly hope they make a Gilmore Girls movie. 
7. I am addicted to diet colas of nearly any variety.
8. Because of shelving issues, whether or not I keep a book at this point depends on its weight.
9. I grew up in an Indiana town.Had a good-lookin' mama who never was around. I grew up tall and I grew up right with them Indiana boys on them Indiana nights.
10. I love dreaming about my mom, even if the dream isn't necessarily good.
11. I love zombie movies. Nearly any kind.

11 Questions from Nicole at Destination: Unknown

1.Favorite vacation spot of all time: Grand Cayman Island
2. Favorite book and why: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. When I read it, it really spoke to me for obvious reasons at the time.
3. What is your best physical feature? My face
4. What is your go-to outfit? Skirts and a t-shirt with a necklace or scarf and awesome shoes
5. Describe your first crush. He was my neighbor when I was a kid and I pretended like I liked other people, but I really crushed hard on him.
6. If you could go to dinner with any 5 people (dead or alive) - who? My mom, David Sedaris,  Matt Damon, Tina Fey and Al Michaels
 7. House is on fire - family made it out  - what is the one thing you grab? (you can only grab one). I'll assume by "family" you're also including the cats. My mother's/ my wedding ring
8. Tell me about your faith. In humanity, yes. In the good in people, yes. In religion bringing that out, not so much. 
9. Use one word to describe yourself. Smart
10. Theme song of your life? "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers because I know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
11. Movie you most relate to. I wish it were Pretty Woman, without the whole prostitute thing. 

My 11 Bloggers (let's see how many I can get)

1. The Fabulous Baby Striblings: My friend Mandy who used to work with me at the American Heart Association (she still works there). Adorable twins and a realistic view on motherhood. And her crafting will put anyone to shame.
2. Simply Socks Yarn Company Blog: It's a company blog, but its a good company. I should know. I know the CEO. She's my buddy from college and has the hookup on some mad yarn. Check it out.
3. L and M: Another mother with a sense of humor and no sense of making motherhood look perfect. If you like snark and adorable children, this is the place for you.
4. The Lowe Down: Apparently I know a TON of moms who blog. This is another one. AND another AHA friend. Always a good read and girl knows how to throw a party!
5. Ain't Got Enough Gravy: Candice was in my writer's group in Nashville and the title of her blog alone should make you visit, but if you need more, she's like the non-racist Paula Deen, but with better food.
6. Word Strumpet: Charlotte is an author, a writing guru and a former mentor in a writing program that I was in. So yeah, she knows her shit.
7. Next Life Chapter: Another friend who's a writer AND a mom. How do they do it and make it look so easy?? Check out Beth's approach and get some pointers.
8. My Name is Sarah. . .:Sarah is a friend from high school, and a damn good writer. I always wish I'd have known she was a writer way back then! Instead I just have to read and keep up with her now.
9. An Angel's Share: I met Terry when we were the first graduating class of the Writer's Loft. He was then and still is one of the nicest and calmest people I've ever met.
10. Motherhood: Take 2: Natalie has been a friend since I was an intern at a newspaper. She was a brilliant writer then and now. Check her out.
11. I'm too tired to think of another one. . . .

11 Random Questions for them

1. What song always gets stuck in your head?
2. If you had to eliminate one word from the English language, what would it be?
3. What's your favorite curse word?
4. If you could pick your own name, what would you pick?
5. How much butter is too much?
6. Are you a dessert person?
7. What's the first thing you do each morning?
8. What celebrity makes you mad just thinking about him or her?
9. What ritual can you not seem to break?
10. What food could you live on for the rest of your life (if there were no health consequences)?
11. What plant or animal can you not seem to keep alive?

Okay, that's all for me!

ChristianMingle.com Ads Piss Me Off

I'm all for dating websites. In fact, I'm a big fan considering I met Chef using one (almost NINE years ago). But lately I've come to really despise those Christian Mingle ads. It's not the ads so much as the tagline: "Find God's Match for You."

The implication is that God is working to find your match. . . on their website. Now I have absolutely nothing wrong with websites that match people by common interest or beliefs. I can absolutely understand how religious beliefs are very important for some people to make sure they have in common before even dating someone. What I don't like is the insinuation that their website is where people go to get hooked up with God playing matchmaker.

Because God is not matchmaking more at ChristianMingle than Match or eHarmony. He does not endorse the website or work for Christian Mingle. His name is being used as a marketing scheme and people are buying it.

And apparently "God" isn't in favor of mixed religion marriages or even mixed race marriages. A quick scan of the "success stories" finds lots of white couples with a smattering of African-American couples, all matched together.

Bottom line: find love whatever way you want. Find it, hold on to it, treasure it.

But just don't think that one site gives you a divine advantage over another.