-- christyweb.com --

This site needs an overhaul.

2010-04-12T14:51:00.002-04:00

I want to completely redo this site and revamp it... time is something I have rarely these days, and when I do... I'm usually tired and I just want to be mindless.

I have some free weekends coming up, so maybe I'll get around to it. Stay tuned.

I should be self-employed.

2010-03-24T10:18:00.001-04:00

My mini-me! Computer Engineering Barbie!

2010-03-09T13:08:00.004-05:00

Finally...a Barbie I can relate to. And while I probably wouldn't opt for a pink laptop or pink glasses (I'd probably pick green or blue), I love how they kept the classic Barbie look when creating this doll. I think I help prove that you can be blonde, feminine, AND a computer nerd all at the same time... I just wish I had Barbie's body to go along with all of that.. well, I did walk around on my toes a lot in my lifetime, so... :)

I will definitely be buying this Barbie! I hope that they plan to make all of the different ethnicity friends of Barbie as Computer Engineers as well, so the other four ladies who graduated with me can have a mini-me too.

Visit the official Barbie.com. I was disappointed to see that the 'girls' vote was for a news anchor. Snooze.

Read Mashable's article "Why Computer Engineer Barbie Is Good for Women in Tech."

I did it.

2010-02-22T16:19:00.006-05:00

I posted last year about my pursuit of hair extensions...and well.. I did it. Last Friday I took the (financial and emotional) plunge into long hair. P.S. I did find a better deal than the one mentioned in the last post...but it was still very pricey.

What do I think? I really like it so far. It's so fun to have hair to curl and style, pull back in a ponytail without looking bald or like a rat tail and add a little volume to my hair. I'm getting used to it day by day.

I do have a whole new perspective for folks with long hair... my shower time has almost tripled due to the amount of time it now takes to shampoo this thing..including conditioner which is a brand new concept for me (you don't condition thin hair). And that five minute drying time I used to have? Now it's about 30 min...

But I'm having fun with it...trying new styles I never before would have done. And with a pending trip to Vegas, I'm looking forward to taking it out on the town.

What do other people think? I don't know. Most of my friends' reactions have been mixed... most are still in shock, others like it, others swear to me that it doesn't look too fake and looks great... mostly the guy friends have the highest praises (go figure).

I got a surprisingly quiet reaction on Facebook after I posted pictures...and I noted this quietness in my status today, mentioning that perhaps my FB friends weren't brave enough to deliver the bad news to me - that my extensions look bad. After posting this status I did get a couple of brave souls who spoke up and said they preferred me with shorter hair...

It sucks to hear because I care a lot about what other people think (even though I shouldn't be as concerned), so it was disappointing to see some say they preferred me with my super-thin, short and boring hair. I want EVERYONE to like it! But I guess it's very reminiscent of when I dyed my hair brown two years ago - some folks loved it, others were like "You were born a blonde, you should stay a blonde".

So people of the Internets...what do YOU think of my new look? Love it or hate it?

Before:

After:

Snow in Charleston

2010-02-13T14:00:00.003-05:00

Christmas Sweets Buzz

2009-12-26T14:46:00.004-05:00

I am not allowed to eat for the entire month of January to make up for all of the sweets and food I have eaten over the holidays - bleh.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Hopefully I will have a Happy New Year if our crew can ever decide upon what the heck we're going to be doing.

P.S. This is my new fave commercial... this is me this entire Christmas holiday...

I have a dream...

2009-12-17T15:33:00.011-05:00

People always have big dreams... owning a big house, getting a great job that they love, finding the man or woman of their dreams, starting a family, traveling to foreign countries and seeing the world...

Well, I have a dream as well... a dream I've had for as long as I can remember. Something that I've worked hard my entire life to some day be able to obtain...

A dream of....
....
...
..
.
.....getting hair extensions.

Yes folks, that's right. I have always had a dream of one day having gorgeous, thick, long flowing hair. Hair that I can curl with rollers, tease into a glorious, thick golden mane upon my head...

But to truly understand my dream, you must relive with me my hair-life. You see, I have suffered my entire life from painfully thin, baby-fine hair. Most natural blondes (yes, I'm a natural blonde..although I boost it in the colder months with highlights) have thinner hair. However, usually blondes have either thin hair with pretty good texture... or...baby fine hair, but a lot it.

Me.... I was 'blessed' with both thin and baby-fine hair. I'm not sure where I got it from.. both my parents have pretty thick hair - my dad's is a little thin, but he still has a full head of hair in his 60's! My sister has long, pretty thick blonde hair, and my brother has hair that any female would go crazy to have - he actually grows his hair out and cuts it for Locks of Love...so somewhere out there, there are females who have his hair {cool}.

Some of the pain points of such hair are as follows:

The inability to grow ones hair past shoulders - as soon as my hair gets to below shoulder length, it's instantly stringy, and the bottom half of my hair is thin to the point of random strands and does not even match the top half of my hair - so I always end up with a short cut.
The inability to wear high pony tails and sometimes low pony tails - if you know me, you have probably seen me joke by pulling all of my hair into said ponytail only to display what you may remember from the 80's - a rat tail. Yes... my hair all pulled together only adds up to a measly rat tail.
I rarely, if ever, condition my hair. Conditioner and my hair are enemies and do not cohabitate - if you think my hair is thin now, you should see it conditioned.
I dry my hair upside down... every day... for probably the last 15 years of my life - surely that can't be good for my brain.
My hair dries on its own - in 5 to 10 minutes. This may seem like a blessing to those of you with lots of hair where it takes hours to dry - even with a dryer. I'll admit, the five minutes it takes me to dry my hair with my blow dryer is pretty nice. However, if I don't get myself under my blow dryer within a reasonable time after getting out of the shower... my hair dries on its own, flat against my head and unstylable.
When I sweat, I look like I've been swimming. Enough said.

Look, I could probably go on and on...but I'll try to get to the point. I want hair extensions. I want Kristin Cavallari-like hair extensions. I've dealt with hair that doesn't balance out my big, round head for far too long.. I've teased, used multiple products, and dryed my hair upside down for too long... I want to feel what it's like to have a gorgeous head of hair.

Kristen Cavallari

This February I am going to Vegas with one of my best friends for her 30th birthday party. About a month ago, I was suddenly inspired... this is the perfect excuse to get hair extensions!! And I'm in a pretty good situation financially now that I could probably afford it!! Hooray! I'm going to following my dream!

So I made a consultation appointment with Salon de Capelli in Mt. Pleasant - I sat down with their extensions stylist. He walked me through everything, said it would give me the length and fullness I was looking for. It would only take 4 hours to put them on.. and the hair would match perfectly with mine. I was on cloud 9.. I could see my dream coming to life right before my eyes...

And then I asked about pricing... {insert tires screeching sound here}

$1900

I'm just going to let that resonate with you for a minute...feel what I felt when hearing that number.
.
.
.
.
Ridiculous, right? Even though I tried to justify that price in my head (well it IS real human hair..and they do give you FREE products to use..and a FREE special brush..), I realized that I would feel incredibly stupid and guilty if I spent that much money on hair extensions. Besides I've heard and read that extensions cost between $800 and $1000...so I'm still wondering what the extra $900 is for. :-/

But I want them SO BAD. :(

I will not let my dream die. Surely there's another salon in Charleston that will do hair extensions for a much better price.. So I have a consultation tomorrow with a salon in Mt. Pleasant called Velvet, and I'm on the lookout for others. I'm even considering looking in Columbia because everything is cheaper in Columbia than Charleston...so.. wouldn't extensions be cheaper there too??

An incredibly bad Photoshopped photo of my head on a Carrie Underwood photo - what I envision I would look like with extensions...sigh.

I know it's hard for people to understand why I would spend that kind of money for more hair that will only last 4 to 6 months. I guess it's the same reasoning that women go and get a nose job, or go and get other plastic surgery done - to boost their confidence and feel good about themselves.

But in my case, I don't have to be put under to get it... and if I don't like them, they can be taken right out!

Would you buy this for me please?

2009-11-11T16:29:00.007-05:00

Hi...have you missed me? I know I have been slack.. sorry. I will write something inspiring soon. Until then.....

Will you please buy me this dress? Size 6... it's ONLY $224.10. Thanks.

Atlanta Floods..crazy...

2009-09-22T11:15:00.002-04:00

[Uncredited Photo - no idea who created this]

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-08-21T12:23:00.003-04:00

So today is my birthday... {insert cheers and claps here}. Not sure I feel my age yet. It's weird to think that I'm already this age. Life moves so fast. It gives me anxiety because I think of all the things I want to do and would like to have done and I'm scared time will run out before I get to everything.

I haven't really had much time to dwell on my birthday, however...because I'm moving to Charleston tomorrow morning. My time has been consumed lately with packing and figuring out the logistics of everything. For the first time in five years, I will have roommates. I'm still a little nervous about it, but I think it will be a good situation to put myself into. Living alone for five years turns you somewhat into a hermit... a little anti-social. So I'm thinking that this will force me to relax more when unexpected situations happen, and force me to have more fun.

I'm really excited about the more opportunities I'll have in Charleston - and the fact that I will get to spend more time with people I care about that I only usually see on weekends.

God has really blessed me these past two months.

My Social Media Guidelines Presentation

2009-08-10T13:05:00.002-04:00

Social Media Policies Presentation Christy Season

View more presentations from smcccolumbia.

Five Social Media Questions

2009-07-24T12:20:00.007-04:00

Have you missed me? It's been a while... there is so much going on right now that my ADD has kicked into overdrive and I can barely focus on ten things, let alone my poor, deprived blog. But here I am!

So, it's official. I'm moving to Charleston - sometime late August or early September. It all depends on finding renters for my house (anyone know of anyone looking for a place to live?). I'm keeping the same job, but working out of my company's offices in downtown Charleston. The move is strictly personal as you can probably figure out - and while I'm so sad to leave my house, I am thrilled for this new chapter in my life.

So despite all the craziness going on, I knew I needed to get a new post out here on my blog. Especially since I was asked to speak next week at Social Media Club Columbia's next meeting. I'm going to do a presentation on social media policies - why have it, what it looks like, and who should it cover. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to share my thoughts on this topic and lead a discussion with such a diverse group. If you're a follower of my blog, you know how interested (and vocal) I am in this topic.

Mich Sineath, one of the members of the Social Media Club Columbia steering committee, sent me five questions about social media that they ask every speaker. I decided that my answers would be a great way for me to update my blog and get some feedback from my readers.

How do you define social media?

There's your typical definitions of social media - the by the book definitions. However, to me social media is one giant conversation. Being active in social media is like being in a giant chat room. It's about sharing ideas, collaboration, and building relationships using all types of online media. With social media I've been able to connect with friends from the past, new friends, and network with professionals in my field and industry that I would never have met otherwise.
Which social media tools or applications do you use, and why these in particular?

I'm pretty bare bones when it comes to social media. I'm familiar with all of the different tools out there, but I keep it pretty simple and stick to a select few. Keeping it simple helps me to really engross myself in the social networks I use. Twitter is probably by far my favorite social media tool - I use it to network and to get feedback on ideas or thoughts. Twitter has gotten me speaking opportunities with different organizations and has allowed me to share my project successes with hundreds of people. It has also allowed me to connect with professionals in the communications and intranet fields across the globe. I also use Facebook for personal use mainly - there are more privacy settings on Facebook, so I use it to interact with my friends. I still have a profile on MySpace and log in maybe once a month just to check it - I can't believe I used to love MySpace more than Facebook. Does anyone still use MySpace? I am on LinkedIn and I keep it up to date as somewhat of an online resume so it's easy for others to get an idea of my background, but I also use it to share ideas and get feedback using the groups from peers in my field or industry. I also maintain a Web site through Blogger, which I mainly use as an outlet for my increasingly random stream of thoughts and I still can't figure out why people read it. And of course I share my photos and videos of my many weekend adventures. My Web site is like my diary - it just doesn't have a lock on it. :)
With increasingly busy schedules, where do you find time for social media?

I'm a loud and proud Gen-Y'er. I have been engrossed with social media before it was even called social media. I was using Prodigy chat rooms and instant messenger when I was only 10. After school it was normal to come home and do your homework while also chatting with friends on AOL. When MySpace and Facebook emerged, I just evolved my existing habits with AOL to the new tools - and same with Twitter about two years ago.

For me, social media is ingrained in my life. I eat, sleep, breathe it. If I don't have access to the Internet via a computer or mobile phone, I go stir crazy. So, it's not so much about finding time for it - it's just a part of my normal routine - this is how my generation and the generations behind me communicate. I rarely talk on the phone anymore - if you've got something to talk to your friends about, you go on Facebook.

There are so many social media tools available that I could easily get involved in - but it's about finding which tools work for you, which ones easily fit into your schedule.

Where some people struggle with fitting social media into their schedule, I actually have to adjust my habits to make sure social media isn't dominating my schedule. Especially working at a company where there is such a diverse range of generations - sometimes I have to remind myself to pick up the phone from time to time or go have a face to face conversation. It's a habit for me to just use electronic means to communicate - I think my generation struggles with this a lot.
What advice would you give to local businesses wishing to effectively embrace social media?

I think social media presents a big opportunity for small, local businesses. Your customers are online talking about you - you might as well be a part of the conversation. I also think you can't jump into social media just to do it because it's so trendy. Businesses need to first develop a strategy for using social media - will you just listen? will you engage? when will you engage? how often will you engage? and who is going to manage it? For example, if you set up a Twitter account, but you haven't figured out what to communicate or what customer tweets to respond to, and on top of that you don't have the resources to update periodically - then it will not be successful.

I think it's important for businesses to benchmark what other businesses are doing with social media - what works and what doesn't. Setting up Google alerts and following your company name on Twitter is important too so you can get an idea of what customers are saying about you online. Once you have a plan, then go for it.

I also like the idea of partnerships - seek out bloggers who can blog about your products. Partner with other organizations and groups, like Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau has done, for cross-promotions and contests.

All businesses should be looking at social media or they'll miss the boat or be caught off guard. Hungry Howies in Irmo has got the right idea - they recently sent me this tweet that really sums it up for why small biz should get involved in social media.
Where do you see the future of social media?

I'm very excited about the future of social media - there are so many paths it could take. I read an article in Fortune about Facebook and what CEO Mark Zukerberg envisions for Facebook's future. His vision is "to turn Facebook into the planet's standardized communication (and marketing) platform, as ubiquitous and intuitive as the telephone but far more interactive, multidimensional - and indispensable. Your Facebook ID quite simply will be your gateway to the digital world". So basically you open up your Internet browser, log on to Facebook, and then everything you do online is through your online identity - so if you purchase from Amazon or browse Wikipedia - you're doing it using your Facebook identity. He also envisions that you will one day be able to go online and look up anyone - anyone in the world - and find their online identity and connect. That idea is both exciting and a little scary to me - but really not that far off base.

My generation and the generations to come expect to be able to connect with companies we do business with. I think we were raised to maintain such busy schedules that the last thing we want to do is go somewhere and wait in line or sit on hold with customer service on a phone call. It's all about instant connections and instant information. I don't think social media is a fad by any means - I think it will only become even more ingrained in our lives - creating more transparency around communication and creating more focus on the collective voice.

After all, the recent stats on Facebook shows that the largest growth in users is with people 55 and older (513.7% growth!) - so it can't be purely generational. You know social media isn't just a fad when your own parents are getting in on the conversation too.

My TweetCloud.

2009-06-19T10:38:00.004-04:00

Click to view larger...

Facebook should buy LinkedIn.

2009-06-11T19:31:00.015-04:00

LinkedIn has the right idea - a social network dedicated to networking and essentially a place to post your 'resume' for all to see. However, LinkedIn appears to struggle in keeping up with its growth, while also being a 'follower' of other social networking sites' functionality (i.e. status messages ala Facebook). I never have a good experience with LinkedIn. It's a clunky design, has slow load times, and just doesn't function the way my other social networks do. The news feed just spits out information at you that doesn't have much context or relevance - and for a professional networking site with peers in my field or in my industry, I want more.

Facebook has obviously taken the throne of the best social network - or at least in my mind it is. However, Facebook is my platform for my personal life. It's where I keep up with old friends, current friends, and maybe new friends. I've 'friended' some co-workers of mine and some industry/field peers, but I am very selective with who I let into 'my life' on Facebook. I have set up a 'work' group that I have put co-workers, etc. in. Facebook allows me to not include this group in some of the information I publish, as well as selected content on my 'info' page. But to me the privacy settings for the security groups you create are a very 'all or nothing' situation. I can hide my status messages from my work group, or I can't. I also can't create status messages just for my work group. I can let my work group see my wall with my friends' posts, or I can't. I always have to second guess my status messages and my behavior on Facebook because I know that my coworkers can see some of my content. You can't vent about work in your status message because your co-workers are your friends. And why even connect with your co-workers on Facebook if you're going to hide everything from them?

You might say, "Well just don't add your co-workers as friends on Facebook". But I want to connect with co-workers through a social network, as well as industry peers and folks in my field. But Facebook makes it difficult for the average user to separate their personal life from their professional life, and it usually ends up getting people in trouble - if not fired. I'm not condoning stupidity online, but the fact is that my generation and the generations below me connect socially online. We eat, sleep, and breathe online. Social networks are not going to go away. They are going to become more of the norm and become even more complex and ingrained in our lives. Most of my friends and I stay in touch soley through Facebook. And who doesn't want to complain to their friends about a bad day at work or someone giving you work-pains, without your co-workers 'eavesdropping' or telling on you?

So what we need is Facebook to separate our personal lives from our work lives for us. And instead of starting from scratch, Facebook should buy LinkedIn and integrate their database with their existing profiles. LinkedIn is trying to be your Facebook for your professional life, but like I mentioned earlier, they are failing at it. Consolidating my online lives (sounds sad I know), both professional and personal into one Web site that's consistent in format, design, and functionality would be the ideal set up.

Here's how it will go down:

Facebook buys LinkedIn
Facebook enhances/modifies/fixes LinkedIn to match the existing look/functionality of Facebook.
- "Facebook Work" (or some other, much more cleverly branded name) works identical to your existing Facebook, but it focuses on professional connections and connecting with co-workers.
- Your status updates are what you're working on, thinking about, questions, or problems you're solving. Groups are now professional groups (FB can pull in all the existing LinkedIn groups) as well as organizations and clubs - I would love to be able to easily access Social Media Club Columbia information this way...so my event calendar on my "Facebook Work" would feature upcoming events I'm attending (conferences, meetings, etc.) and it wouldn't get cluttered with all of my Facebook friends' birthdays and parties.
- Applications focus more on work/networking related functionality (industry specific, etc.). Maybe they go through an approval process to keep out the 'quizzes' and other annoying apps. Or perhaps - to keep it clean and simple - no apps.
- You can use other existing Facebook functionality like uploading photos with tagging, videos, and perhaps a new feature to upload Word docs, PowerPoints, and Excel spreadsheets for sharing (that would be cool!). I could upload a presentation that my manager and I presented at a conference, and then tag her to it.
- You can 'friend' and connect with other "Facebook Work" members -- and still create segments or security groups to make certain content is only available to certain groups. So I could have a 'co-workers' group and a 'intranet professionals' group, and a 'utility peers' group, etc., etc., etc.
- Companies can create 'pages' to promote themselves as employers and to help with recruiting. And of course you could also have pages for professional organizations, industry groups, things of interest, etc. I could be a fan of "Project Management" or "Intranets" or "Jobs in Charleston".
- The Marketplace feature for "Facebook Work" becomes a great new way for companies to buy and sell assets from one another. A large company may be upgrading and could recover on an investment in the old equipment by selling it to a smaller company who can't afford the newest equipment. A new section will also be added for posting jobs -- how easy and convenient would it be for employers and people looking for jobs - and with all of the information "Facebook Work" mines (similar to Facebook now with ads), you could create ads for jobs and target them directly to the users who would be interested or qualified.
Users access "Facebook Life" (personal version) and "Facebook Work" through the same entry way (Facebook.com). Initially, you can log in to your LinkedIn profile (if it existed before FB bought it) by using the same login info you used to login to LinkedIn. This would take you to "Facebook Work". Or you can login to "Facebook Life", your existing Facebook info, using your same Facebook login.
So as a user of both Facebook and LinkedIn, after the merge I want to connect my FB profile (now "Facebook Life") to my "Facebook Work" account (previously my LinkedIn account). Facebook has a setting where I can go in and 'Connect Life & Work" where I enter login information for both -- select 'Connect' -- and then specify one login that will give me access to both.
After 'connecting' your accounts, next time you login to Facebook, you'll see your "Facebook Life" as the default page - and at the top there's a tab that says "Facebook Work". After you click on the tab, you flip to your "Facebook Work" environment - which could be branded Facebook-like, but maybe a new color instead of the usual blue to help delineate the difference between "Life" and "Work". You can also go into the Facebook settings and set "Facebook Work" as your default screen upon login if you prefer.
New users to Facebook would have the option to create just one of "Facebook Life" or "Facebook Work" or both. You wouldn't be required to have both - i.e. High School students or Middle School kids who are on Facebook (so young!) would probably not have use for "Facebook Work" ---- "Facebook School"??? Hmm.. think Blackboard or some of the other Web sites we used in High School and College for our teachers to push assignments to us and where we submitted papers, took quizzes, etc. Wow..that's an entirely separate blog post, but yet another genious idea! Ha!
When posting content to either "Facebook Life" or "Facebook Work", you have the option to post to both "Life" and "Work", or just one or the other. So if I'm on my "Facebook Life" tab -- when I post a status update, if I wanted to duplicate it on my "Facebook Work", I could perhaps check a box or radio button below the status box that would publish the status to both. If the option wasn't selected, then the status would just publish to "Facebook Life". How wonderful to post to both or to be completely selective in what content goes where. I realize that you can mimic some of this functionality using security settings and what not, but like I said before -- it's not granular enough, and most, if not the majority, of Facebook users don't understand privacy settings or how to use them, hence all of the uproar about what gets posted to Facebook.
And perhaps security could even get more granular -- when posting a status update to "Facebook Work", I'd like for only my co-workers to see: "Christy will be holding a training session today on SharePoint at 3:30pm in Room 111". I could select a security group from a drop down under the status box - "co-workers". Bye bye Yammer. And with this type of granularity (word?), this could potentially replace intranets.

Think about it - everyone is always blogging or discussing about how people share too much information on Facebook. That the lines between personal lives and work lives are too blurred. You want to share with your friends the Halloween party you went to, but you know your co-workers will see the pictures and you hesitate. "Facebook Work" keeps you from ever having to second guess. It also helps you with job searches, networking, and engagement with co-workers.

So Facebook... if you're listening..... you've said you want to be the end all be all of our internet lives -- so why not be a part of our professional lives? We're too stupid to separate personal life from our professional life using the existing Facebook tools, and I can't adapt to LinkedIn's wannabe Facebook setup. It's a win for you Facebook - you'd attract all of those stodgy users who are afraid of Facebook because they only hear of the bad exposure. And after using "Facebook Work" and getting used to the tools and set up, the former 'anti-Facebook' grump would most likely set up a "Facebook Life" account as well. More users, more information, more advertising dollars! So help us Facebook... buy LinkedIn and give us another reason to be on Facebook during the day at work, other than filling out our top 5 movies or finding out what 80's cartoon character we are.

Here's a rough...and I mean rough...simple mock up -- click to see larger:

I'm a slack blogger this month -- count May out for me.

2009-05-13T20:20:00.003-04:00

So, I realize I haven't updated for almost a month now. May has been an incredibly busy month for me. My sister got married last weekend and preparing for that has been very time consuming. And on top of that, I have a huge project I've been leading for almost two years (the redesign of our intranet to a custom SharePoint intranet) that launches on Monday -- so I've been working long hours and working at night this month to finish up the last minute things.

So needless to say, don't expect much blogging from me this month. June will be better! Rest assured!

Columbia Tea Party

2009-04-16T21:38:00.007-04:00

So I went to the Columbia Tea Party at the State House on Wednesday. I wasn't planning on going, but I got curious and walked down there after lunch. I'm really glad I went. As I was walking down Main St., I could see the crowd of people and hear the cheers. It made me lose my breath a little. When I got there and immersed myself in the crowd, it felt really good to be there and be a part of an event I knew was happening all over the state, and all over the country. I took some pictures of some of the funnier signs, and I posted a video to my YouTube channel - as of two minutes ago I had 254 views.

Tonight I was watching random clippings of what CNN, MSNBC, NBC news, etc. were reporting about the Tea Parties. Most of them were calling them right wing extremism and pro-Rebulican, anti-Obama rallies. It's so frustrating, because it wasn't like that at all. It was people from all walks of life and races protesting government spending and the spendulous bills. It really upset me when the White House acted like they didn't even know they were going on that they had just heard about them on the 15th. Yeah right! How is thousands and thousands of people all across the nation in hundreds of cities getting together to protest something not news? or not important? It just shows you how arrogant our government is.

But just to show you that even CNN is falling into the biast reporting, check out this video. You have to watch the entire thing... the first half is what was shown on CNN, and the second half is what wasn't shown on CNN - what really happened. I think it's scary that our news is being filtered to support the station's agenda.

Barack Fools Us (Article from Toronto Sun last November)

2009-03-28T13:04:00.003-04:00

Barack fools us
Whole world will pay for America's electoral mistake

By MICHAEL COREN, TORONTO SUN

Last Updated: 8th November 2008, 3:41am

A young student friend e-mailed me on Tuesday night.

"Have locked myself in my room because the place is full of little idiots -- who cannot spell Barack Obama's name and could not name one of his foreign or domestic policies -- running around screaming obscenities about George Bush, conservatives and how Sarah Palin is a bitch. I love democracy!"

Even so, the people spoke. A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the mainstream media who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups. A victory for Obama-worshippers everywhere.

A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble-raising over reality.

A victory for Hollywood, the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros and Sarandon.

Victory for those who prefer welfare to will and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meagre political fashion.

Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom. He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshippers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative.

Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition.

WEAK TOWARD ENEMIES

A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer teachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as quickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity.

A victory for social democracy even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Also a defeat for one of the weakest presidential candidates in living memory.

Why would anyone vote for a man who seemed incapable of outlining his policies and instead repeatedly emphasized a noble but, if we are candid, largely irrelevant war record?

He was joined by a woman who was defended so vehemently by her supporters when it was cuttingly evident that she is years away from being, and perhaps never will be, a serious candidate for senior national office.

Most of all it was a terrible defeat for democracy and the United States. A politician of nothing defeated a nothing politician and a credulous electorate screamed in adoration. I fear we will all suffer very much indeed.

They are reading my mind....

2009-03-24T12:55:00.005-04:00

So lately, there have been some eerily timely articles and blog posts posted from the different organizations I follow. I'm convinced that possibly I'm thinking hard enough about the topics that my brain waves are transmitting across the Internet and into the brains of the authors.

It all started Wednesday of last week. My manager and I were having a discussion about Intranet policies. We were talking about the future governance of our new intranet (launching in May..woo hoo) and my manger asked the question, "Do we need a policy for our intranet?". I was stumped. I really didn't know. We have an electronic policy, an email policy, a conduct policy - but when it comes to the new realm of collaboration on our intranet, do we need a policy for employees to abide by when using the intranet? We left the conversation with me committing to do some more thinking, research, and benchmarking on the topic.

Well, two days later, IBF (Intranet Benchmarking Forum) posted a blog post on "Intranet governance in the social media age". It walks through the need for governance around information on the intranet, the use of that information, and the collaboration related to the information. If you read the blog post you'll see it nailed the issue I needed help with. I still need to do some more benchmarking and research, but this is a heck of a start wouldn't you agree? So bizarre that this blog post came out only two days after the subject came up here.

Fast forward to this week. Another co-worker, my manager, and I were sitting in my cube discussing the use of social media for our company to connect to customers, especially during storms, etc. We were specifically focused on Twitter. I mentioned that a few months ago I had emailed out an article about some utility (I couldn't remember the name) in some state up north (couldn't remember which state) that had used Twitter during an ice storm to report on outages and connect to customers. I promised to go digging through my sent messages in my email and find the article and send it to them.

Well, about thirty minutes ago, lo and behold, Ragan Communications wrote an article about PSNH (Public Service of New Hampshire) using Twitter during a recent ice storm -- yes, the same company and incident that I was talking about to my co-worker and manager. Literally a day later Ragan decides to write an excellent article on the exact event and company I mentioned. So I was able to easily forward the link to my coworker and manager without having to dig through my old sent mail. The article just reaffirms to me what I was trying to convey last time I sent the article out - that a utility can use social media to connect with customers. PSNH is impressive with what they have done so far - not only are they using Twitter, but they have a YouTube channel, a Flickr account, and heaven forbid... a Facebook page! I'm now a fan of their Facebook page because I want to 'follow along' with them as they learn how to use the channel to push information to customers and have conversations. PSNH is definitely a leader in the industry when it comes to social media (in my mind). I appreciate that immensely.

Call me new fashioned, but with the growth rates of Facebook (especially with the 30+ age group) and Twitter, it seems mandatory to create an identity in this space....at least if anything, to protect your identity before someone else creates one for you!

On a side note, I think all of the communicators (internal and external) who work for utilities should get together and have our own conference. I think we have a lot to learn from each other and we share the same common concerns when it comes to social media - why not hash it out together? Hey NV Energy, can we have it in Las Vegas? :)

So, you see, two eerie 'coincidental' articles have been published. They are reading my mind! Or perhaps the more logical explanation is that these are not issues or topics solely of interest to us -- everyone is having these same conversations with their mangers and co-workers.

Regardless, I'm going to try this again. Ok, let's see.. what do I need? I think I need an article that proves why intranet strategists should be making six figure salaries. {puts fingers to temples} {closing eyes} {humming out loud} {cube neighbor looks my way on other side of wall with annoyed look} {concentrating really hard on aforesaid article}

Ok...done. Two days from now... some reputable organization will post this article. I'm waiting....

Do you have a social media mentor?

2009-03-17T23:03:00.008-04:00

I haven't updated my blog in over a month, but gearing up to launch our newly redesigned intranet, wedding showers, weddings, home improvements, etc. has kept me so busy the last month I really haven't had the inspiration or time to update.

I was sitting around tonight trying to think of something to blog about and decided to share a flattering experience I had recently. There is an older gentleman who works in my department, (and I'm not going to dare guess his age, but let's just guess that he can retire if he chooses from our company in the next five to ten years) and he sent me an email the other day and asked if I had thirty minutes to spare to explain social media to him and where I saw it going, especially related to our business. He had just completed reading the book The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott and was excited with the mention of social media in today's communications landscape.

We set aside some time and had a good lengthy chat about social media sites and I shared some case studies I had heard about of how large organizations (Midol) missed the mark engaging with social media and how others (Ford, Dell, etc.) had made great strides in reputation and engagement using social media. We discussed how social media could play a role in large initiatives affecting our company and our industry, and how our company could potentially take advantage. It was a high-level discussion, but I really enjoyed bouncing ideas back and forth with him. It was great to talk to someone about social media who was as open minded and excited about the prospects - especially someone two generations away from me. We agreed to continue to brainstorm from time to time and share ideas as we come across them. He reads A LOT, so I recommended Shel Holtz's Tactical Transparency for him to read as well.

The next day I received a hand written note from him, thanking me for taking the time to talk social media with him. He's asked that I be his 'social media mentor'. What a novel idea. A social media mentor. Often when we think of mentors, we think of an older generation mentoring the younger generations -- but doesn't it make sense for a millennial to mentor a baby boomer on technology and social media? I think it's such a great idea - both parties involved can learn so much. I am constantly looking for ways to educate on the idea of using social media for reaching out to customers, and I have looked for opportunities to share case studies of other companies in similar industries who have had success with social media. What better channel than someone who has been with the company for 20+ years, who has relationships with senior leadership that I'll never come close to having, and who might help influence changes towards engaging (both internally and externally) with social media.

So if you're a millennial who can't imagine your life without social media and sees its potential for business, consider mentoring someone in your company who might not get social media or is just starting to dip their toes in it. With your powers combined, you might be surprised with what you can come up with together - and the influence that the mentoring might have on future decisions around social media in your company -- we've just started, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

After receiving his handwritten thank you, which he noted was appropriate for his generation, I sent him an instant message, thanking him for the note. :)

Related but unrelated:
Interesting descriptions of different generations in today's workforce. I fit the Gen Y (or millennial) description to a T.

I did a google search for 'social media mentor' and found nothing really related...only consultant type services.

Intranet Professionals on Twitter

2009-02-13T10:31:00.020-05:00

Today is #followfriday on Twitter. This is where folks on twitter will list a few individuals they follow and the tag #followfriday. It's like a 'shout out' and a recommendation all in one. I have noticed a few Twitterers mention that they wished people would say why we should follow the recommended names along with the tweet. So I started a tweet with 'Intranet Gurus to follow...' and found that I could only fit a few names -- and there's so many great Intranet professionals on Twitter that I've connected with. So instead of limiting my list to 140 characters, I've decided to list them out here as a directory of sorts. These are individuals I've networked with on twitter or individuals who have an interest in and tweet about intranets. A lot of these individuals keep regularly updated blogs on intranet topics and enterprise 2.0. And whenever I throw an intranet-related question out on Twitter, guaranteed at least five of these people will respond.

If you're an Intranet Professional, expert on intranets, or just interested in intranet discussion - comment on this post and add your name and Twitter link.

Intranet Gurus, Professionals, & Addicts to Follow on Twitter
(in no particular order)

@IntranetMatters - Stephan Schillerwein; Intranet Professional trying to improve the way people use and act on information to make the world a better (informed) place

@netjmc - Jane McConnell; global intranet and portal strategy consultant - creator of annual Global Intranet Trends Survey

@tobyward - Toby Ward; The CEO of Prescient Digital Media and author of several blogs including http://www.intranetblog.com/

@intranetwatch - Intranet Watch; IntranetWatch is a Twitter group set up for people who want to exchange ideas, tips, links, ask questions about intranets

@nicprice - Nic Price; Serendipitist. Innovator. Designer of digital things. (Has worked on many award winning intranets over the years)

@helenday - Helen Day; All things intranetty at IBF

@markmorrell - Mark Morrell; A sad, suffering Seagulls supporter who escapes from the misery to try to be a half decent intranet manager! (run's BT's intranet)

@richarddennison - Richard Dennison; Corporate social media evangelist, blogger and dad (run's BT's intranet)

@elizabethmmarsh - Elizabeth Marsh; Twittering about intranets mostly, homemade cosmetics & herby things sometimes, and whatever else comes up...

@ibf - The Intranet Benchmarking Forum (blogs about intranets and best practices)

@paulhowarmiller - Paul Miller; Entrepreneur and Intranet Leader (head of IBF - hasn't tweeted since Oct. though)

@nancyatibforum - Nancy Goebel; (works as the US rep for IBF)

@intranetlife - Roberto Cobianchi; blogger, intranet & content management consultant, beer lover, photographer http://bbltwt.com/p2rnr

@s2d_jamesr - James Robertson; Intranet and content management guru. Prolific author, owner of Step Two Designs, spends too much time on planes

@Wedge - Wedge; Writer, Editor, Internal Communications Specialist and Voluntary Organisation Director. (frequently helps me with advice on intranets)

@edwarp09 - Phil Edwards; Intranet, americana, food, wine and lots of hot loving... (experience with intranets for 10+ years)

@bevinhernandez - Bevin Hernandez; Geek girl, Project Manager, working in higher ed (Project Mgr. for Penn State's intranet redesign, read about launch here.)

@jonthegeologist - Intranets, Digital Communications at Coca-Cola Enterprises.

@shel - Shel Holtz; Communications. Technology. Jam music. Family. Life is good. (Renowned communicator who knows A LOT about technology and internal communications)

@Crescenzo - Steve Crescenzo; Leader in corporate communications (Another renowned communicator who gets the intersection of internal communications and technology)

@jschultz - Jeremy Schultz; Intranet communicator at Intel, writing global news and driving social tools behind the firewall. Food and beer-loving cyclist fighting urge to race again.

@sammarshall - Sam Marshall; Intranet & collaboration specialist

@bklein34 - bklein34; AT&T communicator in Social Media & Intranets, overall emerging comm enthusiast. Oh and chocolate & shoe enthusiast. 2nd job: wife & mom of 3.

@theparallaxview - Russell Pearson; social media inside the firewall / analogue hi fi /internal communications / intranets / Theory

@thinkintranet, @abigaillb - Abigail; Intranut, Motherof2

@thoughtfarmer - Chris McGrath; Co-creator of ThoughtFarmer, an intranet for intranet-haters.

@adenin - Martin Amm; CEO of adenin TECHNOLOGIES, a company that delivers IntelliEnterprise, a complete intranet 2.0 portal suite for enterprises. (I love the demo on their Web site)

@StepTwoDesigns - Step Two Designs; information architecture / usability / intranets / content management

@christubb - Chris Tubb; i/c intranets Orange-France Telecom group. If only everyone else knew that.

@justinavery - Justin Avery; I run website projects and film in my spare time. (works on intranets and always has great advice for me when I have intranet questions)

@jowyang - Jeremiah; Currently employed as Senior Analyst, Social Computing, Forrester Research

@lindabeth - Linda Russell; Marketing/communications professional. Professional passions: internal communications, project management, change. (Intranet Prof. for small company)

@Alex_Manchester - Alex Manchester; Technology, communications, Digital DJ and everything normal life in between...

@wiwiking - Willem Gabilly; Communicator @IBM

@dzhu - Danielle Zhu; IT consultant, web application development, enterprise 2.0, intranet, social computing, education, e-learning, language learning

@gyehuda - Gil Yehuda; Enterprise Web 2.0 analyst, drinks tea, loves music

@rozzer - Chris Rothschild; Digital Commas Manager. Trying to shoehorn Enterprise 2.0 into the organisation..one wiki at a time!

@sharonwilson - Sharon Wilson; Knowledge Management, intranet, enterprise 2.0, expertise location, social networking, global management consulting firms

@RickSpratley - Rick Spratley; Communication Canuck living in Chicago. I love hanging out at the intersection of Communication and Technology. Social Media Addict.

@tocaya - Tocaya; Corporate Communication Master grad; interested in ínternal communication for digital natives, social media, intercultural communication, languages (half in english, half in German)

@ClaudiaMulder - Claudia Mulder; Graphic designer, information junkie, interested in social networks, Web & Enterprise 2.0, poetry, philosophy, SharePoint, intranet & knowledge manageme (sometimes tweets in Dutch)

And last, but definitely not least....................... ME!

@ChristySeason - Christy Season; Intranet Strategist for power company, Comp. Engr. w/ MBA, solutions/problem solver, Web 2.0 obsessed, employee engagement research, ballet dancer & bowler

Social Computing Guidelines - Company Comparison Table

2009-02-09T12:59:00.012-05:00

As mentioned before in a previous post about Social Media Guidelines for employees, our company is developing our own set of guidelines for employees. We are in the midst of draft 2, and once complete we have plans to post the guidelines to our intranet to get employee feedback - and then hopefully we will post the guidelines on our external site to share with the world as IBM, Intel, Sun, etc. so generously have.

In the previous post I listed out multiple links to various examples of guidelines from large organizations. At first glance, it's a little overwhelming to read and benchmark each set of guidelines and gauge what may be right for our organization. My very intelligent manager took the time to put together a comparison table which highlights the major sections within most of the guidelines. She then took four of the larger companies (IBM, INTEL, Sun Microsystems, Cisco) and checked off which set of guidelines had which section of content. She also included at the end of the table a column to place our company's name in. The format allowed us to easily go down the list of sections, see which sections were included in each of the four companies' guidelines, and then check in our company's column whether or not we wanted to include the section ourselves.

I asked my manager if I could post it to my blog and share with the Web world since my last post on our guidelines has received a lot of hits. She was very humble about it and said I could but only with the mention that it is a very objective listing. I think it's a great, handy little tool for company's to use when developing out their guidelines.

Social Computing Guidelines – Company Comparison*
Created by Therese Griffin, Mgr. Corporate Communications & Philanthropy at SCANA Corp.

*I've uploaded the document to a service called Yudu because I wasn't sure how else to share it. My company apparently blocks most of the other free file sharing services. Comment and let me know if you don't have access to the link above...it should be a public link.

Jack Welch gets Employee Engagement.

2009-01-29T15:31:00.003-05:00

The reason GE was so successful under Jack Welch's leadership is because he gets employee engagement. I've been a big fan of his ever since reading his book "Winning". If you haven't read it, do so asap.

Well last night he was on Hannity on Fox News talking about this new "stimulus" (pork) package that was passed (by zero Rep) yesterday. And again I was reminded why I think this man is so smart. He gets it. Read the following transcript from a part of the interview:

WELCH: My complaint is about the way they've invested in companies. They're investors in the automotive industry, in the banks, over $100 million in AIG, and they're not acting like investors. They're acting like prosecutors. So what they've done is taken my money, your money, thrown it into these companies, and now they're saying you can't merge, you can't give bonuses, you can't do this, you can't go to the Super Bowl.
You can't do these things.

HANNITY: Let me ask you this because.

WELCH: They've got to be out rallying these employees.

HANNITY: You ran one of the biggest best companies in America. You had to make profits for you shareholders. You ought to be successful. Government has bankrupted Social Security, Medicare. They're going into huge debt here, they've destroyed our educational system.
Why should I have any faith the government can solve this economic problem? Why?

WELCH: Yes, but Sean, let's take this -- what I'm talking about. We spent the money, your money and my money. Now I don't want to just leave it there. It'd be like buying a house, and then because you didn't like your neighbors burning the house, not painting it, not doing anything with it.

Sean, we've got to take the AIG's and the banks and Detroit, and we've got to support -- if you don't like the CEOs, throw them out. If you don't like the -- throw him out. But you want to take care of the employees, bill those companies, and we get our money back.

------------------------------------------------------------------

I highlighted my favorite parts of the interview. Employee Engagement. Welch knows that the way for a company to be profitiable and to succeed is to support and reward the employees. He knows that if we invested in the employees, the high performers, we would all get our investment back from these businesses.

He talks a great deal about what he terms 'diversification' in his book Winning. And it makes such perfect sense to me. You reward the hard workers, the high performers, with bonuses, perks, etc. You give them training opportunities and development opportunities. Those high performers in return will work harder, be more engaged, pass up on an opportunity to leave to a competitor...

So when I saw Jack on Hannity last night, I was thrilled to see that once again he pushes for engaging employees - he understands that you can't just throw money at a company and expect it to turn around. It's about the employees - "take care of the employees". You take care of and engage employees, you get better customer service and better results overall.

Be Careful What You Post - Because tattlers lurk among us.

2009-01-21T15:45:00.009-05:00

So recently I posted my thoughts on guidelines related to social media, and I talked about how frustrating it is when you have to constantly watch your actions online because someone will tell. Well today one of our leaders at work shared a blog posting with us that was passed along from another leader in our company. "Be Careful What You Post" is a recent (Jan. 15) blog post from Peter Shankman. It describes a recent event where an ad company employee who posted an update to Twitter upon arriving in Memphis, TN that he would "die if I had to live here". The problem was that the ad man was in Memphis to give a presentation to FedEx who is headquartered in Memphis - and evidently chock full of Memphis born and bred employees. A FedEx employee saw the tweet and emailed the ad man a letter defending Memphis.

Before I go further, let me first interject that this blog has nothing to do with any of the leaders in our company who read Shankman's post and passed it along. I'm not disagreeing with anyone or saying anyone is wrong - I'm just 'blogging' about a social media case study and providing my opinion - that.. is not in any way related to the opinions of my company, my co-workers, my bosses, my friends, my family, or my family cat. So now that I've gotten this disclaimer out of the way (rolling eyes), don't tattle on me for blogging about tattlers.

Ok, so back to the FedEx story... like I said, the FedEx employee emailed the ad man and defended Memphis, and described all the good work FedEx is doing in the communities of Memphis. I think this was a good move on the FedEx employee's part - defend your city, share the good things FedEx is doing, and ask ad man to no longer put poor Memphis down.

However...

The FedEx employee did not just email the ad man... oh no, he couldn't just discuss one on one with the ad man - no, he wasn't satisfied unless he really made the ad man sweat (for only saying Memphis wasn't his favorite place). The FedEx employee CC'd the email to the FedEx Corporate Vice President, Vice President, Directors and all management of FedEx’s communication department AND the chain of command at Ketchum. Really?

Does anyone have a sense of humor anymore? Look, I understand that ad man should not have made a crack on Memphis while traveling to the city to meet with a customer who happens to be headquartered there. It was bad judgment. I get that. But at the same time, are we really going to glorify goody-two-shoes FedEx employee who makes a point to copy every higher up he can think of on a 'shame on you Mr. Ad man...we're watching you' email?

This all goes back to my frustrations with the old school way of thinking. Is it really such a big deal that ad man just didn't like Memphis? Is it really such a big deal that he expresses his opinion? Again, I get it... bad judgment from ad man since it was a business trip, but again, I just get really annoyed with the self righteous tattle tales that work among us. Like I said in my previous post, if I see a coworker's opinion online or a picture of them - I don't judge. I don't jump to assumptions. I don't tattle on them.

If I was the Fed-Ex employee, here is what I would have done: I would have sent the same exact letter defending the city and mentioning to the ad man to please be careful in the future. I would have MAYBE copied my direct boss and that would be it. It's not my place to judge other people and get them in trouble. If the ad man had tweeted, "FedEx is a horrible client..I can't wait until this project is over", then that is a reason to copy the higher ups - but copying VP's and Directors because of a 140 character sentence about a city?

I live in Columbia, SC. Defend it all you want, but it's not the best place to live. Wouldn't most of us rather be living on the beach in Charleston (don't lie)? When I first moved to Columbia, I hated it. Not only is this the hometown of the hateful gamecocks, but it's concrete everywhere. Homeless people and bad drivers. But after living here for almost four years, it's grown on me. I really like the company I work for and my co-workers (and no, I'm not just saying that because they may be watching me online). I love my house, and after yesterday and today's weather, I'm thankful I never moved to Minnesota (thank you, thank you, thank you). I'm a two hour drive from the beach...a two hour drive from Clemson...a two hour drive from Charlotte...and a three hour drive to Atlanta. Sure, I hate how truly awful the heat is here in the summer, but it's not so bad. BUT, if someone cracks on Columbia on Twitter - I'm not going to get up in arms...even if it is someone from an agency visiting us. Honestly, I'd laugh it off and say, "Yeah..but it grows on you" or "Yeah...it's hot as hades, but you should really visit the Riverwalk or hang out in the Vista...it might change your mind." Why not take ad man to your favorite Memphis restaurant, or take him sightseeing to local attractions - show him the Memphis you so strongly defend. I wouldn't chide the person and email the entire senior leadership at my company. I just feel like our CEO would email me back and say, "First of all, who are you? Secondly, why are you wasting my time? Thirdly, what the heck is Twitter?"

And before you say to me, "Well Christy, you didn't grow up in Columbia, you don't have that connection to defend it." Let me just tell you.. I grew up in Birmingham, AL ok.. and I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Hey, I drove through Birmingham on my way to [New Orleans, Texas, etc.] and wow, not much to see there." I've gotten the redneck thing, the marrying my cousin thing, the racist thing ("You're from Birmingham? Wow, I heard they are stuck in the 60's and schools are still segregated")... you name it, Birmingham is a pretty easy target. But I don't get upset if someone just doesn't like Birmingham... I shrug and let it roll off my shoulders...

So to make a long blog post short, I will state my opinion (imagine that) and say that I do agree that better judgment should be made when it comes to social media -- again, don't post something you don't want your mother to read. But I also think that there are people out there who just might look a little too hard for 'bad judgment' and then make a mountain out of what was really only a hill. A letter should have been sent to the ad man from Corporate Communications at FedEx, and then ad man could have apologized and of course state the obvious that he meant no offense to the client.

Bottom line is you just can't be too sensitive about things you see online because sarcasm, tone, etc. do not read well online. So, yes, be careful what you post - but also, be careful how you interpret and react to what you see in social media. Can't we all just get along?

christyweb now has video!

2009-01-19T21:25:00.003-05:00

So I got a Flip Mino for Christmas. And while I still can't get the software to work on my stupid computer, it works on my work computer - so, I've created my own YouTube channel and will now start capturing video to go along with my infamous photography. I know you can barely contain your excitement, so I won't keep you waiting -- christyweb on YouTube. I've also added the link to my list of links - look to the right.

Keep in mind, I'm still an amateur when it comes to video shooting -- I'm pretty much a pro at capturing all my friends in their most embarrassing moments with digital photos, but my video skills are still shaky - but it will only be a matter of time before I'm an expert.

Here's a little preview... Jacksonville Landing on New Year's Eve on the stroke of midnight:

My New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-07T22:46:00.007-05:00

I haven't updated my site in almost a month. The holidays were full of travel and I never had anything to write about. So I decided that it's about time to update and what better post to start the new year with than a post on my New Year's resolutions. I have a lot... but I'm not sure they will all come to mind right now, so this post might be a work in progress.

My New Year's Resolutions for 2009

Lose 8 pounds, because 8 is my lucky number and me minus 8 pounds would be nice
Quit smoking - I'm not a smoker, but I smoke...especially when alcohol is involved. None of my friends smoke anymore and none of the bars allow smoking. So unless I want to continue to be the reject who has to go outside and smoke, I need to quit.
Start to let go of a lot of anger I hold onto for things that happened in the past - high school, college, grad school -- lots to let go of
Pray more
Get to bed earlier
Get to work earlier
Try not to let work stress me out, at the end of the day it's just a job
Buy less clothes and wear more of the clothes I have
Take more time to read more books
Make more time for Mii -- on my Wii
Get back into painting
Work on my flexibility so my ponche stretch is 180 degrees like all the 16 and 17 yr. olds in my ballet class
Come to terms with the fact that I'm not 16 or 17 anymore, so I can't expect my 27 yr old self to dance ballet like I did when I was 17 (but I sure as hell can keep trying)
Take care of my house: sod my yards, fix up my bathrooms, fix my deck, and other landscaping to my yards
Be more cautious about my finances, save more
Work on hiding my frustrations when people get on my nerves
Work on calming down my road rage
Re-learn German with Bradley
Do more active things on the weekends, less laying around
Be better about staying in touch with family and friends -- force myself to talk on the phone, even though I avoid it
Grow my hair out as long as I can get it, and when it fails because it's too thin (like it always does) invest in extensions - the Jessica Simpson affordable ones
Try not to care so much about what other people think and at the same time try not to take things so personally
In addition to resolution 3, stop asking Bradley if we are ok and stop constantly seeking validation -- leave the poor boy alone and let him love me
Wash my car more - inside and out. It's seriously deprived.
Spend as many weekends as possible in the summer in Charleston, on the beach.
Get a puppy - a mutt with a little Chow in her

Play the lottery.
Work on my back posture, especially when sitting at my desk at work. I'm thinking of bringing in a balance ball...seriously.

Find more resolutions...

Yes, I know that's a lot... but it's a new year and I'm ready for it.

Corporate Social Media Policies and Guidelines

2008-12-18T11:28:00.012-05:00

Our company is looking into developing social media guidelines for our employees. I'm on the committee that will be looking at developing this policy. I'm glad I was selected to help out with this effort because I think I bring a much different perspective to the table then the rest of the group.

As a millennial and someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes my life on the Internet, I believe in providing employees with guidelines and tips, but also trusting employees to make the right decisions -- and if they don't, then they are coached or 'dealt with'. My belief is that if you educate employees and provide them with guidelines, they won't be stupid. If you think your employees are stupid and careless, then something is wrong with your communications or your employee selection process.

I often question my online behavior and the way it reflects on me at work. For example, I always second guess myself when I blog or post pictures because I wonder if someone I work with will see it and form an unnecessary opinion about me. At the same time, I think that I'm allowed to have a personal blog with personal opinions. I never speak on behalf of my company or say my views are my company's views. But I know there are people out there who see a picture of me holding a beer (and there's probably quite a few of those mind you) and automatically think I'm this young kid who 'parties'.

If I see a picture of a co-worker online, holding a beer, maybe from a Christmas party or tailgating at a football game, I don't think anything. I just don't judge people on what they do outside of work. If a co-worker connects with me on a social network, it's a social agreement that we will not judge or 'tell on' each other. I think it's a shame when you have to 'unfriend' a co-worker because you can't trust them to not judge you. When I see a co-worker post a political view that I don't agree with, I might have a healthy debate with them, but at the end of the day it doesn't sway my opinion about them as a professional or co-worker. I actually think that getting to know my co-workers on a more personal level has enhanced our work relationships. We're all human after all -- and what's wrong with working hard and then playing hard? At the end of the day if I'm a high performer who consistently has my work done and then some, why is it wrong that I go to a Clemson game and drink some beers with my old friends and blow off all the stress of the work week? I think it's an old mindset that will slowly fade once the newer generations start populating the work force.

Don't get me wrong though. I agree there's things you shouldn't post online - some people are stupid. The whole saying of don't post something you wouldn't want your mother to see is a good guideline to go by. My mom reads my blog and looks at all my pictures I post online - she's only once sent me one picture she didn't like, and I promptly took it down. The subject line of the email was, "Future CEO?".

I also think that employers need to go ahead and accept that you cannot control employees use of social media, especially the younger generations coming in, so you might as well embrace it and educate employees on what's proper and what isn't (aka what is stupid to do online). And if an employee spends all day blogging or on Facebook, my guess is that this would show in their performance (aka the work isn't done) and it's a management issue, not an IT issue. You tell employees they can't go on Facebook at work, then they will just sit in each other's cubes and talk all day or find some other distraction. I just think forcing employees into a box with technology is such an 'old school' way of thinking.

Anyways, I did some research online looking for examples of guidelines and policies. Everything I found was scattered across the Web, so I've compiled a list here to help others who are researching for benchmarking purposes as well.

Social Media & Blogging Guidelines Examples on the Web

IBM: http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html

Intel: http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-media.htm

Sun: http://www.sun.com/communities/guidelines.jsp

Cisco: http://blogs.cisco.com/news/comments/ciscos_internet_postings_policy/

Harvard Law School: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/terms-of-use/

DePaul: http://brandresources.depaul.edu/vendor_guidelines/g_socialmedia.aspx

Easter Seals (scroll down a bit): http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/04/nonprofit-blogg.html

Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR): http://www.cipr.co.uk/socialmedia/

Update: My manager created a handy comparison table that we used when planning our guidelines. You can find my recent blog post about it here.

Interesting blog articles on developing corporate guidelines for social media:

Does Your Company Have a Blogging Policy? - Shares thoughts on the question, "Do employers have authority in dictating what an employee blogs about on a personal blog, given the company’s name is never mentioned?”

Social Media Policy: Does your Company need one?

About.com: Human Resources: Social Media Policy Example

The Variance of Corporate Social Media Policies – interesting look at the differing views of social media by generation

Comcast's Actual Social Media Policy No One Knew About – discussion about Comcast’s open policies on social media, includes video interview

The U.S. Air Force: Armed with Social Media - webinknow.com blog post talking about the U.S. Air Force's social media policies and strategies, includes a great blog assessment chart; thanks to Dana who left me a comment with a link to this blog

Social Networking Policies - Balancing Collective Wisdom With Individual Stupidity - Blog post on intranetexperience.com by Sean R. Nicholson which mirrors my mindset about how some companies tend to overreact to social media use. Great explanation of finding a balance that will make companies and employees happy. (P.S. I get a shout out!)

Update (04/22/09): Nathan Gilliatt created a Delicious page for social media policy related links. I found this because this blog post is in his list. Great resource of additional helpful links.

Update (04/28/09): Mashable's article "Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?" - The five W's to adopting a social media policy.

Update (06/08/09): Mashable's article "10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy" - What every social media policy should contain. Great article for those just getting started.

So, do you have social media guidelines at your company? What is your opinion of how a company should set policies on social media use? Does it frustrate you that you have to second guess your actions on Facebook, etc. because your employer is 'watching'?

Fixed my domains..

2008-12-17T22:14:00.001-05:00

FYI, I figured out how to have christyweb.com redirect to www.christyweb.com. So now you should be able to use my Web address minus the 'www' to get to my site.

Also, FYI, christyseason.com also redirects here.

NxD album postponed! :( Boo!

2008-12-16T23:23:00.004-05:00

So, I hate I had to read this on perezhilton.com, but No Doubt is postponing their new album -- which makes sense I guess considering that Gwen just had her second baby, but I can't help but still be disappointed and sad. :( For those of you who know me, I've been a huge fan of No Doubt since I was 15. Tragic Kingdom helped me get through high school, and you can still find my interpretation of Return of Saturn from 2000 if you Google my name. I've been to three of their concerts -- once driving five hours (from Clemson to Myrtle Beach) after taking an 8am final exam, to come back the next day and take another final exam. Another concert I dyed my hair hot pink for (yikes), and waited two hours after that concert to finally meet them. And most recently I was fifth row for Gwen's concert in Charlotte in which I held up a homemade sign, "I can't wait for No Doubt's new album". Gwen saw the sign, pointed and waved! (swoon) So, I'm sad that I will have to wait yet another year for No Doubt to come out with another album.

Perezhilton.com article.

No Doubt.

What should Michelle wear?

2008-12-09T12:21:00.005-05:00

I'm not a big fan of Michelle Obama, but I am a big fan of fashion, and more specifically, dresses! So, my sister emailed me this link to a slide show of designs by famous designers of what Michelle and her daughters should wear on inauguration. Some of the designs make her look downright scary, while others make her look like an African American Jackie O. Some designs are ridiculous and flashy, and others I'm left wondering 'huh?'. But my favorite of the bunch is actually the very first design by Isaac Mizraahi which features a pretty color palette and conservative dresses for an event that should be conservative -- well in dress anyways. Click on the photo of my favorite design below to view the entire slide show of designs. Leave a comment and let me know which one is your favorite.

Lilly Allen's new album comes out soon!

2008-12-04T22:50:00.002-05:00

After a While

2008-12-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

After a While
Veronica Shoffstall

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

2008 City Crime Rankings

2008-11-25T11:32:00.002-05:00

I stumbled across this list that ranked 385 cities in order of most violent to least violent.

My good 'ol hometown, Birmingham is 8th. North Charleston is 10th (more violent then Atlanta which is 16th??). Charlotte is 62nd. Columbia is 68th. Charleston is 168th.

So I guess Greenville isn't violent. Maybe I really should move there...

See the full list of cities.

Christy's 12 Rules of Courteous Driving

2008-11-18T21:06:00.004-05:00

So lately I've had some major road rage due to the lack of manners among fellow Columbia, SC drivers. It's no surprise to me that Men's Health magazine ranked Columbia the city with the nation's worst drivers. "Spend a day in Columbia, South Carolina. (And wear a helmet.) Simply put, the city is lousy with bad drivers."

I get very frustrated lately with the fact that drivers just don't seem to care about any other cars on the road. No one ever seems to be aware of their surroundings, or seem to even worry about what's going on around them. Evidently, most drivers today seem to think that they are the only car on the road -- and it drives me insane.

And not only are people oblivious to the fact that other drivers in other cars exist, but all manners of driving have gone out the window -- and we live in the south, manners are instinct, right?

So I've compiled my own list of courteous driving rules for the local folk here in Columbia to take note of. This list is the top pet peeves of other drivers' behaviors that almost cost me my life on a daily basis -- whether due to a car accident, or the mere fact that I lose my mind to road rage.

Rule #1: Please use your blinkers - always!
This is probably my greatest pet peeve about other drivers. How many times have you been driving behind someone and then all of a sudden, brakes, and they turn? Hey, thanks for the warning. Or how about the time you're coming towards an intersection and you need to turn left, across the intersection. Coming your way, the opposite direction, is another car. You stop (with your left blinker on) waiting to turn... the car coming the opposite direction gets to the intersection and then - surprise - turns to their left. Thanks buddy.. I could have turned about five minutes ago if I had known YOU were turning also. Turning, changing lanes, anything that requires a blinker -- use it! Other drivers cannot read your mind. We don't know what your next move is, and blinkers are meant to signal to other drivers what you are about to do so they can adjust to it. And turning it on a second before or while you are turning doesn't count.

Rule #2: Get off my bumper please.
Nothing makes me more upset then to look in my rear view mirror while I'm on the interstate and see some idiot right up against my bumper. I'm in the left lane, passing slower cars in the right lane. I'm already going 85, way over the speed limit. But evidently this idiot doesn't think that's fast enough. And for some reason this driver whose car is within inches of mine thinks that riding my bumper will get me to move over into the left lane -- even though there's an 18-wheeler (that I'm passing) right next to me. And it gets better... then the car starts to swerve a little...back and forth, because obviously to him this will make me notice he's on my ass.. I'm sorry, bumper. And the best part comes when he flashes his lights at me. This irritates me to no end. If this driver would wait, oh I don't know, three minutes, I'd be safely in the right lane, in front of the 18-wheeler, and out of his way -- so he could go along his 95 mph way. Every time this happens, I always make a small wish that I'll pass this car a few miles down the road -- with him pulled over by a cop, getting a nice expensive speeding ticket, and being delayed a lot longer than if he had just waited those three minutes for me. There's a reason they teach you in Driver's Ed to keep a car's distance from the car in front of you -- riding my bumper will only make me purposely slow down, irritating you more.

Rule #3: Get out of the left lane please if you're going slower than the cars in the right lane.
Ok, so you might be thinking I'm contradicting Rule #2. Not at all. This rule is referring to those 'Sunday drive' drivers who obviously have no where to go, no time table, and are oblivious to the fact that all the cars in the right lane are passing them. It is not ok to drive in the left lane on the interstate going SLOWER than the cars in the right lane. This is especially wrong if you are an 18-wheeler, and even more wrong if you are an 18-wheeler cruising in the left lane with no cars in the right lane (who are you passing??). Be aware of your surroundings. If cars are constantly passing you in the right lane, that's a signal that it's time to get yourself back to the right lane. They don't put up signs that say, "Slower traffic keep right" for nothing people... if you're not going to at least go the speed limit or slightly faster... and if you're not passing cars in the right lane who are slower... then please, please get out of the left lane!!

Rule #4: Stop at a stop sign, and if it's your turn, go!
If you are at an intersection, a four-way stop, it is important of course to come to a complete stop, look both directions, and then make your move across the intersection based on your turn. However, what is up with people who get to the intersection a lot sooner than you, stop at their stop sign, and literally wait until you reach your stop sign -- and then decide to go. For some reason this really bothers me. It causes unnecessary delays at the intersection, as well as unnecessary confusion. Get to the intersection, make your two second stop, and if it's your turn, go... don't wait on me!

Rule #5: Please do not talk on your cell phone if it keeps you from driving.
How many times have you been stuck behind a sloooooow driver, or someone who slowly creeps over into your lane? You cuss and speed up to get the hell away from them -- and as you're driving by you glance over only to see that the idiot is on their cell phone. I'm not going to sit here and say that I don't drive and talk on the cell phone, because I do. The difference is that I can drive and talk on the phone at the same time. But I do it rarely. I actually get distracted from talking more so than from driving..the driving keeps me from talking, so my conversations while I drive are short and to the point. I just have had so many 'near death' experiences on the interstate caused by drivers who have a cell phone stuck to their ear. And just because you bought the wireless bluetooth doesn't mean being 'hands free' will help your driving. Talking on the phone is distracting. Keep your conversations quick and get off the phone so you can focus on the road.

Rule #6: Do not block intersections if traffic is backed up ahead of you.
Ok, this is a very good rule. When I leave work, I go down Sumpter, hit Gervais and take a left. Gervais often gets backed up with everyone leaving downtown trying to get to Assembly or Huger St. Not only is the light incredibly long for Sumpter street to turn onto Gervais, but the traffic gets backed up going down Gervais so that sometimes cars can't go across the intersection even when the light is green. So I'll sit there at my red light on Sumpter, waiting for the light to turn green so I can turn left. Well I'll be damned if the Gervais traffic doesn't back up to the intersection and drivers going down Gervais creep out into the intersection..it's slow at first, and then they speed up thinking that just maybe the back of their car won't be in the intersection. And then there's others who just don't care and pull out into the intersection and sit in the middle. And of course you know what comes next... The light changes. My light is green. But guess what? I can't go anywhere! The intersection is blocked. Once again the signs that our taxes go towards "Do not block intersection" are ignored. So there I am, ready to get home after a long day at work, sitting through cycles of this light because people do not care about other drivers and they block my path. If the light is green, but you have no where to go, be patient and wait at the light until the cars in front of you have moved forward, giving your room to then make it across the intersection. We all want to get home after work.. not just you.

Rule #7: Say thank you and wave.
Like I mentioned before, I think that a lot of people have left their manners at home once they get in the car to drive. Nothing upsets me more than the drivers who take your favors and do not give you the 'thank you wave'. When I politely stop and let a car out into traffic, someone who's been ignored by other drivers, I expect a polite wave as they pull out in front of me. If you've got your blinker on, trying to switch lanes, and car after car will not let you over -- if I slow down and signal for you to get over. Throw me a wave of thanks. That's all I ask. Wave. I get annoyed when I give a friendly favor to another driver and they pull out and you don't get the wave. Say thank you to other drivers...wave! I always wave, and the greater the favor (i.e. two cars stopping in both lanes to let me turn left in front of them onto a side street) the bigger and more vigorous my wave. Is it so much to ask for a polite wave if I do the same for you?

Rule #8: Do not flirt with me or stare at me while we are driving.
This is an important rule because I think too many women have to deal with this when driving. About a month or so ago I was driving down to Charleston. This red sports car was in front of me, going slow -- so I began to pass it on the left. I sped up, passed the car and then moved back into the right lane. Well no sooner had I gotten into the right lane, the red car suddenly moves into the left lane and speeds up until we are going exactly the same speed. I didn't think anything of it at first..thought I was being passed, but after about a mile, I could still sense the red car out of the corner of my eye. "Oh great." Usually in this situation I just stare straight forward and ignore the car. But for some reason this time I wasn't really in the mood for this uncomfortable situation. So I look over at the car. Sure enough this nasty man is driving with one hand, and leaning over towards his passenger seat, smiling and waving at me. So, I took my middle finger and stuck it against the window and mouthed a not so friendly phrase. He made a look like he was shocked and hurt.. um, hello? And then he slowed down and got behind me. A minute later, he's back in the left lane again, same speed as me. I look over. He does this shrug "why are you being mean" gesture, continues to wave at me. I flick him off again, speed up, get in the left lane and eventually lose him. Why do creepy men do this? Do they expect me to wave back and then gesture we should pull over and get to know each other? It's so disgusting and rude, and distracting. And truck drivers, please quit honking at us! It makes me nervous because my first reaction is that something is wrong on the road -- not that you are honking to be an obnoxious, dirty man. So keep your cat calls and dirty old man tricks on the construction sites and keep it off the roads. Women aren't the best of drivers (I'll admit that) and the last thing we need is you messing with us on the roads while we're trying to drive.

Rule #9:Turn your lights on when it's raining, please!
If it is raining outside, turn your headlights on. It doesn't matter if it's daytime or not. If your windshield wipers are on, your lights should be as well. I hate driving in the rain, and one of the reasons why is because a LOT of drivers do not turn on their lights while driving in the rain. On the interstate, water gets kicked up all around the cars, and you sometimes can't see cars around you. If it's raining especially hard, I definitely can't see most cars -- and I have perfect vision! Most people don't realize that turning on your lights in the rain isn't for your benefit, it's for everyone else's benefit. If anything, you should want other drivers to see your car in the rain -- especially the other idiots on the road. I always have my lights on when it rains, I've made it instinct now. And even though I've been made fun of for this, if it's hellacious raining on the interstate and some people are going 70 and some people are going 40, I turn on my hazards. I don't care if you don't think it's raining hard enough, I'd rather you and that up for 24 hours truck driver see my car then to risk being caught by surprise. So do the other cars on the road a favor and make sure you always turn on your lights when it starts to rain.

Rule #10: If you are lost, pull over.
I know a lot of you have experienced this too while on the road. You're trying to get to work and suddenly you get behind this erratic car. They stop, they go, they put on their blinker, they turn off their blinker -- and you realize, hey these people have no idea where they are going. If this is you, the people who are lost, look in your rear view mirror -- are there cars behind you? If yes, pull over briefly and let them pass. Don't subject them to your lack of knowledge as to where you are going. Better yet, pull over at a gas station -- get directions. Ask a neighbor who's outside if you're in a neighborhood. Buy a GPS system for your car. And if not any of these things, just pull over and let us other drivers (who do know the way) pass you.

Rule #11: Do not brake on the interstate if there is no traffic.
I took Driver's Ed in 10th grade when I was 15. I had no idea how to drive, so you can imagine my horror when the instructor put me behind the wheel and instructed me to get on the interstate. I was terrified and continuously hovered and used the brake. My instructor firmly told me, "Never brake on the interstate!" That always stuck with me, and now I know why. I get nervous about a lot of things when driving (I'm sure you've noticed if you've gotten this far through this post), but nothing makes me more jittery on the interstate then when people brake. Now I understand that braking is necessary in stop and go, backed up traffic on the interstate. It's a no brainer that you have to use your brakes if the traffic slows down to 10 mph or is stopped altogether. But there is no reason why anyone should be braking when we are all traveling at speeds of 70 mph with space in between us. If you need to slow down on the interstate, take your foot off the gas and coast a little until your speed decreases. If you're having to use your brake, then you are obviously too close to the car in front of you (see rule #2). Bright red brake lights causes a chain reaction of brake lights, and then everyone is braking for no reason. So keep your distance from other cars, and ease off the gas -- you won't need your brakes on the interstate after all.

And as an aside to this rule (because I don't want to make 13 rules), don't brake and slow down to look at a car accident or even a stalled car on the side of the road. Nothing infuriates me more then to be behind someone who has their neck craned completely sideways with foot on the brake while driving past a car accident. You can never see anything anyways, so keep your eyes straight and your foot on the gas. None of us wants to sit in stop and go traffic for 3o minutes only to discover that the back up was caused simply by a stalled car in the median that everyone just had to get a good gander at.

Rule #12: Proper ways to park and drive in parking lots.
At work I park in a parking garage attached to our building. The spots are pretty tight in the garage, but doable for all size and makes of cars. However, there are those select few (morons) who either don't know how to park or purposely park erroneously. What I'm talking about are those special people that take up two spots. Some of them simply parked crooked to where their back left end is in the spot next to them -- preventing that spot next to them from being used. Others are more blatant and park completely on a center line taking up two entire parking spots. And then there are others who park, probably get out and say, "Oh dear, I'm so close to the line -- but, I'm in a hurry, so I'm sure it's fine." And then of course there's no way you could even get out of your car if you parked next to them. I don't understand what kind of people can do this with a clear conscious. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten out of my car and out of sheer guilt at the way I've parked, gotten back in and tried five more times until I knew I was parked correctly. But seriously.. who are these people who can clearly tell they are parked incorrectly and just walk away form it? "Not my problem." But the real ass holes are the idiots who take up two spots. Look, I wouldn't mind it if you did that on the very top floor where no one parks -- but on the third level in prime real estate parking? I'm sorry you don't want your corvette scratched or dinged, but hey, maybe I don't want my Altima scratched and dinged, but life isn't fair now is it? The worst case I saw was this crappy, POS car on the fourth floor parked blatantly in the center of two spots. I actually noticed it on my way up where I had to park on the sixth floor.. and even though I was already running late for work, I was so infuriated that I took the elevator to the fourth floor (I normally get off on 2 to go to my building) and wrote a note and put it on the car's windshield. It was pretty benign, saying something along the lines of "how rude" and "I hope you get a ticket". I really think that the city should go in our garage one day and ticket all of the people who take up two parking spots.. it's a LOT of people and I think it's selfish and rude. One day I'm going to print out letters and walk around the entire garage and put them on all the windshields of all of the perpetrators -- but the sad thing is, if they didn't care enough to park that way anyways, what's my note going to do?

The second part of this rule is related to driving around in large parking lots. Ok, so I know a lot of people break this rule, and I probably have to in the past, but no longer. I understand that some parking lots are just big, and the thought of going all the way down the lane to go into the next lane is just too much for you. But... it is important that you follow the painted lines (and arrows!!) and drive up and down the lanes correctly. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been t-boned while driving down a parking lot lane, minding my own business, and some idiot comes flying across the parking spots from the next lane. The reason they have lines and arrows in parking lots is because you can't always see cars that are coming and going. You never know when a car might back out of a spot and hit you as you come veering into their blind spot because you just crossed six parking spots to get to the other lane. I actually had some idiot woman steal a parking spot from me the other day by flying across empty parking spots from across the lot. I was patiently waiting for a lady to back out and I was properly in the lane. The lady left the spot and I began my turn into it. Out of no where this huge SUV comes hauling across two lanes, headed towards the spot. Right at the last minute she saw me and slammed on her breaks, barely avoiding a crash. We both sat there staring at each other. She looked at me like "Well?". And in my frustration I did a little peeved, vigorous motion waving her into the spot. She veers into the spot and I move on to the next closest spot. And you know what puts the icing on the cake? I didn't even get the friendly thank you wave (see rule #7)!!!

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So those are my rules, the issues I deal with on a day to day basis on the road. I know a lot of you can empathize with me because you've experienced these too. However, if you read this and realize you're not a victim, but one of these idiots, then do the right thing and correct yourself.

So, if you live in Columbia, read this list and practice safer, courteous driving. Be more aware of what's going on around you, not just what you are doing -- we're all on these roads together, so do the right thing.

This makes my computer nerd head want to explode!

2008-11-17T10:13:00.006-05:00

I found this on a communications blog I follow by Shel Holtz.

Snickers Cake

2008-11-12T20:59:00.002-05:00

Every year our department gets together in November and has a huge Thanksgiving lunch where everyone brings in a dish and we all wear elastic waistbands and eat until we're about to pop. I volunteered to bring one of the desserts. I searched on Cooks.com and found a couple of delicious (and easy) sounding recipes and put up a poll to see what everyone thought was the best sounding one to make. So the results from my poll are in, and the winning cake was the Devil's food cake topped with Snickers with 7 votes out of a total whopping 15.

I made the cake tonight...and I really hope it turns out good! It's either going to be so tasty or way too much sweetness and taste horrible.

Interested in trying it out also? Here are the ingredients you need:

1 devils food cake mix (will need 3 eggs and vegetable oil with this)
1 jar Caramel Butterscotch Topping
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 (8 oz.) containers Cool Whip
4 regular size Snicker candy bars (freeze)

Step 1: Bake the cake according to the box in a 13 x 9" pan. Best part is licking the mixer utensils!

Step 2: After baking the cake, poke holes in the cake using a straw.

Step 3: Pour caramel butterscotch syrup all over the cake. Put the cake back in the oven (with oven OFF) while it's still warm for ten minutes.

Step 4: While cake is in oven, take your frozen Snickers bars and put them in ziplock bag and hammer the hell out of them until they are crumbled bits of candy bar.

Step 5: After cake has been in oven for 10 minutes, pull it out. Pour condensed milk all over the cake. Then top the cake with the semi-sweet chocolate chips. I didn't put too many because I just kept thinking there's so much chocolate already and I didn't want it to overkill.

Step 6: The recipe then calls for you to cover the cake in two 8 oz. bins of Cool Whip. I only got about one and a half containers -- I think 2 might be too much. I also had trouble getting the cool whip to stick to the cake and spread... you might need to let the cake cool a little before adding on the cool whip -- I think this was my mistake, but hopefully that won't affect the taste, was just annoying while putting it on.

Step 7: Final Step! Take the crushed Snickers and sprinkle all over the cake. The four Snickers literally covers the entire cake -- but it looks good! After you're done, put the cake in the fridge and serve the next day!

Fingers crossed it tastes delicious and everyone loves it tomorrow!!

Internet Identity

2008-11-10T14:18:00.004-05:00

I read a blog post the other day by someone I follow on Twitter (@cheeky_geeky) about one's identity via social media and whether it's the new resume. It got me thinking about social media and how the perception of sharing online and one's identity online has drastically changed, and how it will continue to change the way we define ourselves.

I have been using the Internet to communicate with others since I was about 13. My dad was an early adopter of the Internet and we had the standard dial up and Prodigy back in the day. The internet that took up an entire phone line and if anyone picked up the phone or called, you were kicked offline. Throughout high school my friends and I were on AOL, instant messenging (again on dial up) and that was pretty much the extent of what we did online from a communications perspective. I don't remember predators or some of the fears that came along with the Internet existing while I was in High School. We would go in chat rooms and goof off, but we never gave out our real names or phone numbers. There wasn't ever that fear. The Internet was still so new.

I think the fear of sharing online hit while I was just entering college. Everything you heard from parents, to professors, to peers was that you had to be very careful not to give up too much information online. Never, they stressed, put your last name on the Internet. And it's definitely a big no to put your address, phone number, or even your screen name online. I think those types of worries were everywhere, and it was instilled in me too. I had just built out my very first Web site (in all HTML mind you) and I remember I called it 'Venus's Lair' (yeah, I know...but my AOL screenname had Venus in it). I never posted my name anywhere on the site. At that time, I don't even think I had a bio. It was pretty beneign. I actually even blogged during college, before blogging was even a household name. It was a site called Free Diary or something along those lines, and I would journal about my day to day -- but completely anonymously and keeping out any details that would give me away...just in case someone stumbled upon it and knew who I was. Why were we so scared to hide ourselves online?

While in grad school, the online sharing pendulum slowly began to shift. In the early 2000's, social media began to emerge. I remember joining Facebook and MySpace the first year of grad school. And right after graduation I purchased 'christyweb.com' and built out a new site that offered a bio and more facts about who I was. Now it was ok to offer a little more information -- where you went to college, your location -- but you still were wary about what to offer up online. Not only did you protect yourself from strangers, but you also now had to worry about employers. "Google yourself and make sure nothing shows up!" was the lament at the time. We were told we wouldn't be hired if we even HAD a MySpace profile. Just having one spelled trouble for employers and would make you seem too risky. I still kept my last name and my Web site address off of MySpace and Facebook. And even though you knew your profiles were private online, you still audited your information to make sure the word 'shit' or some other potentially offensive information wasn't viewable by anyone. That open communication with people you didn't know was still pretty much off limits. So now you weren't just afraid of strangers online, but of potential employers as well.

Now, four years later, social media has finally become a common household name. Social media has grown to the extent that it's now part of most of our every day lives. Businesses are researching social media strategies and it's increasingly becoming a part (even a must have) of doing business. Businesses have Twitter accounts, MySpace profiles, Facebook fan pages. Instead of rejecting potential employees who use social media, employers are now using it to reach out to potential employees. It's hard to find anyone nowadays who isn't involved in some sort of online sharing of information. People are connecting and communicating with complete strangers. Knowledge sharing among strangers with like interests is rampant. No longer are you holding back your last name. I was a little wary at first about offering so much information about myself, including my Web site, on Twitter. But I think being open about who I am and not hiding behind a vague online identity has only enriched my conversations and helped give me the ability to network with accomplished, intelligent professionals who I never would have (in a million years) crossed paths with. My Web site is now my blog, where I share my opinions and thoughts and offer a connection to all of my 'identities' on the Web (FB, MySpace, LinkedIn).

I believe that nowadays, if you are on the job market looking for a job, you have to have an online identity, a presence. I think the days are over where employers are looking you up online and filtering you out of the candidate selection because you're on social media tools. I honestly feel like within the next five years, potential hires could be filtered out from a job pool because they AREN'T online. I think understanding the Web and how people interact online (C2C, B2C, B2B) will be a prerequisite for most jobs. I think social media fosters open communication and knowledge sharing online, and companies will eventually not only embrace it, but encourage it.

....which leads me to my next train of thought. Despite the growing trends in social media and the increasing amount of knowledge sharing and information on social media tools, why is there still some hesitation and 'scolding' of sorts for having an online identity? There's still a lot of reluctance with businesses to get involved in social media, and even more so to have employees involved in social media. There's still an underlying fear of sharing too much information or making the wrong impression online. There are still people who don't see the value in social media, and don't understand it in general. And recently I've had to be a little more careful of what I put on Facebook and my blog because there are those who watch what you do online, and disapprove. This hasn't happened to me specifically, but I've heard some stories that have made me swing the pendulum back a little and be a little more cautious with what I post or say online.... but this is another blog post all together, which I want to write eventually this week about what it means to be an ambassador for your company and the backlash that comes with it...so stay tuned for that.

But I digress.....

So why the hesitation still with social media? I think it's partly generational (I know older generations use social media, but overall I think it's related to this due to how we grew up with technology). I think the generation after me, coming into the workplace in five or so years, will have no qualms about open communication on the Internet. I don't think they are being told in college today to not offer up any information online, but are most likely being encouraged to use it to compliment their studies, for idea sharing, and for networking. I think as my generation moves into management positions and the next generation comes in expecting social interaction online, the way we do business will completely shift. I understand that face to face is the most important way to communicate, but I don't necessarily think that my generation and the generation after me needs it as much. A conversation online to me is just as good and valuable as a conversation in person or on the phone. I actually feel more comfortable and open with online communicating as opposed to face to face. I can see in ten to twenty years all of us working remotely, having meetings virtually online, and using social media tools to make connections and have conversations. I think transparency will be realized, and open communication will be the norm.

I know this post was a lot of rambling, but it was a thought I had to get out. It's just interesting to look back at the role social media has played for me, and how more and more I'm building out my own identity online, becoming more and more open about who I am, and making it a part of my day to day interactions. You can see tools like Twitter pushing the envelope when it comes to transparency and communications -- and with a growth rate of over 300%, it will only continue to shift things.

This brings up another point... how open is too open? Will we get to a point in communicating with each other and at work, where things we wouldn't dare share with others today will just be part of every day conversation? Maybe the TMI of today will be nothing out of the ordinary in ten years. In ten or twenty years, maybe everything will be transparent...what would that be like? It's interesting to think about... And what do you think? Will we one day be graded by what we contribute from a knowledge perspective? Similar to TwitterGrade, but on a much larger scale? Instead of a GPA, you have an IPA (Intranet Point Average). The more value and knowledge you add to the online community as a whole, the higher your IPA....

I could go on and on...but now I'm rambling again.... I'll stop while I'm somewhat ahead here...

Understand your election map...

2008-11-05T11:09:00.004-05:00

This map is from TheOnion.com. It's a little hard to tell the colors apart, but click on the image to go to the site and it might be clearer. Pretty funny. Glad to see SC seceded... and I'm sure it was our idea and we got Tennessee and the others to join along. Lol...

Voting and there's going to be a Change

2008-11-04T22:38:00.004-05:00

So, today has been an interesting day of sorts...but why would you expect less from an election day. I voted today in a urine smelling community center about four blocks from my house...they didn't ask for my ID and there wasn't a polling watcher around anywhere, and I looked...

I have always been interested and involved in politics, always. I think a lot of that has to do with the way I grew up. My family lives all over the country... mainly up north and out west. Growing up my grandparents lived in upstate New York and Delaware. My Aunt and Uncles lived in Columbus, OH and Boulder, CO. My Grandfather even had a vacation home out in Arizona when I was very young. So I've been traveling long distances yearly ever since I can remember.

How did this influence your politics Christy? Well, my Dad listened to Rush Limbaugh. I know that name sparks animosity in a lot of people, even some conservatives, but Rush has been on the air for twenty years (I'm 27). I guess my Dad has listened to him from the beginning. My mom always drove a minivan when I was growing up. With three kids, and a lack of safe, stylish SUV's in the 1980's, a minivan was what mom's drove. There weren't the hide-a-way seats, the automatic doors, the DVD players... no, these were the box style, basic model minivans. And as a barely middle class family from Birmingham, Alabama -- a minivan was the transportation of choice when visiting relatives across country. Flying was too hard logistically and financially.

So every year when we would go to visit the relatives, multiple occasions, we would all pile up in the minivan. My dad would take the middle seats out and lay a blanket down in the middle, so we could 'cheat' and not have to sit in seats and actually lay down (hopefully sleep for my parents' sake) for the long, often four day treks across country. While on these trips, my dad would listen to Rush Limbaugh... of course us kids had our toys and Walkmans and what not, but I listened to Rush while my dad did... when I was in first grade our elementary school had a mock election and I was interviewed by the local news...they asked me who I voted for and why... I said (proudly) "I voted for George Bush (Sr.) because my parents are voting for him". Mind you another student in my class was interviewed saying, "I voted for Dukockus (spelling?) because he's black just like me!"..... Regardless, I have a hard time believing today that those experiences didn't play a role in my beliefs today as a conservative Republican.

Now don't get me wrong... most of you see me as a strict, straight party-line conservative... but I'm not really. Two things you might not know about me is that I am very pro-choice (depending on circumstance) and for gay rights. While I believe strongly in these views, they do not influence me to abandon my party views -- and this is because I believe with what sense I have of politics, that abortion will not be made illegal tomorrow... and gay rights will not be squashed tomorrow or outlawed altogether. These two issues are SO extreme and so all over the board across both parties that there is no way any definite change will be made related to them if either candidate is elected. Also, Republicans believe deeply in state rights and putting these types of issues in the hands of the state -- which I firmly agree with -- so I would rather have state votes (like CA is seeing now) on these types of issues rather than the Federal Gov't making a proclamation of some kind.

So... yes, I grew up a conservative Republican...but I did have my rebellious times. However, fundamentally, my experiences growing up in society helped shape my political views. I can go back to High School. Nothing came easy to me in High School and College. I always had to work harder at things to get what I wanted...there wasn't the 'no child left behind' program when I was in school, so we weren't coddled. I've always been underestimated, and I think that made me work that much harder. High School was tough... I was in a graduating class of almost 800 kids... which basically made you invisible. You can be very smart, but in 800, not smart enough...where does 80 out of 800 belong when there are 79 people smarter than you? I was made fun of, pushed in the halls... I had my car keyed twice, my license plate stolen twice, my locker broken into with all my books stolen about five times... basically I wasn't a popular cheerleader type...girls were mean.... I came out of High School with low self esteem and I didn't trust anyone, not even people I considered friends.

College was better, but I still had to work both socially and academically. I won a scholarship...and I was in one of the hardest majors at Clemson, Computer Engineering. I was either the only girl, or one of few girls in every class and lab. I never took less than 18 hours a semester in that major, because I knew I had to work hard to stay in the major and graduate. And I never asked for special help or concessions because I was a minority in that major -- I never protested that none of the professors in that major were female.. none of us (females) ever complained, it just motivated us more to work harder. I worked hard and graduated in four years...went on to my MBA while working three jobs, and graduated with a Masters in two years. Never once did I ask for anything.

Yes, I'm luckier than most... but if I hadn't worked hard and proved myself in High School, I wouldn't have gotten a college scholarship or gotten into college at all for that matter... If I hadn't worked hard in college, I wouldn't have been able to get into my Masters program and maintain three jobs. I worked for what I earned... I worked.

With my current job, I've been successful because I've come to realize the value of personal accountability. It was easy about a year or so ago to complain about work and complain about my position... but I had a good co-worker friend of mine tell me, "You know what Christy? You can sit here and complain all you want, but the only person who's going to make things better for you is...well...YOU. So quit b*tching and do something about it..." And I did. I asked the right questions and worked my you know what off and basically put myself where I am now...where I couldn't be happier. And it was all because of me... I made my own success.

I can also attribute my beliefs to my Grandfather, my mom's dad. My Grandfather grew up in a lower middle class family. Back then it was rare for people to go to college, but my grandfather went to Penn State (the first in his family), graduated in Chemical Engineering, and eventually became the VP of DuPont. Same could be said for my Dad. He started off as a construction worker, and now is a successful business man who owns his own sales business. He worked his you know what off to get to where he is today. Neither of them ever put their hand out for help or complained about how hard it was.

So it's a chain you see... My Grandfather's success and my Dad's success, along with my success in High School, enabled me to go to college and start to build my career and (hopefully) eventual success...so one day when I have kids, I can teach my kids to be hard workers and help my kids go to college and be successful..

So to make a long rambling blog post short, my strong conservative beliefs are rooted in a family tradition of making yourself successful. So when it comes to our next president (so I just heard) awarding citizens who don't push themselves to reach a certain level of success seems fundamentally wrong to me. I get emotional and upset about it... "Wait a minute..." I say..."I just spent the past 15 years of my life working past every obstacle trying my hardest to get to where I am today -- and now we're going to just hand out money to those who don't try?" It might not seem as simple as that to some of you, but in the long run, that's essentially what it is... a combined household of 200K is two married individuals making 100K each (hypothetically). So... if I get married to someone who is on the same education level as me, and we eventually make 100K (which why would I not work towards that???), then we will be taxed heavily for our income total.

And to me, it's not that I'm greedy and I want the money... people fail to realize that that's not the main issue with conservatives at all. My main issue is I am a Christian and a giver. I want to give money to the ballet company (because I love ballet and have benefited from it since I was four). I want to give to my church at home because it helped raised me from birth. I want to give to OCD charities, and causes that are important to me and my family. When I get to the point financially where I have extra income to give, there are certain causes I feel passionate about that I want to contribute to. But if I'm taxed more, all of a sudden that extra money I would've donated to charity is gone -- and instead it goes to programs like ACORN, welfare, and other democratic affiliated organizations that I don't necessarily want my money going towards. If I have worked my you know what off since I was 14 to get to where I am today, then why the hell can I not have the discretion to make decisions about my own money? I had a friend tell me today that she's voting for Obama so she can help the children and education.. how is giving your money to the government going to help those causes? How?

I think that the next four years will be an interesting, telling four years. I think that either Obama will do absolutely nothing (most Dems do nothing in office except stain dresses) or actually follow through on his promises which are very, very frightening for this country. I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... I find it so hard to believe how people in this country are so enamored with this man when all the facts are laid out on the table for us... I mean, you have to hand it to Obama...he was upfront about all of his policies, but Americans fell for this blatant marketing campaign. If you voted for Obama, besides him not being Bush and being a great speaker, do you know why you voted for him, really?

I've said my peace and I hope people won't gloat tomorrow.... I hope for all of our sakes I won't be saying "I told you so..." for the next four years. Good night. Is it too early to buy my "Don't blame me I voted for McCain" t-shirt??? :)

My 15 seconds of Internet fame...

2008-10-31T14:34:00.005-04:00

So I was on Twitter earlier today, and noticed my followers had grown exponentially. "That's bizarre," I thought. I was hardly on Twitter yesterday because of meetings and happy hour -- and I don't like to Tweet when under the influence. Tried it once... bad idea.

Anyways, so I posted a Tweet musing about my recent influx of followers. After a while, I had gotten a few replies from my new followers with a link to this article from a PR blog:
"10 Twitter Users Who Deserve Attention"

Lo and behold... in between two PR experts and successful professionals... is little 'ol me.

Click image to view larger view.

I was blown away by this. I think I turned three shades of red when I first saw it. How can I possibly be in a top 10 list of people who deserve attention? And check out the others on the list... PR experts, started their own companies, run an independent radio station... They have upwards of 900 followers (compared to my 185) .

I can just imagine people reading this blog and clicking on my profile and saying to themselves, "Umm... " and quickly closing the browser. Lol...

Don't get me wrong though..I'm completely and overly honored and slightly amused that I was chosen. The author, Scott Hepburn (@ScottHepburn), is a follower of mine on Twitter and I follow him as well. I asked one day the value of using Twitter at a Power Company and offered some suggestions as well. It did generate some interesting conversations and some ideas that I have presented to my public affairs co-workers. I actually helped a customer (@cophotog) out on Twitter just this week and thought it was a great example of how Twitter can benefit customers and the companies who serve them.

So what now? I feel a little bit of pressure to try and live up to my selection...but I guess I was selected for being me -- so I should continue to just be me, right?

Meet Helga...

2008-10-30T13:32:00.003-04:00

Click the photo to see a larger version...

Cartoons By Michael Ramirez; taken from IBDeditorials.

First they came... my version.

2008-10-28T22:15:00.006-04:00

In the U.S., they came first for those making $250,000, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t making $250,000;

And then they came for those making $150,000, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t making $150,000;

And then they came for those making $100,000, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t making $100,000;

And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

- A poem by me based on "First they came.." attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

It's a slippery slope people.

My sign came in...

2008-10-28T20:54:00.003-04:00

Looks good, and after five days it still hasn't been stolen. :) Although I had a nail in my tire today -- related?? Just kidding - most likely not since the ballet studio I take class at is surrounded by construction right now.

See my Halloween decorations too? :) And I'm taking donations to get my front yard sodded... :)

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-27T10:52:00.002-04:00

These are scary times...

2008-10-24T16:24:00.002-04:00

I'm so often confused, and have said so before in blogs, that all this information is readily available with facts and things that are true and yet people still 'drink the kool-aid' as O'reilly puts it. It's frightening to hear things on talk radio that the media blatantly ignores and is unwilling to investigate. I've watched people who are typically mild mannered and not the least bit interested in politics become these brain washed, hate spewing, radicals... it's not even about the issues anymore.. it's about accents, and someone's children, their clothes, and age...and it's scary. No one will take the time to investigate history, to learn the truth of why we are in an economic crisis in the first place. "It's all Bush's fault...it's all his doing." No one seems to acknowledge that we've had a Democratic Congress for two years? No one seems to acknowledge that people started getting loans they never should have had because of things that happened during Clinton's presidency. It's all spelled out for us in facts from the history books and yet no one wants to learn the truth -- they just want to blame the president. I don't get it??

And I'm upset with McCain's campaign... I'm upset. It should have been easy to run against Obama.. it should never be this close. Yet they tiptoed around issues because they were afraid to be labeled as running an unfair campaign and attacking Obama... well guess what? They are attacking you AND saying that you're attacking him anyways, so you might as well hit him where it hurts!

It's like America is falling for one giant marketing campaign. Obama is a brand. He coined the word 'change' and 'hope'. He has a freakin' logo for goodness sake. It was a genius marketing campaign, with billions of dollars. Nothing more. Just do a Google search for Obama ad campaign spending and get an idea of the millions he pays for one 30 second ad. And people want to attack someone for spending $150K on clothes for a campaign, that will be donated afterwards anyways? Millions for 30 second ad. And people just googly eyed bought into it. And yet, no one knows anything about this man...what he's done or his issues -- again with my Obama experiment. Turns out I'm not the only one who experienced this.

And I'm still in awe...How can people stand around and say nothing or react when people are putting a candidate's head on Jesus's body? How can no one be the least bit appaled that they are putting halos around this man? It's almost like watching something horrible unfold before your eyes....

Please, please, please... if you have time on your hands, check out this link. Yes, it's long...yes it's lengthy, but it is factual and has the video evidence to back up every claim. If you have even the slightest doubts about the candidate you are voting for, PLEASE spend an hour and read through this site. Get the facts... not campaign talking points. Quit drinking the Kool-aid people.

Sucker for Commercials

2008-10-23T23:04:00.002-04:00

So, I hate to admit this, but I've been waiting for this commercial to finally make its way to YouTube. Generally, I'm not a big fan of the Stride gum commercials...but for some reason the commercial with the Germans in lederhosen just makes me smile. Maybe it's because I'm German...or maybe because it's just one of those 'it's so stupid it's funny' type humor. Regardless.. it speaks to me... but not enough to make me buy Stride gum. Oh well.

With only 2 weeks left, I ordered my sign.

2008-10-21T22:46:00.003-04:00

So, I just bought a "South Carolina for McCain" yard sign. I've been wary of having a sign before because honestly I was worried I'd be targeted somehow. I didn't want to worry about it getting stolen, and there's a lot of neighborhood roamers who are probably Obama supporters and who also have a habit of breaking into my neighbors houses -- I just didn't want to give them any reason to pick on me. However, lately I've noticed a few McCain signs popping up on my street and a few other houses close by -- so I want to conform and show my support. I even paid the extra $5 shipping to get it by Thursday, so I'll be showing my support for at least a week and a half. Here's the sign that will proudly be displayed in my yard:

Lately, when I go walking, I usually go across Rosewood to Shandon because it has sidewalks and it's a little more populated with other runners and walkers. Well most of the houses on that side have Obama signs. There's even a house with a sign hanging on a tree (I really need to go snap a picture) that says, "Jesus was also a community organizer". And the worst part is that they have a spotlight, like the kind you use to spotlight Christmas decorations, positioned in front of the tree shining on the sign. Are you kidding me? Just points out the fact that Obama's 'messiah' image is rampant. Can you imagine the media backlash if someone compared McCain to Christ? I think it's so sac religious. You can love Obama all you want, but don't compare him to Jesus please. So I almost bought this sign below..but I figured I already overspent on my McCain sign..wasn't worth it to get the other one for only two weeks. I'm actually thinking of printing it out on paper and sticking it in the person's mailbox.

Also, I almost bought even another sign. Changed my mind because again I got scared my house would get vandalized or broken into...but the message is so true..

And I actually wonder if I'll have to worry about my sign getting stolen... I actually saw a blog post by a local political blogger, Wesley Donehue that was pretty funny about signs getting stolen. Picture below is from his blog.

That's pretty funny! I don't know if I have the you know whats to do that...I need to go get a gun so I can cling to my religion and my gun. Right now I'm clinging to my religion and my mace and knives.

Palin on SNL earns show highest ratings in 14 years.

2008-10-19T19:47:00.003-04:00

And NBC is hilarious...of course they would have a preview for the W movie right afterwards - you know the movie they made to make fun of George Bush, with the actor that doesn't even look remotely like him.

"Spread the wealth around." Socialism at its best.

2008-10-15T13:46:00.004-04:00

Wake up people please!! "Spread the wealth around." That's socialism! What happened to the American Dream of working hard and gaining success and EARNING your wealth? Basically Obama wants to take money from those who worked hard (like this plumber) and give it to people so they can skip the hard work part. That's the kind of change you want?

This is not Robin Hood. Robin hood stole from the government, the Sherrif who was unjustly taxing. Sounds like Obama is the Sherrif more so than Robin Hood. If anyone's Robin hood it's McCain and Palin -- cutting government spending and earmarks so American's pay less taxes!

Why are people not seeing this? I feel like it's so obvious. I don't think I've reached my limit when it comes to success... I plan to continue to work hard and hopefully see success in my carreer and hopfully that comes with a bigger salary.. why should I be punished with more taxes for working hard to get to that position? Why would anyone work harder at what they do if they are getting rewarded for low income?

Look, the government is not here to babysit us and to hold our hands as we make our way through life. Life isn't fair. Life isn't easy. Life takes hard work. Sure, some people aren't born into the best situations, but how many stories have you heard of people rising above their situation -- working hard and making themselves successful? Shoot, Obama himself constantly reminds us of how he came from a poor single parent home. Look at him now! Running for president, two books under his belt. He didn't get hand outs, did he? Government is not a charity. There are hundreds of charities that people donate to. There are churches and volunteers that help those that are needy. What will happen to large charities when their taxes go up? What will happen to their wealthy donors if all of a sudden they are taxed heavily?

And lastly, how can you ensure that this redistribution of wealth (communism..cough.) will really go to those who are really in need? This scares me. And I'm sorry, most of you who are voting (not all of you, I said most) for Obama don't even know why! Ask yourself... do you really know Obama's tax plans? Do you really know where he stands on all the issues? OR do you just like the way he speaks? the trendiness of voting for him? When you ask Obama supporters why they are voting for him, they can't articulate why -- they just say bad things about McCain and Palin, talk about 'change' (marketing victims), and say he's a great speaker and has a great air about him. I said this in another post..and I know it's bad...but historically true no less... Germans also felt the same way about Hitler. They had no idea what his real beliefs were, but they were awed by him..by his stature and his oratory skills. So if you are voting for Obama in three weeks, please please, ask yourself -- why? Are you voting on the issues? Do you really even have any idea what kind of 'change' you are actually voting for?

For starters, take my Obama test I mentioned in this blog post. It's about mid way down, a little closer to the end. And try it on a few of your fellow Obama supporters. If you can answer both questions without looking it up on Google or hesitating, then by all means, vote with your beliefs and vote for him. And if you can't answer both those questions without turning on MSNBC or using Google, or asking your hip 'political savvy' friends...then you should be just as scared as I am.

Dear fashion designers,

2008-10-14T23:18:00.004-04:00

I don't know when this trend started, or why it started, but I'm writing you to let you know that the thick bands at the bottom of dresses should no longer be included in your dress designs. The thick band at the bottom that hugs at our thighs is neither attractive nor flattering. It baloons the dress out right at our hips -- most women don't need any help with volume around the hips. Also, the style accentuates the buttocks area, another area that most of us don't want the extra volume of fabric. Please do away with this unnecessary trend and leave dresses to the more traditional, free flowing style. I'm not a fan of babydoll dresses, but I tolerate them. I've never been a fan of the bubble skirt, but I own a few bubble dresses. However, I have never come across a bottom banded dress that flattered me (or anyone else for that matter) in a positive way. Most men surveyed will agree that this style tends to make skinny girls look ten to twenty pounds heavier. So Mr. or Ms. fashion designer -- quit ruining potentially cute dresses by adding the thick, spandex band around the bottom of it.

Sincerely, A fan of the classic summer dress.

Example dress pictures from Web sites Forever21.com, WetSeal.com and Mandee.com.

Old Commercials

2008-10-08T22:37:00.003-04:00

So I just saw an old Pizza Hut commercial from at least three years ago. I wonder if because of budget cuts and companies starting to not renew contracts with expensive ad agencies if they are starting to reuse successful ads from the past. I actually think it would be a smart concept to bring back some nostalgic ads.

Not sure why in retrospect, but this Little Caesars commercial cracked me up when I was younger. I would laugh and laugh, and it stuck with me enough that I could find it on YouTube:

Another commercial I would love to see make a comeback is Max Headroom... wow, after watching this again, he sounds and acts just like Jim Carey!

Obama in a Nutshell - literally.

2008-10-07T23:03:00.003-04:00

I watched the debate tonight and I wasn't really impressed with either candidate. I think McCain did slightly better, but nothing new was revealed by either candidate that we didn't already know. I just don't think these political type interviews and debates are really a way of determining who is qualified to be President of the United States. I really think it's about the issues and the track record the candidates have -- the experience. The debates and interviews just remind me of pageants -- how beauty contestants will tout that pageants are for scholarship and then prance around on stage in bathing suits and be judged on things like 'poise' while walking around in a gown that costs more than the 'scholarship' you win. And I'm allowed to say this because I've been in two pageants -- one was judged by Carpet store owners, and the other I was asked by the judges 'If you were deserted on an island, what three things would you take?". Because that's the most important question to ask a female in a male dominated, hardest major at Clemson contestant. Because evidently what three items I would take on this so called island could change the world! Maybe they should ask the presidential candidates beauty pageant questions? Do you get that same feel when watching interviews and debates -- it's like why does this even matter.

Shouldn't we all, as responsible Americans, read and research and know the issues and where each candidate stands on the issue -- and vote on how our beliefs line up with that candidate? Instead of focusing on their funny accents or funny names? I still think that the voting machines should be set up like a survey, where you answer questions on the issues and then the machine will vote for the candidate that most closely aligns with your viewpoint. That way, you're not voting on someone because it's the 'trendy' thing to do or because they wear an American pin. Which leads me to a funny comment a fellow Twitterer posted earlier in debate "@caseyboyle5 John McCain is so tough, he wears his flag pin on the inside of his shirt, through his skin!"

So back to the original purpose of this post -- wanted to share a link someone sent to me that shows Obama's ties to what's going on with ACORN, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae .. and his cronies. Pretty interesting stuff that I don't think most people know and that the media won't touch - http://justsaynodeal.com/acorn.html.

I have to get back to watching FNC now -- Fred Thompson is on... my original choice for President, until he dropped out of the race shortly after our primaries and my vote. Sigh... Sometimes I wish I wasn't so opinionated and passionate about politics... I get really worked up and exhausted, emotional and depressed. Is being an informed voter worth it?

I wonder why I get nothing done after work...hmm...

2008-10-01T14:21:00.003-04:00

So, back in June, I created a 'To Do' list (because I'm a list person) of things I needed to do around the house, in my yard, etc. this summer. I think I might have done maybe two out of twelve things on the list.

Granted I've always got some sort of plans going on during the weekends, but I still have a decent amount of time when I get home from work. I usually go to work, then go to ballet, run on my elliptical, or go walking around the neighborhood -- then I come home and have a good number of hours until bed time. So why am I not productive and completing the items off of my 'To Do' list?

Well, after a co-worker and I got into a conversation about our TV habits, I realized that perhaps my TV watching has gotten a little excessive. And thanks to my DVR, I can watch them all. Do you watch this much TV a week also?

Shows I watch weekly:
Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, True Blood, Entourage, Bridezillas, Californication, John & Kate plus 8, I Love Money, The Hills, Gossip Girl, Intervention, Making the Band 4, 90210, Priveleged, Fringe, Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Project Runway, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Weeds

So I'm sure I'm even leaving some out... No wonder I can't get anything done when I'm at home. If each of those shows is about 45 min. (minus commercials -- which I always forget to fast forward, btw), then that's 1035 minutes, which is about 17 hours per week. Divide that by the four days (Friday doesn't count) and that's almost 4.5 hours a night. Yikes. This makes me think..why am I spending $10 a month for a Blockbuster online membership??

Why we should be thankful that the bailout plan wasn't voted in.

2008-09-30T15:05:00.001-04:00

Please read a fellow blogger's post on the voted out bailout plan and what we should be voting for. Also, a great letter from BB&T's CEO explaining why certain banks failed and others, like BB&T, are still healthy and functioning.

Vote for Tiger Band!!

2008-09-29T16:56:00.001-04:00

Click here to vote!!

What do you think? Should Clemson replace Tommy?

2008-09-29T16:07:00.002-04:00

I'm not quite sure what I think about our current coaching situation. It's hard to say, but I definitely agree with, well, everyone that we shouldn't have lost this weekend's game. It's safe to say that we will probably lose every game the rest of the season if we continue down this path -- even Duke stands a chance against us (sorry Duke).

It's all over the Web today. What do you think?

Bleacher Report: Dear Clemson Fans, You Deserve Better Than Tommy Bowden

Palmetto Scoop: Bowden out at Clemson?

TigerNet: Give Dabo a Chance

TigersXtra: Tigers' stunning loss just part of a much larger trend

The P&C: What can Clemson do to turn jeers into cheers?

I like this song!

2008-09-28T19:00:00.001-04:00

Ur So Gay

Biden's Gaffes Keep Piling Up

2008-09-26T11:07:00.003-04:00

This is long, but if you have time, please read it. It's a transcript from a part of Rush Limbaugh's radio show from Tuesday, Sept. 23rd.

They play all of Biden's hilarious comments and why the rumor that Obama wants his own bail out from Biden has started.

Please read!

It's really interesting to me with all of this happening with Biden that you RARELY see on the news -- and yet the media continues to attack Sarah Palin and focus on her. Can you imagine how badly the media would attack Sarah Palin if she said half of the things Biden did?

And if the rumor does end up being true, and Biden drops out Oct. 5th as predicted -- I think that's super shady and should cause concern among voters. The only other time this happened was when McGovern in 1972 dropped his running mate because they found out he had Electroshock Therapy.

Bill Clinton praises Sarah Palin

2008-09-26T10:44:00.001-04:00

Transcript from Rush Limbaugh, Sept. 19th, 2008

RUSH: Last night, CNBC's Closing Bell, Maria Bartiromo interviewing former President Bill Clinton. And Maria Bartiromo says, "Were you surprised by the Palin bounce for the McCain campaign?"

CLINTON: No, she's an instinctively effective candidate, and with a compelling story. And I think it was exciting to some that she was a woman, it was exciting that she was from Alaska, exciting that she's sort of like the person she is. I get why she's done so well. She's -- she's -- a mistake to underestimate her. She's got good -- her intuitive skills are significant.

RUSH: Now, isn't this interesting? You have got Bill Clinton out there saying, "I don't think we ought to underestimate her. I don't think so. I think it's exciting, she's a woman, exciting she's from Alaska. It's a mistake to underestimate her, she's got good, good intuitive skills." Now who does this undermine, ladies and gentlemen? Who would you say it undermines? That's right, The Messiah, Barack Hussein Obama.

Surely this Internet rumor can't be true...or can it?

2008-09-24T20:52:00.001-04:00

Biden Dropping Out? Rumor Thrives on Internet

Biden needs to probably just not say anything until after the election is over.

2008-09-23T20:54:00.001-04:00

Biden rewrites history. Funny stuff.

Read via a social network friend's blog: http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2008/09/23/biden-needs-a-history-lesson/

Took a fresh look at how I do my Web site...

2008-09-22T23:28:00.002-04:00

I started thinking the other day... why do I pay GoDaddy.com money to host my Web site, christyweb.com, when all I have on there is my old pictures from 2006 and before..and links to all of my social networks and current photo galleries. Basically I was paying for the hosting services of just four or five html files.

So I figured out how to point my domain to my blog, which has all the same links as my Web site did. So now my Web site is essentially my blog, which I think is a lot more interesting then my silly green page I had before that just had a bunch of links. So I'm going to try this out (save some money) and see how it goes.

Let me know what you think....

Thank you Dem controlled congress!

2008-09-17T18:47:00.002-04:00

Government bails out AIG.

Sigh... so evidently bankruptcy doesn't exist anymore.. sooo, you can start a business, spend as much money and make as many dumb business decisions as you want -- and the government will bail you out as the expense of tax payers and the risk of billions of dollars.

Side note tangent: You think this is bad? What's different about 'bailing' people out of having no health care? Ready to open your wallets to pay for them also.

Glenn Beck and his cohort 'Stu' were hilarious this morning on their radio show talking about the AIG debacle. It was so funny -- I went to their site to get a clip to post, but of course you have to pay. So I emailed them and asked they post content for sharing via social media ...since everything online is so liberal right now. Anyways... Glenn and Stu went on and on about how excited they were (sarcasm of course) about the AIG purchase, how it was like buying a new house and they wanted to go celebrate, and not since they basically 'own' an insurance company they are just going to go and insure everything because they can. Stu wants to insure his dog for 1 million dollars, and not pay anything because he owns AIG now.. it's like owning the convenience store and just taking a Twinkie off the shelf -- because hey, you own the store, so you don't have to pay. Lol.. I can't even explain it obviously, but it was good stuff. I wish I could share it.

And this really annoys me: PerezHilton who I complained about earlier blogging about politics from a liberal spin non-stop posted a blog about AIG. And he's confused and upset with the deal -- wondering why tax payers have to saddle this. HELLO? Who do you think came up with the idea? And Nancy Pelosi wants to start another government 'agency' whose sole purpose is to go around and basically bail out other companies in the same situation. Can anyone say stock market crash?

Oh, and while we're on the topic of taxes -- one of Obama's biggest talking points with McCain is how McCain plans to lower corporate taxes and Obama plans to cut taxes for the average Joe and increase big corporate taxes. People, taxing big companies will effect you, the taxpayer -- because you work for these companies or you buy from these companies. If the power company I work for -- a large company -- gets heavy taxes, we have no choice but to increase rates which customers have to pay or cut jobs. Same thing goes for any company that offers a service -- If Best Buy has to pay huge taxes, prices on products go up because now they are paying more for the products from their suppliers (who were also taxed) and they need to maintain their profit margin to... duh... keep from laying off tons of workers and going in the hole -- another outcome of taxing huge companies. "Woo hoo I'm paying lower taxes, but now I was layed off from Company X because of their taxes and everything costs more." So how is that better?? Making it easier for companies to buy and sell stimulates the economy! It's basic economics... You might get lower taxes (if you're in a low income tax brackett mind you), but you will feel more pain if huge companies are suddenly faced with outrageous taxes... not to mention stronger regulations and fees. Arrgg. I feel like it just makes so much sense yet people don't get it... "Let's tax big bad companies! Hooray!" The effects would be felt across the entire economy - big business, small business, consumers. Hmm, but wait, if a company goes in the hole because of the increased taxes -- then Pelosi's agency will just bail them out, and you'll end up paying higher taxes anyways.

Ok... rant done.

Hookt on Fonix Workt for The Hillz

2008-09-16T22:46:00.001-04:00

From last night's episode... Funny... 'secretely'.

Actress Zooey Deschnel looks just like singer Katy Perry!

2008-09-11T21:44:00.001-04:00

They are identical... Seriously.

Judge for yourself...

Without looking at the answers or ok, the link name (gives it away):

1) Click this link and look at the picture.

2) Now click this link and look at this picture.

Who is who? They look like the same person don't they?

First link is Katy Perry. Second link is Zooey Deschnel. Do a google image search for both and judge for yourself.

Great description of VMA host from fellow blogger.

2008-09-09T14:44:00.001-04:00

This exerpt is taken from the Palmetto Scoop blog:

"In the video above, you can see that musician Jordin Sparks is a great American for standing up to the low-life dirt ball that MTV dragged out of some humourless hole in England to bash America. Not only did this guy — whatever his name is — slander a 17-year-old for being pregnant, call the President of the United States “retarded,” and tell us to vote Democrat despite the fact that he’s not even an American, but apparently he also attacked “promise rings.” Because, God forbid people make a responsible pledge to abstain from sex until marriage. What a horrible thing. Maybe our British homeboy is just a little angry that, unlike those who pledge not to have sex, his abstinence is the result of looking like the unfortunate breeding of an alpaca and a chihuahua dressed in leftover 80s paraphernalia."

My thoughts exactly!

Great Quote

2008-09-05T12:43:00.001-04:00

"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice, and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's." - Quote from John McCain's acceptance speech of the Republican nomination for President at the RNC.

Liberal Media and Blogs

2008-09-04T12:59:00.005-04:00

Is anyone else sick of the liberal slant on all media these days? Of course I watch Fox News because I'm obviously a conservative... but I still check out other stations and mostly read blogs now and then. But lately, politics has started to creep into my social media and my celebrity gossip blogs -- and I'm almost about to abandon these things.

Facebook -- I'm just as bad as anyone on this, but my liberal friends are becoming 'fans' of Obama and posting status messages that are mainly attacking Republicans -- I'm still waiting to hear good things about their candidates. And I don't mind people posting status updates related to politics..because I do it. But when I do post a politically motivated status, within minutes I get attacked with comments to my status by one of my liberal old high school friends. And it's always an attack -- McCain's 'values' and how Republicans this and that. And I'm just like -- you know, this is a free country and the greatest thing about America is that we can express our political beliefs.. so why are you attacking my status updates? You haven't talked to me in almost 10 years and now you find the urgent need to leave me three comments on my status update attacking the party I affiliate with? Why?

Twitter -- I'm new to Twitter, but it's growing on me. I love it. It's like Facebook statuses without anything else. I enjoy it mostly for the randomness of people's tweets and more importantly the networking aspect. I am following about four or five Intranet professionals and get links to great industry articles. Once I posted about RSS feeds and SharePoint and it caught the eye of one of my followers - who then used the idea for his company to implement RSS feeds from SharePoint. So there are lots of benefits to Twitter professionaly and for fun. However, last night I had to avoid it. Evidently the majority of the people I follow are Democrats -- I'm not the norm I guess. So, everyone was tweeting about the Republican National Convention and Sarah Palin. Ugg. It wasn't necessarily insightful, fact based tweets. It was attacks, sexist remarks, just pure unintelligent banter about Sarah Palin and McCain. And no one was left untouched...Cindy, Bristol, even the poor downsydrome baby. There's even a Twitter account for a girl posing as Sarah Palin trying to be funny, and she posts updates as 'Sarah Palin' basically making fun of the whole thing. Can you imagine if someone created a Twitter account pretending to be Obama and jokingly updated as him? Can you imagine how fast that person would get attacked through Twitter, and attacked by bloggers, etc.? So yeah, last night I turned Twitter off for the first time since I signed up. I just couldn't take it. I like the people I follow, so I didn't want the babble about politics to ruin my opinion of these professionals and fun people. I left an update before I signed off saying as much -- and one follower agreed with me. He said social media should carry the same rules as a bar - no politics and religion in conversations. Agreed!

Perezhilton.com -- Ok, so grudgingly I admit I read his blog every day. It really saves me money because otherwise I'd be suckered into buying the trashy gossip mags in the grocery store. I visit daily and catch up on all the nonsense that is going on in Hollywood or hear great new music. So lately I've decided I'm going to have to wait until after the election to read it again. Perez has taken it upon himself to follow in the footsteps of US Weekly (did you see their cover on Sarah Palin? So unnecessary of them!) and blog about politics -- but with a spin -- a very, very liberal spin. Not only is Perez obviously pushing Obama in his posts (which is funny because he used to trash him when he supported Hilary in the primaries), he's also attacking McCain and most recently Sarah Palin. It's just wrong. He even posted about her 19 yr. old son being hot and made a really disgusting remark about a hole being a hole if it's dark. Gross! Keep that to yourself please! He keeps calling McCain and Palin liars, and then using articles from MSNBC and other obvious liberal media outlets to back him up. I just can't take it.. Now, most of his posts are related to bashing the Republicans and maybe I'll see one or two posts a day on new music or celebrity gossip. So I'm signing off of Perez also. I know I post politically slanted blog posts, but I don't have millions of readers, and I'm not known for being a celebrity gossip blogger. And I don't have millions of dollars from huge sponsors paying for my blog. Perez posting about politics is like Home Depot blogging about I-pods. The funny thing is, after browsing the comments of one of these such posts I noticed that the majority of people commenting were expressing my same sentiment, and most were anti-Obama. Interesting.

Ok, so I understand that the beauty of this country is that we can post our opinions and views about politics. I get that. But isn't anyone the least bit nervous about how bad the media is right now? It's scary how slanted everything you watch on TV is. I even got upset with one of my favorite TV shows this past year - The L Word. Obviously placed in the dialogue were jabs at President Bush and the Iraq war. Ugg.. It would be a conversation like,
"Oh, I haven't seen you since last week. Great to see you. How are things?"
"Things are great. Started a new job. President Bush is a hatemonger and all Republicans should die!! Arrg!! Evill!!! Down with USA!!"
"Yeah, I started a new job too. You want to go grab a movie?"
"Sure, let's go!"
Just as casual and nonchalant as that with blatant political messages thrown in. So let me ask you this? If you have strong political beliefs and values, when has a movie star or a tv show or even a blog changed your opinion? Do you really think commenting and slamming my facebook statuses is going to make me 'see the light' and vote for Obama? Do you think your biased blog posts 'exposing the truth' about McCain and Palin is really going to sway my vote or my beliefs? Let's leave the politics to the politicians. Obama doesn't need your help (or does he?). Let Obama convince people they need to vote for him. Let Palin convince you she's qualified. It's like you trying to convince a smoker to stop smoking -- they can't quit until they are ready and willing to quit themselves. "Hey, smoking is bad for you - you should quit right now this minute!" "Vote for Obama because I think you should!"

By the way, small experiment I've been conducting lately....next time you meet someone who is voting for Obama, ask them two things:
1) What makes Obama qualified to lead the greatest country in the world?
2) What is Obama's stance on [insert important issue (immigration, Iraq, guns, etc.) here].
$10 says that most people can only answer one question. $10 says that most people can't answer both.
I had a friend go on and on about how great of a speaker Obama is and how he brought her to tears once -- then I asked her, "What is his stance on illegal immigration?" And I genuinely wanted to know because I didn't know. She stopped. Paused. Looked up in deep thought. "Hmm, I don't know. I guess I'll have to look into that." Did you see on the news when the reporters would step into the groups of protesters and ask them what they were supporting or protesting against -- and most either had blank stares, walked away, or flicked off the camera. Nice. Do people even know what they are supporting anymore? Don't attack me for this... just a notation... but Hitler made it into office because he was an excellent speaker and dazzled German citizens. Just saying.

So that's my rant for the week. You can agree or disagree, or agree to disagree with me. Just because I support a different candidate than you, we can still be Internet friends. And please people...please... don't believe everything you hear or read on the Internet. And please, please educate yourself on the candidates and their views before you vote.

Update: Just went to an article on Ragan (Communications organization that holds conferences I go to, posts articles, etc.) about Palin's speech. It wasn't political, it simply addressed that it was a well written and well executed speech -- no pro Republican or pro Liberal slant -- just a basic communications article about speechwriting and lessons learned. Well, this article has the most comments I've ever seen a Ragan article have. And they were all bashing Palin! Personally and professionally! Arrrgg!!! Now it's creeping into my work! Liberals!! Enough with the attacks!!! I'm not going to every blog and Web site on the Internet that even mentions the word Obama or Biden and leaving tons of hateful comments. And the people on Ragan are working, educated professionals -- and all you have to do is mention something related to politics and they are ranting lunatics! Please make it stop!

Comparison of your Presidential Candidates (got this in an email)

2008-09-01T12:23:00.001-04:00

This direct comparison should open some eyes.

Good points to memorize these so we have talking points with those that do not understand the difference between the candidates.

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS

ISSUE

JOHN McCAIN

BARAK OBAMA

Favors new drilling offshore US

Yes

No

Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it

Yes

No

Served in the US Armed Forces

Yes

No

Amount of time served in the US Senate

22 YEARS

173 DAYS

Will institute a socialized national health care plan

No

Yes

Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy

No

Yes

Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately

No

Yes

Supports gun ownership rights

Yes

No

Supports homosexual marriage

No

Yes

Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase

No

Yes

Voted against making English the official language

No

Yes

Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals

No

Yes

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

MCCAIN

0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA

28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)

DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN

15% (no change)

OBAMA

39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the defici t.')

INCOME TAX

MCCAIN
(no changes)

Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)

Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

INHERITANCE TAX

MCCAIN

- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA

Restore the inheritance tax
Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!

You can verify the above at the following web sites:

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

Why can't I sleep..ok I'll post.

2008-08-28T00:50:00.001-04:00

The funniest 'making fun of social media' video I've seen since the Facebook video I posted a while back. This is so true!

2008-08-21T10:38:00.002-04:00

Fat Flush Plan - Round 2 results

2008-08-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

So for anyone following my blog -- you might be curious how much weight I lost on the FFP this second time around. I lost seven pounds. Of course after a fun weekend of drinking, popcorn, huge dinners -- I feel like I've gained back about three pounds in water weight alone...but still feeling svelte.

Regardless of the weight loss, I feel healthy and like I lost some inches so I'm happy with the results. :)

I will definitely be watching this!

2008-08-15T13:03:00.000-04:00

Q: What does the name 'Christy' mean?

2008-08-14T11:27:00.001-04:00

A: Christy is Scottish and means annointed and follower of Christ

.

Please get on Facebook if you're still clinging to MySpace...I'm tired of staying on MySpace just to keep in touch with you.

2008-08-13T20:04:00.003-04:00

Facebook: No. 1 Globally

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There's always someone who's got to ruin it for everybody! Grr! Where's 20/20 when you need them?

2008-08-12T21:50:00.003-04:00

So... I'm steaming a little right now. I'm an avid online shopper. I do most of my shopping online. I hate malls and parking lots and southern people who can't drive. So to me, a great shopping experience is sitting on my couch shopping online with no lines, no crowds... just me and my computer. I am also a paperless billing type of girl. I don't like to get my bills in the mail. I pay all of my bills online and manage my bank accounts online (am I asking to be hacked right now?). It annoys me that I still have to pay my water bill through the mail -- come on Columbia, get with the times.

So this past weekend I was checking my checking account online and noticed a random charge of $79.99 from a company called ClassicCloseouts.com. That's weird -- I didn't buy anything Wednesday night, let alone from that company. Maybe they are just a supplier for another company, like Amazon, and I bought from them. No -- I didn't buy anything online this past week. So I called my bank to see if they could put a stop payment on the charge. The lady informed me that it would cost me, the victim, $30 to stop the payment. And she said, "You don't want to change your card without knowing if you actually made that purchase anyways -- it would be such a pain on you. You should really just call the company and confirm what the purchase was." Evidently the bank lady thought I did make the purchase and forgot what I had bought -- I was beginning to doubt myself.

So I called this company... ClassicCloseouts.com... every day this week... ok, Sunday, yesterday, and today. Each time I called, I chose a different path through their options, always ending up with a voice mail. Same if I just hit '0'. I was getting frustrated.

So randomly I did a google search: Click Here.

Apparently this company is no stranger to charging random people random amounts on their cards. Evidently if you've bought from them before a long time ago, they are using your information and charging you! I have no idea when I ever bought from them -- they sell through Amazon, so it's possible I did a search on Amazon and found an item they were selling. But this could have been years and years ago...

So... I had to spend the next hour or so on the phone with my bank making a claim on the charge and canceling my debit card. And guess what, they actually pointed out that there was another fraud charge from the same company on my card last month! So if I hadn't noticed this, it would have continued I'm sure! And I'm sad...I had this card number memorized -- so boo. Now I'm without my debit card (which I constantly use) for the next five to ten days waiting for the new one. I also now have to remember which Web sites and companies I have set up for auto draft on this card and change them to the new card number -- once I get it, so I guess I need to change everything to charge to my credit card -- urg -- and then change it to the new card number once I get it. Pain in the you know what!! And all for this sleazy company's shady practices!

So, it got me really angry. This company is doing this to tons and tons of people (see link again above last paragraph) and getting away with it! They don't return phone calls, they don't return emails... And I just think about the people who don't check their card statements on a frequent basis and miss these random charges -- or pass them off (like I almost did) as "Oh, that must be something I bought a month or so ago...". I think that a lawyer needs to gather all of us victims together and sue the hell out of this company for the money they took from us as well as the cost of our time to fix it with our banks, time we had to wait for our new cards, set up our bill pays, etc. -- not to mention psychological grief!

So buyer beware! I've already emailed the local news station... but I wish I could go bigger, maybe contact someone with Fox News, or 20/20.... Quit laughing at me, I'm serious. Somebody needs to take this company down!! Who's coming with me?!?!

P.S. Almost done with my diet -- Wednesday, Thursday, and half a day Friday! I'll post when I can report how much weight I lost this time around. I don't know if it will be as high as last tie since I kept it of mostly since last time.... so we'll see. I'm not getting my hopes up.

Ok, here's my update on the FFP.

2008-08-06T22:40:00.004-04:00

Ok...so I haven't had much energy (FFP) over the past few days to even blog about my diet.. and maybe it's not a matter of energy, but just laziness. I have to be inspired sometimes -- motivated -- to post to my blog. So here's a new post, finally.

I started the FFP diet again this past Saturday. I recognized a two week window where I would have little to nothing going on, a break from ballet between summer and fall classes, and right before the start of football season (and my birthday!). So it was an opportunity for me to do this diet again without interruption. So I started this past Saturday, and will finish lunch time Friday, August 15th. I've gained back about five pounds since the last diet, so I was hoping to slim up and feel healthier once more.

The positives of going into this having already done it are that:
1) I know what to expect
2) I know what to buy
3) I know what foods I like to eat on the diet

It's been a little easier getting into the diet knowing the routine and having gone to Earthfare with a list that was actually correct this time. I even managed to save a little cash this time around since I had most of my supplements left from the last time I did the diet.

So getting into the diet was easy, but a little weird. It's funny how it's different in a way from my first experience with it. I remember last time being absolutely miserable the first three days -- weak, hungry, moody -- and then around the fourth day or so I was not great, but on the upswing, and then the second week I was fine, no problem. Well, this time around it's been a little different. The first three days were easy -- so easy in fact that I constantly checked the diet to make sure I was doing everything right. I bought a better brand of the flaxseed oil this time around, so the salad dressing is easier to eat. So I ate grilled chicken salads most of the first days, fruit, eggs... no problems. Felt fine, a little hungry, but overall ok.

My sister and her fiance are doing the FFP these same two weeks also -- it's funny because we didn't plan it that way, but it just happened. Meredith wrote on my Facebook Wall on her day 1 (Monday) that she was bleh. I write back to her, "I actually haven't had a hard time yet and I'm on day 3. I think it's easier this time around because I know what to expect and I know the schedule... but I keep checking the list to make sure I'm doing everything right... I feel like maybe I'm doing something wrong because I still feel ok... this might come back to bite me tomorrow." And guess what? It did.

Day four, Tuesday -- worst day ever. I had this horrible migrainish headache all day, coupled with hot sweats and nausea. I almost couldn't eat my meals because I felt so sick to my stomach. And then the cravings started yesterday.... Last time I craved pizza and popcorn. This time around it's the more sweet things I crave...such as chocolate chip cookies and cakes. I'm also craving McDonalds... yes, I know...but I really want a double cheeseburger and salty fries... and I miss my Garden Salsa Sun Chips.

Today has been better than yesterday, but still feeling a little nauseas and weak. The exercising is getting a little easier, so I can tell I'm on the upswing of the diet now -- picking up a little more energy. I use my elliptical for thirty minutes each day and then do jumping exercises for five minutes. I actually forgot that you really needed to take it 'easy' with the exercises and almost died on Monday. I for some stupid reason picked up my weights and went to town as usual on my elliptical... only to stumble off thirty minutes later, blacking out, panting, and had to lie on the floor for fifteen minutes before I could move. So now I take it easy on the elliptical -- pushing myself a little more each day as I gain back energy.

Today at work we had an off-site all day strategy meeting (just the title of it sounds thrilling doesn't it?). Well I was afraid that as usual we would have this elaborate, tasty lunch provided -- and I'd have to sit and watch everyone eat while I ate my celery and dry chicken. However, people were actually jealous of my food!! In order to cut costs (who isn't cutting costs these days?), they served box lunches that consisted of a bag of chips, a stale sandwich, and a brownie in plastic wrap -- brownies are not supposed to be in plastic wrap. I dined on grilled chicken dipped in my FF ketchup with celery dipped in homemade salsa -- not as good as say a Pizza which I'm not craving after seeing a commercial -- but better than stale sandwiches I guess.

I think I'll be fine getting through the diet this time around, but I'm definitely aware of how much time I have left to go. The two weeks flew by last time, but this time it's really dragging along... is it really only Wednesday? The analogy I can think of is -- Have you ever been working out, on an elliptical or a treadmill -- and you're so winded and you're like, surely I've been on this thing for almost thirty minutes -- and then you look down and it's only been five minutes!? Well, that's kind of how I feel with this diet -- it's only day 5 and I have until next Friday to go. I'm hoping next week as I start to gain more energy and the detox part is for the most part over, I won't have this "Oh geez, there's how many more days?" feeling.

Best purchase ever, btw, for FFP dieters and non-dieters alike: The mini-food processor!
I bought this for $20 at Target on Sunday and it has made chopping up and slicing things a breeze! I have saved so much time this time around using this thing. Loves it!

Things I don't like about this diet besides the food and my hunger:
1) My entire kitchen smells like onions - I only chopped half an onion, on like Saturday, and the smell lingers.
2) Paranoid Hallucinations - Ok, I know this sounds ridiculous, but this time around I'm seeing things. Sunday night I sat straight up in bed and swore I saw a small figure standing in my room; the other night I saw a face in the window by my door, and last night I heard noises all night outside my house. I'm a worrier by nature, so I think the lack of food has literally enhanced this. At least I'm not seeing giant double cheeseburgers looking in my window...
3) Explaining the diet over and over to people when they ask why you brought your own lunch to work, or why you can't have a donut in this meeting or that
4) Having to run my dishwasher every night.
5) My kitchen is a constant mess -- and if you know me, you know this drives me insane!

I'm sure there's more but I can't think of them right now. I really need to be getting to bed earlier -- I can change my eating habits for two weeks, but not my bedtime habits. Probably isn't helping the effects of the diet. I'm exhausted too, can barely keep my eyes open... but I still stay up. That's just my nature.

So tomorrow is Day 6 of the diet. I'm hoping it's just going to get easier and easier. I don't see how people can afford or want to eat this way all the time. One thing this diet has taught me is that I really enjoy tasting food. I don't eat emotionally so much as I just enjoy the taste of food when I eat. I just think organic food is so bland and it's just not for me. I don't mind the fruit or vegetables as much, but one can only eat turkey meatloaf for so long. I miss food.

P.S. Does anyone know why my tongue burns when I brush my teeth??

Crazy diet.

Fat Flushing

2008-08-05T22:39:00.001-04:00

I haven't blogged about my diet as of yet because I feel so blah and weak that I don't even have the energy to blog... lol. Things are fine...I'm on day 5 (tomorrow), so slowly but surely getting through it.

I'll try to blog tomorrow night in more detail about my experience...what I'm eating, what I'm craving, and the awful 'detox' side effects I'm experiencing this time around.

I'm a Leo... it's undeniable.

2008-07-29T22:11:00.001-04:00

So.. I got this email from my friend Ashley that listed out all the astrological signs and a description of the people who have that sign -- I usually take the Zodiac stuff with a grain of salt, but... the Leo description was pretty dead on. I don't know about the 'attractive' part, but everything else is really dead on -- see 'bossy'.

Here it is:
LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help Others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos. Attractive.

Upgrade!!

2008-07-28T20:56:00.002-04:00

The view from my hotel at the Intranet Week Conference in Boston last year:

The view from my hotel this year at the Intranet Week Conference in Boston:

Life is good....

Mini-Mom Mini-car in Charleston

2008-07-27T21:51:00.001-04:00

I think my sister is the only one who reads my blog.

2008-07-22T22:57:00.001-04:00

She's the only one who ever comments...

Zooville: The tent community in Columbia

2008-07-22T10:42:00.005-04:00

Bradley and I went to the river rocks by the zoo one day and actually saw the beginnings of this forming -- and we only stayed about an hour, it's not a loving feeling being around these people when you're just a random person visiting the river. I wonder if these nature lovers are the ones that broke into Audrey's friend's car and stole all of their purses when they were out there. Glad they are cleaning this up -- but it sounds like it would make for a good documentary for HBO or Nightline.

Enjoy the read: http://www.thestate.com/local/story/465774.html

How Fat Is Your State? Breakdown of State Obesity Percentages

2008-07-18T07:41:00.002-04:00

Below is a list of how each state ranks in adult obesity prevalence, along with the percentage of obese adults. The breakdown is based upon a Centers for Disease Control report.

1. Mississippi: 32%
2. Alabama: 30.3%
3. Tennessee: 30.1%
4. Louisiana: 29.8%
5. Arkansas: 28.7%
6. West Virginia: 29.5%
7. South Carolina: 28.4%
8. Georgia: 28.2%
9. Oklahoma and Texas: 28.1%
10. North Carolina: 28%

So evidently, I grew up in the second fattest state -- and now I'm living in the 7th. But this is funny because growing up we used to always joke, "Do you know what Alabama's state motto is? -------- At least we're not Mississippi!!" And it was because we were always second behind Mississippi on every type of list -- dumbest state, etc. So I guess this list is no exception too.. LOL!

To see the rest of the list, go to Foxnews.com.

Ha ha -- I'm allowed to get a nice little laugh out of this. :) Awww, poor Minnesotans...looks like the 'cheating' trait is a common trait up there.

2008-07-16T23:01:00.002-04:00

Packers claim Vikings tampered with Favre, report

1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Green Bay Packers have filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings with the National Football League, according to a report by FoxSports.com.

The Vikings were informed last week that the Packers allege Brett Favre has had inappropriate conversations with Minnesota offensive co-ordinator Darrell Bevell, a close friend of the quarterback and former assistant coach with the Packers, according to the Wednesday report.

While the Vikings deny any wrongdoing, the Packers have supplied their version to the league.

Should Minnesota be found guilty of tampering, it could lose draft picks, face fines or both.

According to the report, a source says the NFL currently is gathering information.

Anheuser-Busch Company's Web Site(s)

2008-07-16T22:58:00.002-04:00

Anheuser-Busch's Regular Web site.

The exact same Web site but with a green/community involvement twist.

Interesting idea. I wonder how much work that takes to update both sites.

Funny...maybe.

2008-07-16T19:32:00.003-04:00

"A taxpayer voting for Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.”

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/07/16/billboards-in-florida-link-democrats-to-burning-world-trade-center/

FFP for my Birthday

2008-07-14T12:13:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking of doing the FFP again the first two weeks of August... slim me up for my birthday and the start of football season. I wonder if it will be easier this time around or harder... not sure.

I can start Saturday, August 2nd and finish Friday, August 15th in time for a weekend in Charleston. I'll be on the plan for Bradley's high school reunion in Barnwell, but I've resisted temptations the last time.

Angry with Fox and SYTYCD!

2008-07-11T21:31:00.002-04:00

Ok, so evidently Fox is pulling off all the SYTYCD videos off of YouTube. Booo! That is so stupid... the best way to encourage fans of your show and create more viewers is to let social media promote your brand. Why take them off YouTube? It doesn't make sense to me. I guess to get more money from ads on their online version of the show. Too bad their Web site isn't even up to date with the most recent episode!

So, my video I posted of my favorite dance is 'no longer posted' on YouTube. And searching for SYTYCD in any form on YouTube only brings up other people's videos...not the show's dances. I missed Katie and Joshua's waltz on Wednesday because my power blinked... turning off my TV and my DVR...so the only way I can see it is on YouTube...and NO, I don't want to sit through Fox's ad ridden entire show on their Web site... what if I want to share my favorite dance with my friends?

Jack ass move Fox... stupid. People who fight YouTube remind me of the time when record companies fought so hard against downloading music. I think the best business model is to adapt to technology changes and trends... not fight them. Look where the record companies are now... learn a lesson big TV station company people!

Airline CEO's send email to customers.

2008-07-09T20:44:00.002-04:00

So I got an email from Delta because I always fly Delta and that's where I have all my frequent flier miles. Well, I got an email today with subject line, "An Open Letter to All Airline Customers". I thought this was really bold on all these company's parts and I think in a good way... it's just interesting they all banded together for this cause. What do you think? Did you get this email/letter too?

Here's the letter:

Hello Ms. Season,

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers.

Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.


Richard Anderson CEO Delta Air Lines, Inc.		Gerard J. Arpey Chairman, President and CEO American Airlines, Inc.


Bill Ayer Chairman, President and CEO Alaska Airlines, Inc.		Dave Barger CEO JetBlue Airways Corporation


Mark B. Dunkerley President and CEO Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.		Robert Fornaro Chairman, President and CEO AirTran Airways


Timothy E. Hoeksema Chairman, President and CEO Midwest Airlines		Lawrence W. Kellner Chairman and CEO Continental Airlines, Inc.


Gary Kelly Chairman and CEO Southwest Airlines Co.		Douglas Parker Chairman and CEO US Airways Group, Inc.


Douglas M. Steenland President and CEO Northwest Airlines, Inc.		Glenn F. Tilton Chairman, President and CEO United Airlines, Inc.

Girl I dance with bitten by a shark!

2008-07-08T20:29:00.001-04:00

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=63801&catid=2

Wow! She's lucky she didn't lose her foot!

Wally World's new logo... yuck!

2008-07-03T13:39:00.001-04:00

Why I love Forever21.com

2008-07-03T13:02:00.005-04:00

Here is a dress from my former favorite store (like five years ago), Delias. The price is $39.50.

Now....

Here is a dress, the same exact one -- but different color -- from Forever21.com. The price is $24.80. You do the math! :)

Funny Subway Experience

2008-07-01T11:41:00.007-04:00

So, I just got back from getting lunch at Subway. We have a small Subway located at the bottom of our office building on Sumpter St. When I first started working at my job, I ate lunch at Subway every day... every day. I would get the same sandwich for about two months at a time, then switch to a different sandwich for the next two months. It became a running joke at work that I was always carrying a Subway bag when I came back from getting my lunch. I would be very wealthy now if I had collected money every time someone said, "Christy, you should own stock in Subway!". Hardee har har.

Anyways, at this time, there was a little oriental lady who worked the cash register who knew me by appearance and by sandwich because I came in every day. We would chit chat as I made my way through the line and I was her favorite customer -- or so I tell myself. One day she sadly told me she was being transferred to another store. I was sad to see her go. This was about two years ago.

Well, nowadays I frequent Subway rarely. I live close enough to work now that it's easy and convenient for me to swing home for lunch and eat for free, and healthier. However, some days I work through lunch and Subway is quick and easy as a lunch option. It's also probably one of the only cheap options around here that is somewhat healthy -- I avoid Chik-fil-A for lunch.

So...today... I went to Subway, and lo and behold guess who is back behind the register?! My oriental Subway friend. Not sure why she's back, but her first response to me was, "Oh hi.. you remember me?". Yes, I answer, and say it's been a long time...good to see you. Well as I'm fixing my drink and getting ready to leave she says to me, "You look very mature now..." "Really?" I say. "Oooh yes. You used to be so tiny, little thing... so young... now you look very mature. How old you?" "27" Ok, I'm not 27 yet, but I figure I might as well get used to saying it since it's happening regardless in a little over a month. "Oh yes, 27," she says, "You so mature now. No more little." "Ha ha," I say uncomfortably, "I hope that's a good thing...". "Ha ha," is all she manages to say.

So...I've decided based off of this that my newly found maturity over the past two years means:
A) I'm fat now... no longer tiny and little as she said, I'm now big -- aka fat, aka mature.
B) My age is showing... two years is apparently obvious on me now (bags under eyes, stresses of more work responsibilities, stresses of home ownership)
C) All of the above.
D) Perhaps mature is a good thing in this case...maybe I'm no longer a right out of college party girl, but a sophisticated working woman. Yuck.

P.S. A co-worker of mine looked up the fat grams of the Subway mini-pizza -- it's the same fat grams and calories as a Big Mac! Yup, I haven't had one since.

Happy July everyone!

2008-07-01T00:22:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it's already July? I'm freaking out. Where does time go? I can't believe this year has flown by so fast. I'll be 27 in under two months! This is crazy.

My favorite SYTYCD dance so far!!

2008-06-26T22:12:00.000-04:00

I'll be there for yooooooooooouuuuu....

2008-06-25T23:57:00.001-04:00

Jack Welch and the 4 E's of Leadership

2008-06-10T11:35:00.003-04:00

I'm a huge Jack Welch fan. I read his book 'Winning', and I agree with a lot of his practices -- like diversification and the 4 E's of Leadership. With the four E's, he proves that a great leader doesn't have to be the smartest kid in the class, just possess the traits to motivate and engage employees.

Here's an exerpt from a Web site on Jack Welch's 4 E's:

Energy
Effective leadership has passion. By passion it does not mean you are loud or flamboyant but something from deep inside. Passion cannot be taught or learned. The best way to be passionate is to hire people who share your excitement for the job at hand.

Energy gives results if there are no compexities, all the bureaucratic layers are done away with.

People become passionate and contribute if they are given the platform to be heard.

Energises
The leader energises, they are energisers. As energisers they inspire, mobilize people to act, and spark others to perform. They do not engage in turf wars, operate in silos, or tolertae backbiting behavior.

People respond to them, and these reponses make them very effective.These people are like gardeners who instead of spreading fertilizers and water spread confidence.

Leadership is the ability to articulate a vision and the ability to get others to act on that vision.

The 4E leader makes sure that good ideas are surfaced celebrated, and acted upon.

Edge
Individual with edge have a competitive spirit and know the value of speed. They are confident ; they know when to green light or red light a project or acquisition.

The effective leaders get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus, and then figure out where to drive it.

The leaders with edge are very similar to the sports stars. They always win whether it is the customers or market place.These leaders can only flourish if you have differentiation. You differentiate these leaders and reward them according to their victories.

Executes
Individual with the 4 E get the things done.They consistently deliver in many cases not only meeting the goal but blowing them away. They realise that the first three Es are of little value unless they are leveraged to produce results.

The leaders, understand that there is no subsitute for achievement. They develop their expertise and do the job better then anyone else. They know that the performance has to be delivered today and not in the future. They do their job better than anyone else before thinking of promotion.

Obama's Legislative Accomplishments...

2008-06-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

Sex & The City

2008-06-01T21:48:00.004-04:00

I saw the movie at 1:20pm on Friday afternoon. Yes, I took off work to see the movie as soon as it came out... and it was worth it! It was such a great movie... just perfect. And guess what? They are already planning a sequel!! Hooray! Loves it! Lots of great one-liners.

http://perezhilton.com/2008-06-01-no-surprise-here-3

Have you seen it? What did you think?

What a black columnist has to say about Obama...

2008-05-19T23:27:00.001-04:00

Ken Blackwell - Columnist for the New York Sun

"It's an amazing time to be alive in America. We're in a year of firsts in this
presidential election: the first viable woman candidate; the first viable African-American
candidate; and, a candidate who is the first front running freedom fighter over 70. The next
president of America will be a first.

We won't truly be in an election of firsts, however, until we judge every candidate by
&n bsp; where they stand. We won't arrive where we should be until we no longer talk about skin color or
gender. Now that Barack Obama steps to the front of the Democratic field, we need to stop
talking about his race, and start talking about his policies and his politics.

The reality is this: Though the Democrats will not have a nominee until August, unless
Hillary Clinton drops out, Mr. Obama is now the frontrunner, and its time America takes a closer
and deeper look at him.

Some pundits are calling him the next John F. Kennedy. He's not. He's the next George
McGovern. And it's time people learned the facts. Because the truth is that Mr. Obama is
the single most liberal senator in the entire U.S. Senate. He is more liberal than Ted Kennedy,
Bernie Sanders, or Mrs. Clinton. Never in my life have I seen a presidential frontrunner whose
rhetoric is so far removed from his record. Walter Mondale promised to raise our taxes, and he lost.
George McGovern promised military weakness, and he lost. Michael Dukakis promised a liberal
domestic agenda, and he lost.

Yet Mr. Obama is promising all those things, and he's not behind in the polls. Why?
Because the press has dealt with him as if he were in a beauty pageant.
Mr. Obama talks about getting past party, getting past red and blue, to lead the United States of
America. But let's look at the more defined strokes of who he is underneath this superficial "beauty."

Start with national security, since the President's most important duties are as commander-in-chief.
Over the summer, Mr. Obama talked about invading Pakistan, a nation armed with nuclear weapons;
meeting without preconditions with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who vows to destroy Israel and
create another Holocaust; and Kim Jong II, who is murdering and starving his people, but emphasized
that the nuclear option was off the table against terrorists - something no president has ever taken
off the table since we created nuclear weapons in the 1940s. Even Democrats who have worked in
national security condemned all of those remarks. Mr. Obama is a foreign-policy novice who would
put our national security at risk.

Next, consider economic policy. For all its faults, our health care system is the strongest in the world.
And free trade agreements, created by Bill Clinton as well as President Bush, have made more goods
more affordable so that even people of modest means can live a life that no one imagined a
generation ago. Yet Mr. Obama promises to raise taxes on "the rich." How to fix Social Security?
Raise taxes. How to fix Medicare? Raise taxes. Prescription drugs? Raise taxes. Free college?
Raise taxes. Socialize medicine? Raise taxes. His solution to everything is to have government take it
over. Big Brother on steroids, funded by your paycheck.

Finally, look at the social issues. Mr. Obama had the audacity to open a stadium rally by saying,
"All praise and glory to God!" but says that Christian leaders speaking for life and marriage
have "hijacked" Christianity. He is pro-partial birth abortion, and promises to appoint Supreme Court
justices who will rule any restriction on it unconstitutional. He espouses the abortion views of
Margaret Sanger, one of the early advocates of racial cleansing. His spiritual leaders endorse
homosexual marriage, and he is moving in that direction. In Illinois, he refused to vote against
a statewide ban - ban - on all handguns in the state. These are radical left, Hollywood, and
San Francisco values, not Middle America values.

The real Mr. Obama is an easy target for the general election. Mrs. Clinton is a far tougher
opponent. But Mr. Obama could win if people don't start looking behind his veneer and flowery
speeches. His vision of "bringing America together" means saying that those who disagree with his
agenda for America are hijackers or warmongers. Uniting the country means adopting his liberal
agenda and abandoning any conflicting beliefs.

But right now everyone is talking about how eloquent of a speaker he is and - yes - they're
talking about his race. Those should never be the factors on which we base our choice for president.
Mr. Obama's radical agenda sets him far outside the American mainstream, to the left of Mrs. Clinton.

It's time to talk about the real Barack Obama. In an election of firsts, let's first make sure we elect
the person who is qualified to be our president in a nuclear age during a global civilizational war."

ISSUE		JOHN McCAIN	BARAK OBAMA
Favors new drilling offshore US		Yes	No
Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it		Yes	No
Served in the US Armed Forces		Yes	No
Amount of time served in the US Senate		22 YEARS	173 DAYS
Will institute a socialized national health care plan		No	Yes
Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy		No	Yes
Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately		No	Yes
Supports gun ownership rights		Yes	No
Supports homosexual marriage		No	Yes
Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase		No	Yes
Voted against making English the official language		No	Yes
Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals		No	Yes
CAPITAL GAINS TAX
MCCAIN	0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
OBAMA	28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)
DIVIDEND TAX
MCCAIN	15% (no change)
OBAMA	39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the defici t.')
INCOME TAX
MCCAIN (no changes)	Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - tax $12,500 Single making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250
OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)	Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!
INHERITANCE TAX
MCCAIN	- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA	Restore the inheritance tax Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.
NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA
New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!