Musings

Haven't written in a while.

I was going to write a post on how I think the next "Great Flood" will actually be the destruction of Earth and 2 of each kind will be transported to whatever planet God is developing as we speak. But as I wrote it, I realized that I was just sounding crazy. I've been a little loopy lately and can't explain why, but these completely random and inane ideas keep popping into my head.

Speaking of inane ideas, I am copywriting the following to-be-written book title.

Why I Can't Help My Third Grader with Her Science Homework: a GOOD Explanation for Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet.

I'm thinking lots of pictures.

Do they learn the planets in 3rd grade? Sooner? later?

Anyhoo, does anyone know of a scientist that can help me in this effort? I will only require 50% of the royalties.

Lazy

I've been kinda lazy in the updating of the old blog here. But that's because I just bought a 2009 Toyota RAV4! Woo hoo. So I have been spending a lot of time enjoying that.

I love my new car! I really do! I'm actually happy to drive to work.

It's black (yes, I said that I would never buy a black car!)
It has leather seats, of which the front 2 are heated (I said that i would never get leather seats, but they came with an outstanding warrantee)
It has an awesome cargo cover and cargo net and all-weather floor mats (I don't know why I'm excited about that)


That's all for now. I am actually kind of busy today at work...gotta get to it!

Does this mean I'm a bad person?

Jerry and I decided that we need to get into better shape! And we live in a nice, safe (it looks safe) neighborhood now with tree-lined streets and sidewalks.

So yesterday, we decided to take advantage of our want for fitness and the gorgeous weather. We took a nice long stroll around the neighborhood. Wandering the streets led us out to Plainfield road and down to the Dillonvale shopping center.

Rather than walking out to the street, we crossed the shopping center. Within the strip is a Jack's Aquarium and pets. Jerry asked if I wanted to go in and see if there were any puppies. We originally decided not to because we really want to adopt a dog and I am afraid of seeing irresistible puppies at incredibly high (unnecessary) prices.

As we passed by, we both glanced in the window to see the four containers of animals... ferrets, birds, bunnies, hamsters, and one single puppy. Convinced a quick glance was all I could handle, I tried to continue without much of a stop.

"Is that a pug?" Jerry asked.

Crap. Let's go look.

It was a pug. Poor little pug-buddy was sleeping in the corner of a plexi-glass box with a tiny bowl of uneaten food in one corner and a bed of shredded paper... not soft newspaper mind you. It was like someone donated the remnants of their home shredder.

I felt so bad looking at this little guy. He was completely uninterested in the 2 strangers (Jerry and me) standing over his "home" while he tried to nap in what appeared the least comfy position ever. He had a super sad little look on his face. I couldn't bear it any longer! I had to walk away.

I have never felt so horrible in my life. I left that poor little puppy all alone in his box, with his sad eyes and look of disappointment.

I hope that someone buys him soon. But, I cannot. I cannot bring myself to purchase a dog when there are so many animals available for adoption... animals that have been abandoned by the world because they're not the perfect breed or because they had irresponsible owners.

I thought about that little pug puppy for hours last night. I still feel incredibly sad and I wish I had the ability to go back and rescue him.

Does this make me a bad person?

Sorry little buddy.

Suprisingly, I kinda like my job

I say that I hate my job all the time, but it's only partially true. I am frustrated because this isn't the setting in which I necessarily want to be. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to work for an agency, but the economy and competition kind of prevents that (there are definitely more qualified applicants out there that I, with no agency experience, have tried unsuccessfully to compete against). It's a little hard sometime for me to get past that point. Other issues that I have a difficult time getting past at work:

- My manager's new insistance on giving all media call concerns to the only other male in the office - before it was Guy (manager), me, and Emily. So the work was often split between me and Emily. Now, Guy gives just about everything to Charlie, even when Emily and I are on call!

- Lack of work... I really don't have that much to do. I primarily work on large projects with far out timelines (or in the case of my two most recent assignments, no timelines). Sometimes, I am given a research task. I am pretty good at research and therefore complete those tasks quickly. Then back to boredom.

- Lack of challenge... we each have our strengths on this team, and the bosses play to those strengths. I think that it would be better to give each of us a challenge. Granted, I don't think that Emily or Charlie could handle some of the work that I do (I know it's way beyond Emily's scope), but as easily as I can do my work, I can also write a press release or an article for the employee newsletter, edit brochure and website content, and evaluate advertising agencies. I want to sit in on just one agency "interview."

-The drive to work is a hike, though my route doesn't keep me in a lot of traffic.

-Emily is often a burden! She is rather immature - however, I no longer share an office with her so things are getting better.

But, there is some good...
-My most recent (HUGE) task is to compile research on social media and to assist in the development of a social media strategy. In this effort, I spend much more time away from the office - in seminars about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogging. I get to work on these outlets throughout much of each day. I get to just sit and read articles, LinkedIn discussions and Twitter feeds for hours on end. I get to make connections with new and interesting people (who may one day help in advancing my career?)

-My name is out there with the big guys. The COO of our Florence location knows my name and always says hello when we pass in the halls. The COO of our Ft. Thomas location used to just pop into my office and talk directly tome when he needed help with a presentation. Today, I was told that the CEO of the organization knows my name and is excited with the direction that I can take our social media efforts.

- I get to do things that satisfy other professional desires, such as recording voiceover work and blogging. On the voiceover note, please go to the Florence Freedom baseball games and pay attention to the St. Elizabeth Healthcare ads! And if I do get into teaching part-time at the university level, I can balance it with my work now because my boss is flexible enough with my schedule that I can be away from the office for those things and still get in my 40 hours!

-I just got a rather large pay raise (though I still make less than I should command!) that will help me to do a few more things in my "wants" category.

-I know many people who have started in healthcare marketing and gone on to bigger things, even in the agency world. So it's probably actually a good step for me if I can get my hand into a few more projects.

Ok, I feel better now. Back to "work."

Dear Office Cleaning Crew...

I sincerely appreciate your efforts to empty my trash 3 times a week. But for the love of all things holy, please stop moving my trash can. It is in the perfect spot for a tissue slam dunk, or to possibly just run my arm across the length of my desk and subsequently sweep everything into the garbage. This morning, I had a pile of used tissues and an empty Diet Dr. Pepper can building up on the floor before I realized that you put the can in the corner. That's gross!

Sidenote: thanks for vacuuming up all that dust and debris that the movers left...it made me sneeze and I couldn't do much about it.

Regards,

G

Let's pretend for a second...

This is Jerry...

I've grown accustomed to his face.

Jerry is not a gambler. He cannot sit at a slot machine for hours playing on a single $20 bill, like my mama taught me how to do - nickel video slots at the MGM!!! When we went to Vegas in '07, Jerry desperately wanted to join a hand of blackjack, but had a slight fear of sitting at a table with a bunch of "pros" and being out of the game in less than 5 hands (maybe that's a bit of exaggeration...).

However, Jerry does like him some lottery...MegaMillions to be exact. He typically buys a ticket each week. But he's no good at winning!

Now, let's pretend for a second that we did win. And not a little. No, we're gonna win.... $225 million. If I won the lottery (and took the lump sum payment), I would...

- Quit my job, but not quit working. I would focus on my voice-acting business, try to get gigs travelling the world to be an on-site event coordinator, and start a personal shopping business (I know of a girl who works with Frontgate - when someone wants to purchase something and have it shipped they call this girl and she makes all the arrangements since Frontgate doesn't ship.)

- Pay off my current mortgage, my sister's mortgage, and my parents' mortgage. I would also find my brother a place to live.

- Update my house - pay someone to pull up all the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors, redo the bathrooms and the kitchen (possibly knock out the wall between the kitchen and the living room to make it a more open space), add a deck, expand the driveway, and cleanup the garage. oh, and hire someone to re-landscape!

-Buy a beach house in North Carolina - one of those that can sleep like a million people at once. I would rent it out when I'm not using it, and invite my family to come stay for weeks at a time when I am.

- Buy a new car, preferably a hybrid SUV and purchase my father a Cadillac Escalade.

- Sell my house (assuming I am outside the 3 year tax credit window) and buy a slightly bigger house with an "outdoor kitchen" in a community with a nice landscaping and a pool.

- Take golf and tennis lessons and spend my non-working hours on the course or court with my man (not because it's the snobby thing to do, I just want to)

- Take a month long vacation to tour the world via cruise ship.

- Sit on the board of directors for an Arts Organization and spend a lot of time volunteering for the arts.

- Donate money to organizations where I can get my name printed in a program. Ooh, or maybe get a plaque hung or a building named after me.

- Endow my undergraduate program with money to develop a scholarship in my name and work a little more closely with them to help place students (intern/co-op/professional)

- Teach as an adjunct professor for one quarter/semester a year.

That's all I have for now... have I spent all that money yet?

Oh Mother!

Wow, I have thought of about a million things that I wanted to tell you about since my last post, but I haven't had time. (Sidenote: I did in fact have time to weed and feed the yard finally...just getting a late start on that one!)

So, since yesterday was Mother's Day, I thought that I would take the opportunity to list the reasons why my mom is better than yours...

-All she wanted for M-day was an iPod loaded with her favorite songs. I came up with 154 songs...the iPod holds about 2,000.

-Since I no longer live at home, she has to actually ask for, rather than command, my help on her homework (she is working on her Master's Degree and doesn't have a complete understanding of Microsoft Office).

-She rewards me for my homework help. Yesterday, she (and dad) fulfilled my short, last-minute grocery list while I helped mom create a PowerPoint.

-She wanted PF Changs for her M-Day dinner...mmmmm, PF Changs.

-She shops early for Christmas, basically starting the day after the previous Christmas.

- She wants to dye her hair blonde in order to hide the grey. She has been a (very dark) brunette her entire life. I wouldn't know her if she was blonde. Fortunately, her hair stylist talked her out of it.

-She and I can sit and giggle uncontrollably over Pugs in Costume pictures.

-She eats her eggs over easy and considers it a challenge to first eat the egg whites and then pop the entire unbroken yolk into her mouth. It can turn quite entertaining.

-Sometimes when she is outside doing whatever, she talks (whistles) to the birds. She likes birds.

-When she came to see my new house for the first time, she brought gifts: toilet paper and paper towels.

-She leaned over to me yesterday and said, "You know, your father really is just a nice guy." Come on! Isn't that cute?

But seriously, my mom is a wonderful person. I am incredibly proud of who she has become and who she still wants to be. I am glad to see that age never stops her, and having some pretty serious illnesses never slows her down. She is one of the most caring people I have ever known, and I am pretty convinced that if it was truly possible, she would save the world.

Love you mom!

Dear Reds,

You are really letting me down! A 15-3 loss to the Brewers? Come on!

What is happening here? Every time things are on the upswing for the Reds, they knock it right back down.

I think I know what the problem is...

Stop praising them! It's as if talking well of the Reds is a jinx. Best ERA in the majors - hype it up and they lose that stance in one game!

Let's go back to being complacent toward the Reds. I think that's the only way to support them. Don't get too excited for them and they can't blow it.

Right?

The personal blog

Welcome, again, for the first time.

I apparently cannot get enough of blogging! I am currently maintaining a blog about marketing and advertising and I have recently signed up to blog for the communications committee of Ad2.

But what I really want to do is keep a personal blog that's not part of myspace or facebook, that I can send to friends and family who may want to keep up, and that I can write on more frequently than it takes for me to come up with a marketing/advertising topic. I figured writing about myself was the perfect outlet!

Here's the quick synopsis of where I have been since I stopped using MySpace and my blurty blogs...
- Started a job with the St. Luke Hospitals in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, In the 7 months that I have been with the company, we have merged with the St. Elizabeth Medical Center and become St. Elizabeth Healthcare. My office is now across the street from the Edgewood campus.
- Left the comforts of Ma and Pa Hoell's and moved into my new house in Dillonvale. It's a cute little cape cod with 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and a finished basement. My life lately is dedicated to making lists of all the things I would like to do in my new house.
- Jerry and I moved into said new house together. (Yep - livin' in sin!)
- Got a nice little raise at work which will allow me to get rid of my POS Chrysler and buy a new SUV.
- Developed a deep appreciation for the convenience of the $5 "Hot-n-Ready" pizza from Little Ceasar's - cheap AND within walking distance.
- Developed a deep hatred for my fellow drivers on the morning commute from Dillonvale to Crestview Hills
- Discovered Wal-mart free samples, Little Miss Know it All, and coupons.com
- I am asleep by 10:30 pm and awake by 6:30 am - EVERY DAY! I have officially turned into my father.

That's pretty much all the updating you can probably stand for now. I am hoping to be able to update this quite often because I always have super fun things to share!

Talk at you again soon!