All American Rejects cover "Womanizer"

Um. Yeah. I love Brit, but this is pretty funny stuff. Way to go guys.

Weather Channel

My work campus is part of a Weather Channel feature: 2008 Top Ten Weather Stories. This is the story that just won't go away. We are all glad to say that we made it through and it is nothing more than a memory now.

Family photo shoot

I was hired to shoot some special family pictures on Sunday. I spent a few hours with the family and had so much fun with the daughters. I never knew how funny a set of pre-teen fraternal twins could be. Them ganging up on the oldest sister was hilarious. They had me in stitches. It reminded me of a time when things were simple and laughter was easy to come by. It was a much needed reality check. Life is as humorous as you make it. Sometimes it is hard to remember that you even have to laugh when it hurts. Sometimes laughter is the only thing that gets us through.

-- thanks girls! --

Showin' some love to South Cobb High -- GO EAGLES!

Here's the scoop: South Cobb High School's Blue Eagle Marching Band was selected to be the ONLY band to represent Georgia in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade. The School was selected from over 350 applications to represent our state of Georgia. South Cobb High School and Q100 need your help to make this historic event happen.

The anticipated cost for this trip is approximately $700 per student, which totals a $71,000 expense. This expense includes everything from transportation to thermal clothing to wear along the parade route. We can't let this opportunity pass by for the students of South Cobb High School's Marching Band. Please make a donation quickly because South Cobb High School must officially accept the invitation by early next week. All payments must be sent no later than THIS Friday, 12/12.

I realize the economy is crazy and we are all strapped for cash, but if you can spare a couple of bucks please donate. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for these kids. Most of them would never be able to pay the $700 without a little help. Think about all the times you (or your kids) sold candy bars, wrapping paper, popcorn, t-shirts OR did car washes, spaghetti dinners & pancake breakfasts to raise money for something. Think about all those people that gave $1 to help you with your cause. PAY IT FORWARD!!

** UPDATE 12/11 ** in one day the Atlanta community stepped up to this challenge and raised $50,000+!!! That is an incredible number, but they are still approx. $20,000 short of the necessary funds to get all the band members to DC. If you can find it in your heart to donate anything just click here.

nice quote

"Consciously cultivating thankfulness is a journey of the soul, one that begins when we look around us and see the positive effects that gratitude creates."
-- MJ Ryan

Food - Family - Festive Fun

-- our pretty red, white & silver tree --

So the holiday season is officially upon us. Thanksgiving is always so crazy. Many family members to see & so much food to eat. We enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to see everyone and even greater to not be at work! YAY for a break. Dinner with my favorite siblings, lunch at the in-laws, dinner at my parents, shopping, resting, holiday decorating, birthday celebrations, reading, sleeping late and just taking in all the things that I am thankful for and don't get to do enough of. So with christmas plans and a packed full work agenda waiting in the wings ... I am looking forward to one more day here at home. 

-- yup, we're turkeys. what can i say? --

Google Talk BETA!!!

I have previously alluded to my love of Google and all the fun products and services they provide. My friend AJ introduced me to yet another fun treat today ... Google Talk. Yes, friend that is G-Chat with audio and video capabilities. It also does gmail notifications, regular IM, PC-to-PC (or Mac-to-Mac) voice calls and file transfers. Get excited!! Hope to see you soon.

Do something kind today

I know that most of us spend hours a day on the computer. Between doing work and surfing the net for personal reasons, we rack up a lot of screen time. I hope that you can find it in your heart to participate in this worthwhile initiative. Below are details about the Bert Show's Big Thank You 2008. I urge you to take 15 seconds (really it takes that long) and send a message of thanks or appreciation to deserving soldiers around the world.

********************************
Last year, Bert Show listeners answered the call. In just two weeks, the Bert Show listening community collected over 350,000 handwritten thank you letters that were sent to every serviceman and servicewoman stationed outside the United States. The Bert Show's Big Thank You 2007 was a patriotic symbol of support and an extraordinary success. This year we're going even bigger.

The goal of The Bert Show's Big Thank You 2008 is to collect 1,051,200 unique messages by Thanksgiving Day. Each message will be posted on this site, and when we reach our goal, we will have enough messages to display a new flashing one on this site every thirty seconds ... for one entire year!

Our servicemen and women -- no matter what branch of the military they are in, no matter where in the world they are stationed-- will only be a click away from seing your thoughts of appreciation! It's ambitious, but with lots of help it can be done. Help us say 'thank you' by submitting your message here! And tell your friends about this site and encourage them to leave messages and tell their friends about the Bert Show's Big Thank You 2008. You will be notified of the exact time your message will be flashed for all the troops to see after you click the submit button.

Happy Organizing!

HO - HO - HO!!
Yup it's another great place to go searching for the perfect gift for that someone special in your life. I am a little OCD when it comes to organizing things. I love bins, cubbies, folders, boxes ... basically any mechanism to keep things neat & tidy. If you are cursed with this same affliction, than http://www.organize.com/ is the place for you. **WARNING** once you start searching this site, it's hard to stop. They recently added a new section that I think is fantastic. It is called the {she} shop. Think of woman you would like to buy a gift for. Is she a career girl? A mom? The ultimate party hostess? A bride-to-be? They have compiled a list of items based on the general needs of particular categories. It doesn't cover everything, but it is a great jumping off point. Pretty fun huh? I love it. I just ordered the biggest shoe rack ever. Looking to clear up some major floor space in the ole' closet. Review to come, post installation of course. Happy organizing.

Olan Mills

We've all seen them. Let's be honest, most of us can claim to appear in at least one. The Olan Mills portrait. Check out these classics -- HILARIOUS!! The captions are priceless. Thanks Erik for this fun little piece of entertainment. If you want more just Google image search "olan mills"... there are way too many.

ICE is here!!

Well almost. The The Indie Craft Experience Holiday Shopping Spectacular 2008 is this Saturday, Nov. 15 from 11 am - 6 pm at Ambient + Photo Studio (Located at 585 Wells St. SW Unit A * Atlanta, GA 30312). Please come out and support independent artists and crafters!! You can check out photos from past shows at the ICE Flickr page.

Pink Loves Brown

Nicole Balch is an awesome indie crafter and founder of her own company Pink Loves Brown. She makes the greatest stationary suitcase sets. She also has tons of other amazing products like bookplates, pins, magnets and the cutest collection of "periodic table of sentiments". All of her stuff is so original and lovely. Speaking of ... she also has a super fun blog called Making it Lovely. She just added 13 paper suitcase stationary gift sets to her store, you should check it out. Psst...this is a fun gift for anyone in your life who like to give cards or write letters.

Election Day

I have made it a point not to talk politics here, however I felt like this was the only day appropriate to say a few words about our democratic process. This is by far the biggest and most widely anticipated election that most of us will witness in our lifetime. There have been heated debates, passionate speeches, an abundance of promises, mountains of anxiety and more "enthusiasm" than anyone could have predicted. This election will define our country today. No matter which way the people of our nation swing the vote, we will all be affected. Do whatever you feel is right. If you're uninformed, or for that matter mis-informed, stay home. Voting is a privilege. Don't haul yourself out to the polls to vote for this guy just because you are afraid the other guy might win. Do not feverishly denounce one candidate and yet, when questioned about your righteous indignation, not even possess the capability to articulate why. Don't vote based on the content of chain-letter emails and slanderous Internet messages. Don't vote for your party because that is what you've always done. Don't vote for that white guy because he's the status-quo. Don't vote for that black guy just because he's not. Know the issues at hand. Know what you stand for and choose the candidate that most closely reflects your ideals. Do not be lulled into a false sense of acceptance with your choice for President. Do not let yourself forget for one minute that he is not a one man decision making machine. Our President is pushed, pulled, swayed, bullied and bought by the advisors, government leaders, lobbyist, media, corporations, analyst and us that surround him. They all "aid" him in making the important decisions he faces while in office. The campaign has been important. This election day is a huge deal. Do not forget though that the "change" will be made over the span of the whole presidential term. I've heard people say vote with your heart. Please, I beg you, engage your brain in the process. Do not be fooled. Do not be apathetic. Do not be ignorant. Please. Happy Election Day.

-- oh how i LOVE google --

Just a thought ...

How far you go in your life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.
-- George Washington Carver

Reusable Bags

I just ran across this website full of reusable bags. They have some really cute compact bags which are fantastic because you can keep one in your purse. We've all run into the store to grab just a few little things, got to the checkout counter and wished we would have remembered our tote that's just lying there in the trunk of our car. Then we try to carefully make our way to the car while holding precariously balancing our items under our arms and between our fingers of one hand and digging our keys out with the other. Ok, not you? Well, this is a great way to avoid that from happening. They have lots of beautiful patterns and styles to choose from. love it!

Fighting for the BOOBS!

The ladies got together this weekend to participate in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Atlantic Station. I was incredibly tired and little loopy from the medication, but it was incredibly important to me to participate. My incredible grandmother is a 19 year survivor of breast cancer and I kept thinking that the very least I can do is walk for the cause, her cause. It is amazing when I think of the medical miracles and advances that have taken place in the fight against breast cancer since my granny was diagnosed. So many lives have been saved, but there is still such a long way to go to eradicate this disease. Almost everyone I know has been touched by this frightening disease in some way. Every woman you know is someones mother, sister, daughter, family or friend. I hope that in my lifetime I am able to see even more progress and may be even a cure. It takes support for the research and the people. I'll keep trying to do my small part. 

In support of Granny and my amazement that every year she makes sure to participate in as many ways as she can, I decided to make shirts for our group. After a very long, complicated and disappointing exchange with one company I finally gave up and found someone else to work with. A quick recommendation for Velocity Screenprinting in L5P. They were so wonderful to work with and helped me out of a very tight spot. For all your t-shirt (whatever) screenprinting needs I absolutely recommend Velocity! Check out our fun Team Granny shirts!

Special shout out to my friend Fallon who saved the day by going to pick up the shirts, since I was on the disabled list for the evening. Thanks!

We also ate an incredible brunch at J. Christopher's. The omelets, turkey bacon and hot chocolate were all FANTASTIC!

arrrggghhhhh.

I have officially myspaced, facebooked, etsy-ed, linked in connected, email answered, newsletter read, online magazine browsed, googled, channel surfed, i-tunes shopped, pill popped and slept so much the past six days that I am ... EXHAUSTED! Me, the Mac, the TV and the dog have spent so much quality time together I am sick of it all - no offense Reese (smooches). I'm going stir crazy here. I know it is the best thing for my body to just sit here, rest and relax, but good grief! Ok that's all the blog pouting I will do. Now back to my routine. blah.

- no, he's not mine. he just looked how i felt. -

Cool as I.C.E.

The holiday season is swiftly approaching. If you are done with gift cards or tired of relying on old reliable (completely unoriginal) gifts ... you should check out the Indie Craft Experience Holiday Shopping Spectacular! This year's event is Saturday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Ambient + Photo Studio in Atlanta. Every year more and more incredible independent artists display their latest and greatest goods at this event. From gorgeous jewelry to quirky t-shirts and handcrafted journals to inspired art pieces ... there is something for event he most unique person in your life.

Come check it out and support independent artists and crafters (especially my friend Christy, organizer and founder of I.C.E. and creater of a bardis).

Chomp and Stomp

Chomp and Stomp, Cabbagetown's chili cook-off and artists market will be November 8 starting at 10 a.m. in Cabbagetown Park. Many ICE vendors are participating in the artist market! It a great day of fun and good food. If you've never been this year's event sounds like it is going to be the best one yet. Check it out.

Orange Crush

-- photo: domino.com --

This orange chair + couch set look so comfortable to me. It is a great color and they just make me want to curl up and nap. I would love them!

SNL ... again

I know. I bet when you saw this you were overcome by exhaustion at the thought of reading one more Palin SNL update, but I can't help it people. I think they are just hilarious. I haven't seen one yet that didn't make me laugh out loud! If a cameo appearance by the actual Gov. Palin, a VERY pregnant Amy Poehler and a 3 minute rap about Eskimos and shooting moose doesn't sounds like it could make you laugh ... don't bother clicking.
I however have watched this about a dozen times. BTW, still funny. Enjoy.

Knock-Knock

Who's there?

Knock-Knock!

I love this company. They have some of the funniest products. Hilarious books, flashcards, stickies, door knob hangers and more. I love this new "Decision Kit". The Gut Feelings notepad is quite hilarious.

new music

Have you heard of Matt Nathanson? I think you should check him out. 

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

Last night my dear friend Fallon and I made the long haul up 400 to the new(ish) Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park to see Ryan Adams & the Cardinals. I love going to new venues and checking out their operations. I can't help but view everything with a bit of a critical eye since being in the venue biz myself. 

Getting off 400, no problem. Finding will call, no signage. Finding the correct parking lot, way to far away and no signage. Well, that is until you get in the parking lot and then it's excessive. Walk to the venue, respectable. It seems longer since you have to drive all over creation to even find the parking lot, but it really is a short walk. Bag checkers & ushers, eh. Decent I guess, less than enthusiastic but efficient. We didn't check out the concession or restroom areas, but they seemed well placed inside the venue and there appeared to be plenty of choices available. The seating in the orchestra section was great!! The acoustics were wonderful, in my opinion some of the best in an outdoor venue that I've heard. It  was really difficult for people who arrived after the show started to find their seats due to the low lighting under the canopy. The ushers had flashlights, but folks still looked confused. Overall the venue was very nice. I would recommend going to a concert there, just allow some extra time to figure out the parking debacle. 

The show started great. They played some of my favorite Ryan Adams songs and lots of the new stuff coming out on soon. Ryan was apparently feeling a little under the weather and had to end the show early. :( That was a bummer, but it couldn't be helped I guess. He was great live while he played though!! 

On a quick side note .... The Cheesecake Factory is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. They have a crazy tasty treat to celebrate the occasion. If you happen to go there I would HIGHLY recommend getting a slice of the anniversary cheesecake ... two layers of original cheesecake and two layers of creamy chocolate fudge cake filled with chocolate cream and finished with crunchy pearls of chocolate. GOODNESS!!

Palin in the Oval Office

CLICK HERE to see Palin in the Oval Office.
-- Scroll over different items in the office. Every time you see a hand, CLICK and there is audio for that item. Really funny.

EcoVille Georgia

Welcome to EcoVille Georgia, your on-line destination for local recycling and sustainability information.

This resource site is sponsored by Coca-Cola Recycling, LLC. For those of you who know me, you are well aware that my LOVE for the sweet nectar that is Coke runs deep & true. Not only am a I fan of their product, I applaud them for the efforts they make in communities around the world. Certainly some are more impressive than others and they have a long way to go considering what a huge conglomerate they are, but they certainly give it a greater effort than other big business, corporate America, industry giants with no conscious about the world at large. But I digress.

If you haven't heard the Coca-Cola company has launched a new "company-within-the-company". They are about to make big business (and hopefully an even bigger impact) out of recycling and setting some industry standards about being better world citizens as a company. Check out one of their vision statements for this initiative:

A couple interesting quick facts from the site:

*We've made an investment of more than $60 million to build the world's largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant and to support recycling in the U.S.
*For our cold drink equipment, we've developed an innovative energy management system that delivers energy savings of up to 35%.
*We've set an aspirational goal to return to communities and nature an amount of water equivalent to what we use in our beverages and their production.

Whatever your views on this happen to be, I encourage you to check out the sustainability portion of their website. There is an incredible amount of information about their specific goals as a company and ways you can do your part. You can also click here to sign up for an e-newsletter.

Surprise lunch ...

My little brother is the best. He surprised me today by dropping by my office for lunch. It was a much needed break from work and the usual lunchtime menu. I am really lucky to have someone so funny and so wonderful for a brother. He's great. Thanks for the lunchtime drop-in. I really needed the laughs! xo

Just a thought.

The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.
-- Nathaniel Braden

Crash

I just happened across this little tidbit. Remember the movie Crash? Well, the cable channel Starz has a new series by the same name, based on the movie and directed by the same people from the movie. The trailer looks great. It appears they will just be expanding on the same story lines form the film and getting more in depther with the characters. This will have to be one I watch online since I don't have Starz, but it looks interesting.

Tina Fey ... how I love thee ...

Another job well done by my girl Tina Fey. She never fails. The Palin character is perfection.  

"Forgive me Mr.s Palin. It seems to me when you become cornered, you become increasingly more adorable. Is that fair to say?"

tick. tick. polictics.

Looking for an easy political update?
You should check the CNN Politics blog/ticker.

Edith

The lovely people at Queen Bee Creations are conspiring to have me spend all my hard earned money on bags! They have launched yet another cute bag design for the fall. You can even add little accessory flowers to jazz it up. So adorable!

Descriptions: Sprout - Edith Tote
Oh Edith, you lovely creature. Casual enough to wear with rain boots and flannel, smart enough to rock with tights and a dress, this truly is a multipurpose bag. Displaying a subtle and sophisticated sprig, it is great for toting around all of your needs during those layering months, or for keeping that knitting project near by for stolen moments of productivity!
This large tote is constructed from Re-wool; a beautiful and sturdy felted wool, composed of scraps left over from textile mills. It is strong, biodegradable, renewable & water resistant. Color is right up there with Vitamin D in surviving the winter months, so add a little WOW topping the design with one of our winter Bloom Pins.

Organic.

Let me start this by saying we are TRYING! Scott and I have been diligently trying to make better choices regarding our eating habits. As a rule our habits as a whole aren't outrageously reprehensible, but they certainly stand some adjustments for the better. It will be a gradual process for sure. Years of bad habits to break and all. As we become more educated about what the side effects are from years of eating garbage ... we are trying to curb our diets in another direction. There is so much great information out there, but it can really be overwhelming. This too is a one step, one book, one journal, one article, one health blog at a time process.

Oh the shopping! What an adventure. Going to the same stores I've always shopped at with a new agenda in mind is quite the challenge. A scavenger hunt if you will. I have been working really hard to find the organic options for the things we would normally purchase. Some are more tough than others. Some taste AWFUL and some are quite delicious. We're still experimenting with flavors and brands, but these are some of my latest finds (Mostly from Target-Archer Farms and Kroger). Here's to our continued success in hunting down flavorful, healthy food options.

Christy's B-Day

She's the best. That's pretty much all there is to say. Those who know her, love her. Those who don't, are missing out. Glad to share in your birthday festivities again this year! Cheers to you (and your silly husband). Much love. Here's my pic for best photo of the weekend.


A few stops on our birthday celebration tour:
Hudson Grille @ Perimeter Mall - very cool atmosphere, tons of televions, great patio, fantastic menu, reasonable prices. Check it out.
Charlie Mopps (Roswell Road) - if you don't have a favorite pub, this is a good choiec. Laid back atmosphere, large patio, tons of beverage choices, all around great pub environment. There is a huge "regulars" crowd, I would recommend bringing your own crew to hang with.

Windup ...

This was parked in the CVS parking lot. I thought it was hilarious. I have seen more & more Smart Cars on the road over the past several months, but the windup mechanism on the back was a first. It makes it look even more like a toy. It's a little blurry, but I was on the move.

Obama shoes ... no, you read that right.

I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself. One the best online "shops" I have ever seen is Zazzle. It is all based on customization of items. Whether you want one for yourself or multiples for a group it is fabulous. I am on their e-news distribution list and today this little tidbit flew into my inbox.

Obama and McCain personalized shoes!! Like I said, they have tons of things you can customize (t-shirts, mugs, postage, skateboards, mouse pads ... the choices are crazy) with everything from graphics to photos. This is hilarious to me. There are 27 PAGES & 394 different designs of shoes dedicated to Obama. Some of them are interesting. Some are really terrible. I need to see someone in person who owns a pair. That is now a mission. Here are 3 of the almost 400 choices available to you ... or please, feel free to make your own.