Back from Appleton
at 6:01 pm on Monday, 17 November 2008
I have figured out that I’m not on the blog all that much anymore because most of my readers are my Facebook friends and see and read anything relevant I have to say these days. But for the small percentage of you not stalking me on Facebook, here’s what I did this weekend:
It was IC&C for Harmony Inc in Appleton, Wisconsin. It may have been cold, but there was plenty of beer and cheese to keep me warm. And of course, lots and lots of singing. It was really weird to not have the Crystal Chords there and to also not compete. I got a really interesting perspective of the contests that I learned a ton from, but really, I don’t want to do it again. So, you can be sure we’ll all be there next year in Providence, Rhode Island for the 50th anniversary. And maybe, Affinity will be there. I can hope anyway.
Vote!
at 10:37 am on Tuesday, 4 November 2008
No matter what the outcome, today will be a very historic day. Don’t miss your chance to tell your grandkids your active role (that means you voted!) in the election of the first _some category that is not a middle-aged white man_ President/Vice-President.
And if you have voted, sit back, relax and while you’re waiting for the special Indecision ‘08 coverage to start on Comedy Central, watch this clip from the Simpsons’ Halloween special.
Happy Halloween!
at 12:19 pm on Friday, 31 October 2008
I think I’m ready end my blogging hiatus. If only to give myself something to do for a while. In the meantime, here’s something I bet I could have done if I had applied myself and not wasted so much time trying to get a job. What was I thinking?
Janice and Serkan wedding photos
at 1:15 pm on Wednesday, 1 October 2008
We finally got the wedding photos up from Janice and Serkan’s wedding reception. Check out the gallery. Jason did a nice job, especially capturing those “moments.” I think my favorite ones are all of the ones with Janice and her maid of honor, Jen. But these 2 photos were the absolute best of the bunch. They just say so much.
Janice and Serkan and Josh Groban
Technically, Janice and Serkan were married in December of 2006. Or April 2007 if you’re Turkish and got to go to the first celebration. But we finally got to celebrate here in the States on Saturday. Jason has the photos and I have no idea what they look like but if they’re good, I’ll post a gallery. I danced to an interesting mix of music, drank lots of wine and managed to not get any of the chocolate fountain on my dress. And it was so nice to see the Ithaca group again, I don’t get to see them nearly enough.
So, last night was the Emmys. And the only really enjoyable parts were Ricky Gervais, Stephan Colbert and Jon Stewart. Oh, and this brilliant piece. It’s not so much that I think a medley of 30 tv theme songs needs to be done or is all that great itself. But it makes me think I should move Josh Groban higher on my list of awesome people. After all, he did that Jimmy Kimmel bit.
Coconut is manly
at 8:10 pm on Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Why I will never be bored with my darling hubby:
Erin: I’m going to Wegmans later. Do you need anything?
Jason: Yes. I’m out of shampoo.
Erin: Do you like what you were using or do you want to try something different?
Jason: I didn’t really like it. Get me some dandruff shampoo. But make sure it’s the manly kind.
Erin: Well, that kind was for men. I can try another brand.
Jason: Yeah, get me something that smells good and fruity. Maybe mango or coconut. As long as it’s the dandruff kind.
Erin: Uh…the fruity kind is “manly”?
Jason: Ok, so I changed my mind.
Life in Unemployment Land
Wow, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. It’s not that I’ve been all that busy, I guess it was more that I didn’t have much to say. I’m looking for work. I’m enjoying a long vacation.
While I don’t entirely mind being home all day, I feel a little lost. I can’t exactly make permanent plans like volunteering or joining some group because I will get a job at some point. And it will make me busy again. And I’m fairly certain I will be moving which will take me away from whatever it is.
So, I watch a lot of tv, catch up on chores and doctor’s appointments and make a ton of plans to keep me out of the house.
The fun part is I’ve been able to play with alot of friends on their vacations: I’ve been to the lake with Jen and Amber, to see the Northern Blend rehearsal in Watertown with Sandy, to the Bay with Jason and the in-laws, to Maryland to see Janice’s new digs, anywhere and everywhere around town with Michelle.
I do have some interviews lined up. I hope they’re the right opportunities and pray I’ll find something before my severance runs out. And while I’m excited about those opportunities, I feel bad whenever one of my local friends asks how the job hunt is doing, and I have to report that no local companies are calling me back, just the ones too far away for me to stay here. And I have to lump Jason into that local friends category because I know he really likes his job here. But unless I win the lottery, we can’t really sustain ourselves on a newspaper photographer’s salary alone.
So, I guess to sum up my life in a nutshell at the moment, I’m relaxing and de-stressing, but my life’s in limbo while I try to impress potential employers which is kind of stressing me out, especially since it might mean that I have to disappoint some friends when I do find something (and I WILL find something), which has me bummed. But hey, I’m getting a lot of sleep now.
Some advice for the NASCAR fans
Another NASCAR weekend has gone by at Watkins Glen. Seeing how I am no longer in the news business, I managed to not hear about any of the race until my mother mentioned there was some big crash. She claims she only watched it to see if she could see Jason there.
However, I did work up at the Glen for my Crystal Chords Friday and Saturday selling t-shirts to rabid fans. Have I mentioned how much I love my Crystal Chords?
It’s gotten to the point where I am no longer surprised that every single person (minus the kids who are the only ones with any sense whatsoever) is drunk and holding a beer in their hands at all times. Or that women with boobs bigger than D cups are walking around braless (it’s still gross, I’m just not surprised). Or that a bunch of guys are walking around in afro wigs stopping every 20 seconds to chant about their favorite driver.
But there are those idiots I need to have a talking to. You might argue that because they’re all drunk, reasoning with them won’t work. However, when most of the drunks are walking around with their beers in coozies to keep them cold, I tend to think there’s some sanity tucked away somewhere. So, I offer some advice you may want to tuck away for next year.
1. Put some shoes on. I don’t care if you’re so drunk you can’t feel the rocks, glass and burning tar from the sun that you’re walking on. You probably also can’t feel all the blood rushing from your cuts either. If you thought to put shorts on, you make the extra effort to throw on some flip-flops.
2. If you’re going to make a motorized cooler, ride it! You are easily the biggest dumbass in all of the NASCAR events at Watkins Glen I have seen over the last 8 years. I get that you are just so inventive creating a wagony type contraption that is hooked up to a lawnmower motor. And look, you can keep your cooler on there. However, what is the point of this contraption if you’re just going to pull the wagon around, exerting more effort than if it was just a roller-cooler. You put a seat on there, clearly it was meant to give rest to your weary feet. If that’s not why it was created, then I blame you, and you alone, for the crappy state our environment is in.
3. Listen to your children. For one thing, you haven’t completely corrupted them yet so you should enjoy every bonding moment you can with them. For another thing, they do not want to get caught in the next severe thunderstorm that brings hail without rain gear. Again. Just because the sun is out now does not mean it will stay like that. I know because I have the iPhone with the doppler radar so I can tell you exactly when it’s coming. So if your kid is begging you to be practical and buy the $4.50 poncho, put down the hoochie shirt you were going to buy for your mistress and get him the poncho.
4. Only buy t-shirts from the nice ladies in the Crystal Chords shirts. They want you to enjoy your NASCAR experience. And if they say it can only be enjoyed with 20 $6 t-shirts, you should listen to them. And then visit them again next year.
Anyone need an Erin?
at 8:48 pm on Thursday, 7 August 2008
So if you only get your Erin info from this blog or Facebook or Twitter, you may have noticed I’ve been hinting at some news. I was hoping I could tell you a good story with a happy ending but I learned yesterday it was not to be. Not that it won’t eventually have a happy ending but this story will just go on a little longer than I thought.
Three weeks ago, I lost my job. My department’s services were consolidated which means my position and my staff’s positions were eliminated. They asked me to consider a position in Rochester, which I did and interviewed there. It sounded too good to be true and it was; it didn’t work out.
It sucks. And that’s all I’m going to say about it here on the blog. Jason still has a job there and I don’t believe he will also be laid off anytime soon. So, I’m going to ask that if any of you were thinking about bashing the company in my comments, please don’t. I may not be employed there anymore but they were good to me and I gained a ton of experience with them that I will take with me.
In the meantime, I have to find a job. On the one hand, I like that I get a chance to start over somewhere and not have to do things I didn’t like about my old job. But on the other hand, it’s almost too much because I could go in so many directions. And moving is definitely on the table so there are more options and expenses and what ifs to think about.
So, if you happen to hear about any job openings in a town near you for a computer whiz who loves to play with reports and numbers, knows some web development stuff and has managerial experience, hook me up. And if they also have openings for a photographer/videographer/journalist/substitute teacher/brilliant idea guy, that would be a plus.
Our vacation, now with photos!
The photo gallery from the trip is now up. We’re still captioning them so depending on when you read this, there may or may not be details on them. So, uh, good luck.
In the meantime, I think these photos sum up our trip beautifully.
Here we have the most of what we saw of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It’s a giant floating hot dog and Phish cups! It made me want to go in the museum, but the price and lack of photography privileges won out.
Welcome to the love nest, or Champagne Lodge. Try not to trip over the jacuzzi that fits 4 people or be confused by the zillions of mirrors.
A view of Chicago from the Sears Tower. I don’t know what any of these buildings are, but they’re really there and not a scale model as this photo might suggest.
Meet my cousin’s daughter, Maya, and his son, Ramsey, with their grandma, my Aunt Joanne. Maya is too cute for words so you know Jason was all over showing her new stuff, like letting her take photos with his camera that’s not even his. Also, it’s a little hard to tell from the angle but Ramsey has the Cassidy eyes and he is known to his mother’s family (they’re Palestinian) as “the blue-eyed baby,” which is a very good thing, I’m told.
