After a week of non-stop excitement, my body has decided to slow me down.
I have a bit of congestion and a runny nose, my voice is a little rough. Only thing is, I'm quite enjoying that it's making me slow down. I'm spending some much needed time in my apartment doing odds and ends/goofing off.
There's this new app on FB called Animoto. It lets you put a string of your pics together with a song (they offer some song selections or you can select from your own music) and then plays a short video with animation that Animoto provides. It's just a 30 second snippet of fun. I put one together with just a few pics of close friends. <3
Other than that, I've been spending way too much time on FB, did some reading, watched some TV, and I'm doing some laundry. Now I would like this little sneezy, coughy thing to go away by tomorrow but I'm feeling a lot better. With the conference and needing to be at the in-homes by 7am the day I got back from the conference, you can say that I was a bit sleep-deprived. Pack onto that the stress of having to deal with my air conditioning and you can probably see why I'm feeling a little under the weather.
But I'm just gonna take this time to catch up on some things. Thinking about friends has been a nice theme for the day. :) Now if I could just get everything done without putting in too much effort. Haha!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Mamma Mia + Confetti
Had a great movie experience with some work gals on Friday - we went to see Mamma Mia!
The movie is just fun, rocking the ABBA songs, and it was nice to have a little outing. Then we got a great big surprise right as the movie ended. I'm not giving anything away here - there's a singing and dancing sequence at the end as the credits are rolling. Right as that started, some people at the front of the theater started to blow confetti up into the audience. I mean, it was a big surprise, was really loud, and was just ridiculous with all this confetti blowing up into the audience!
The confetti was in the movie too, which at this point we couldn't even hear. I think the confetti was getting shot into the audience for a good minute straight. Finally everyone, up to the top row, had confetti falling on them and everyone was up and out of their seats playing with it. Laughing, looking around, trying to figure out what was happening.
Finally the sound and spray was over and everyone kind of starts to leave but then Meryl Streep pops up again and says, "You want another one?!!" Then they launch into another song and it was great. :D
Alright, now for the nerdy advertising part of me - while it was happening I was thinking, "huh, I wonder who thought of this stunt! And what company sends people out to do this? This is something to look into!!" Total nerd, I know, but it was a fun experience.
But I don't know how they cleaned up all that confetti - it was everywhere! We even saw it trailing into the rest of the mall as it got caught on people's shoes.
I did a quick search and noticed that a few other people blogged about it so it's causing a bit of a stir. I have to say, it was a pretty good stunt.
In-Homes
Another notch on the research belt - I attended some in-home groups!
So far I have done focus groups (lots), one-on-one interviews, in-store interviews, and man on the street. At most of the research I was an observer or did a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff (checking people in, videotaping, taking notes, etc), but several times I actually did the interviewing. My next step is to moderate a group...I think I'm okay with one person but group dynamics throw in a whole new challenge.
In-homes, however, I had not up until now been able to observe. I served as camera person for the day but it allowed me to observe quite a lot of the groups without having to worry about asking the right questions, etc.
What I can say about in-homes is that the information is so much richer. People are more relaxed, the other people in the group are their friends, they are in their own home or a place familiar to them, and they are just gabbing about something they're interested in. What's great about in-homes is that people get comfortable more quickly, they say a lot more, and they are able to call each other out/keep each other honest. It's very interesting how much they're willing to tell you and it's just a lot better experience than being in a facility.
Facilities tend to be less warm and welcoming, you're surrounded by people you don't know and the people viewing you are all behind this mysterious glass. With an in-home, it's very transparent. The person videotaping you is reacting to what you say, someone taking notes and just observing can actually look you in the eye, and people involved (from the agency-side) actually have to be involved. Too many times, behind the glass you can separate yourself - not pay attention, get bored, not really listen. But when you are sitting in someone's home and listening and perhaps even participating, it will have a lot more impact on you.
I think I would rather do in-homes than a facility focus group any day. But there are other ways...it could even be in a coffee shop, a bar, anywhere that is familiar to the person you're talking to. I think that environment and atmosphere is contextually very important to a person. How are they supposed to talk with ease when they're busy feeling out the new situation they've been put into with new people.
And forget it if you're trying to get through to a shy person - they won't even make it through the door because they'll be screened out well in advance!
It was just a great little view into what more I can look forward to. I feel like for now I'm a bit on the outside looking in - I see all of these things that I can do to help my brands, to engage the consumer, to learn more, but I'm not quite to the point of getting to do these things on my own. I want to approach a problem and decide what to do with it. I want to engage people in a different way and find out something amazing about them. I want to bring this information back to the agency and excite people with what I learned and what we can do with it.
I guess you can say that with the AP Conference and this research I had a whole week of "Appreciating Account Planning." Not that I didn't appreciate it before, but it's nice to have a little reminder of how much I enjoy this career that I have landed in. I worked hard to get in and that fiery passion that got me here is alive and well today.
Alright, I'll stop drooling all over Planning now... :p
So far I have done focus groups (lots), one-on-one interviews, in-store interviews, and man on the street. At most of the research I was an observer or did a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff (checking people in, videotaping, taking notes, etc), but several times I actually did the interviewing. My next step is to moderate a group...I think I'm okay with one person but group dynamics throw in a whole new challenge.
In-homes, however, I had not up until now been able to observe. I served as camera person for the day but it allowed me to observe quite a lot of the groups without having to worry about asking the right questions, etc.
What I can say about in-homes is that the information is so much richer. People are more relaxed, the other people in the group are their friends, they are in their own home or a place familiar to them, and they are just gabbing about something they're interested in. What's great about in-homes is that people get comfortable more quickly, they say a lot more, and they are able to call each other out/keep each other honest. It's very interesting how much they're willing to tell you and it's just a lot better experience than being in a facility.
Facilities tend to be less warm and welcoming, you're surrounded by people you don't know and the people viewing you are all behind this mysterious glass. With an in-home, it's very transparent. The person videotaping you is reacting to what you say, someone taking notes and just observing can actually look you in the eye, and people involved (from the agency-side) actually have to be involved. Too many times, behind the glass you can separate yourself - not pay attention, get bored, not really listen. But when you are sitting in someone's home and listening and perhaps even participating, it will have a lot more impact on you.
I think I would rather do in-homes than a facility focus group any day. But there are other ways...it could even be in a coffee shop, a bar, anywhere that is familiar to the person you're talking to. I think that environment and atmosphere is contextually very important to a person. How are they supposed to talk with ease when they're busy feeling out the new situation they've been put into with new people.
And forget it if you're trying to get through to a shy person - they won't even make it through the door because they'll be screened out well in advance!
It was just a great little view into what more I can look forward to. I feel like for now I'm a bit on the outside looking in - I see all of these things that I can do to help my brands, to engage the consumer, to learn more, but I'm not quite to the point of getting to do these things on my own. I want to approach a problem and decide what to do with it. I want to engage people in a different way and find out something amazing about them. I want to bring this information back to the agency and excite people with what I learned and what we can do with it.
I guess you can say that with the AP Conference and this research I had a whole week of "Appreciating Account Planning." Not that I didn't appreciate it before, but it's nice to have a little reminder of how much I enjoy this career that I have landed in. I worked hard to get in and that fiery passion that got me here is alive and well today.
Alright, I'll stop drooling all over Planning now... :p
Miami/AP Conference
So much has happened in the past week! Sorry for the little A/C snafu as there is so much exciting stuff that has happened this week - that was just the wrench thrown in there for excitement.
So the AP Conference was awesome. For one, I got to enjoy a sun-filled day in Miami with friends before it started. Next, the conference just had a lot of great information and inspiration for planning. I was excited to be a part of it. I also got to meet a bunch of planners that my friends work with and it was nice to put faces to names - these are all people I have heard about and felt honored to get to meet them. With everyone spread out across the country, it's really fun to bring it all together and share experiences.
Now I have created a blog just for the conference and I have written a lot about what went on. I think the best way for me to share info would be to just copy some of my posts from that blog here - sorry if it's a repeat read for anyone but I just want to touch on some highlights.
I will try to include some fun pics as well. :)
So the AP Conference was awesome. For one, I got to enjoy a sun-filled day in Miami with friends before it started. Next, the conference just had a lot of great information and inspiration for planning. I was excited to be a part of it. I also got to meet a bunch of planners that my friends work with and it was nice to put faces to names - these are all people I have heard about and felt honored to get to meet them. With everyone spread out across the country, it's really fun to bring it all together and share experiences.
Now I have created a blog just for the conference and I have written a lot about what went on. I think the best way for me to share info would be to just copy some of my posts from that blog here - sorry if it's a repeat read for anyone but I just want to touch on some highlights.
I will try to include some fun pics as well. :)
Air Conditioning Update
Alright folks, wanted to update on the air conditioning situation.
They fixed it on Friday. I spent a good portion of the day thinking about it and checking in with them to make sure they fixed it before leaving for the weekend. It was 90 degrees in my apartment and I was not willing to put up with it anymore. I actually came home during the day just to make sure that it was actually cooling down.
The air conditioner apparently needed freon. Okay, easy fix. Here's the thing - since they replaced the unit one of the previous times I was having issues with it, the thing is only about 10 months old. And let me tell ya', a 10-month old air conditioner should NOT need freon.
That's all I'm gonna say about it. It's fixed (for now) and I will be glad the day I get to rid myself of this place. Makes me sick how terrible this place is.
They fixed it on Friday. I spent a good portion of the day thinking about it and checking in with them to make sure they fixed it before leaving for the weekend. It was 90 degrees in my apartment and I was not willing to put up with it anymore. I actually came home during the day just to make sure that it was actually cooling down.
The air conditioner apparently needed freon. Okay, easy fix. Here's the thing - since they replaced the unit one of the previous times I was having issues with it, the thing is only about 10 months old. And let me tell ya', a 10-month old air conditioner should NOT need freon.
That's all I'm gonna say about it. It's fixed (for now) and I will be glad the day I get to rid myself of this place. Makes me sick how terrible this place is.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Spree
I had a great weekend in Austin.
The main reason I was going to Austin was to shop - I was badly in need of some new clothes. For some reason, my shopping trips in Dallas haven't been that successful so I wanted to go to some old faithfuls. I of course spent lots of time with family but between some eating out and Wii playing, I went to my favorite clothes shopping spots hoping for some good fortune.
And boy did I hit the jackpot. I don't often use the word "spree" when I talk about shopping but it was one...in fact, it was a shopping bonanza!! How about that?!
I'm so excited about my new clothes and just in time for my trip to Miami next week. I'm going to the Account Planning Conference next Monday through Wednesday. I'm thinking about setting up a separate blog just for that, but I'll probably import my posts to this blog because it will be three days of Planning intensity!! There should be some great learning and I'm looking forward to hearing different viewpoints on Planning.
Not only do I get to go to the conference, but I'm meeting up with several friends there. About five of us from my grad program will be converging in Miami so it will be a mini-reunion. I can't wait to share work experiences and catch up.
Overall, I'm coming off of this weekend with a glow. I had a great time, never enough, and it was a good feeling to just do things on my own time and spend the weekend with the people I love.
The main reason I was going to Austin was to shop - I was badly in need of some new clothes. For some reason, my shopping trips in Dallas haven't been that successful so I wanted to go to some old faithfuls. I of course spent lots of time with family but between some eating out and Wii playing, I went to my favorite clothes shopping spots hoping for some good fortune.
And boy did I hit the jackpot. I don't often use the word "spree" when I talk about shopping but it was one...in fact, it was a shopping bonanza!! How about that?!
I'm so excited about my new clothes and just in time for my trip to Miami next week. I'm going to the Account Planning Conference next Monday through Wednesday. I'm thinking about setting up a separate blog just for that, but I'll probably import my posts to this blog because it will be three days of Planning intensity!! There should be some great learning and I'm looking forward to hearing different viewpoints on Planning.
Not only do I get to go to the conference, but I'm meeting up with several friends there. About five of us from my grad program will be converging in Miami so it will be a mini-reunion. I can't wait to share work experiences and catch up.
Overall, I'm coming off of this weekend with a glow. I had a great time, never enough, and it was a good feeling to just do things on my own time and spend the weekend with the people I love.
Hotness Revisited
This is the newest video of Maroon 5 with Rihanna...
But let's also take a look at Maroon 5's first hit...
Why is Adam Levine so very hot??
But let's also take a look at Maroon 5's first hit...
Why is Adam Levine so very hot??
Friday, July 11, 2008
Here's What I Haven't Learned
You know, I have tried to reflect on some of the experiences I have had working as a Junior Account Planner at an ad agency. I have learned so much and as I approach my one year anniversary with the company, I am looking ahead at my goals for the future and where I stand now. Having just had my annual review, it showed me what I am doing well and what I need to work on. I appreciate the feedback because I want to learn and grow and do better.
However, I have found that there are some things from the agency that I have yet to learn that I consider essential - it's not one-sided. If I don't have the back-up of someone teaching me then it is just giving, giving, giving and all that I learn is simply what I have made of a situation. Experience has taught me so much and I think for a while that is enough. But right now I am looking for specific skills that I expect to be taught.
In school, we learned about being creative, about understanding the target, and about boiling things down into big but concise, single-minded ideas. This is a great way to learn about planning and I wouldn't expect anything less. My experience thus far in the agency has taught me the challenges of applying this learning to the work I do. As I've said before, I have worked on every client in the house at least once and by this point there are a few key accounts that I know more about.
The next step for me is taking care of an account of my own. I am currently trying to work towards that. Here's the kicker, this is where I need my agency to step in. The things that I don't know about right now are which meetings I should attend, how and when I should provide strategic feedback, and the timelines for working on projects and with teams. To me, this is information that my agency needs to be providing me, not something I will necessarily just know to do on my own.
As a junior, you are working through other planners so you are relatively removed from this process. I'm not sure how it works at most agencies, but I think the idea is to have a junior sit in with another planner in meetings to start to understand the process and understand the role of an Account Planner in those situations. This is the experience I lack.
Part of this is perhaps agency structure - do the project managers know to invite us to meetings? They set up most of the meetings with creatives. Or is it that the team needs to understand that I am working on their account and to include me - I know that one has been done. Is it that they forget to invite me and then the project is already underway? How did we get to the point where I am invited to a meeting here, a meeting there but still expected to perform? I'm sorry but I missed a few steps and you're expecting me to just know.
At this point, I am trying to push past this wall and I'm not getting the help I need. But I feel like this is such a small part of it...maybe I should be able to just figure this stuff out on my own...? A little education goes a long way and I know that if I simply knew the process from beginning to end, I would have no problem doing the work. I'm not saying I don't understand the steps and how we get from research to strategy to creative, but I'm saying I don't know when and where to show up and nobody invited me to the party.
Sure, it's all new experiences but help me out. Give me just a little nudge and I will take it further than you would expect of me. I want to do well but I need some support.
As with any challenge, find a new way to do it. If I am not given the assistance I will find a way to help myself. Onward...
However, I have found that there are some things from the agency that I have yet to learn that I consider essential - it's not one-sided. If I don't have the back-up of someone teaching me then it is just giving, giving, giving and all that I learn is simply what I have made of a situation. Experience has taught me so much and I think for a while that is enough. But right now I am looking for specific skills that I expect to be taught.
In school, we learned about being creative, about understanding the target, and about boiling things down into big but concise, single-minded ideas. This is a great way to learn about planning and I wouldn't expect anything less. My experience thus far in the agency has taught me the challenges of applying this learning to the work I do. As I've said before, I have worked on every client in the house at least once and by this point there are a few key accounts that I know more about.
The next step for me is taking care of an account of my own. I am currently trying to work towards that. Here's the kicker, this is where I need my agency to step in. The things that I don't know about right now are which meetings I should attend, how and when I should provide strategic feedback, and the timelines for working on projects and with teams. To me, this is information that my agency needs to be providing me, not something I will necessarily just know to do on my own.
As a junior, you are working through other planners so you are relatively removed from this process. I'm not sure how it works at most agencies, but I think the idea is to have a junior sit in with another planner in meetings to start to understand the process and understand the role of an Account Planner in those situations. This is the experience I lack.
Part of this is perhaps agency structure - do the project managers know to invite us to meetings? They set up most of the meetings with creatives. Or is it that the team needs to understand that I am working on their account and to include me - I know that one has been done. Is it that they forget to invite me and then the project is already underway? How did we get to the point where I am invited to a meeting here, a meeting there but still expected to perform? I'm sorry but I missed a few steps and you're expecting me to just know.
At this point, I am trying to push past this wall and I'm not getting the help I need. But I feel like this is such a small part of it...maybe I should be able to just figure this stuff out on my own...? A little education goes a long way and I know that if I simply knew the process from beginning to end, I would have no problem doing the work. I'm not saying I don't understand the steps and how we get from research to strategy to creative, but I'm saying I don't know when and where to show up and nobody invited me to the party.
Sure, it's all new experiences but help me out. Give me just a little nudge and I will take it further than you would expect of me. I want to do well but I need some support.
As with any challenge, find a new way to do it. If I am not given the assistance I will find a way to help myself. Onward...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A New Side of Research
Up until now, my main function in focus groups, interviews, etc. was more behind-the-scenes. That's fine, it helped me learn what all needed to be put in to make sure research ran smoothly and to get some good learning out.
Now that I've done all of the setting up, videotaping, organizing, and anything else you could imagine in the back room, those things come naturally to me and I don't have to think about them any more. No longer do I have to think so hard about using the camera...I just do it.
Today was a great example of finally getting to move beyond this technical back room stuff to focusing more on what was said in the interview. Sure I was behind the camera but I was looking through it at the people we were talking to.
Another thing that has helped me become more involved, besides just knowing the equipment, is my increased confidence in helping out, even on a small task. My input and opinion is valued and often, even if not solicited, is very much wanted. I know that to add something new, like a question the interviewer didn't think of or ask yet or to follow up with a thought on what was said, is to expand on the original thinking. One idea breeds more so that is always helpful. Also, the planner I went out with told me beforehand that I could interject with a question if I felt it was something that would add learning - he opened it up for me to be more involved. I really appreciated it and this is a new trend for me as my role continues to expand.
The next step will be to do more of the actual interviewing and running focus groups. I have of course done things on a small scale such as man on the street, one on ones with people we know to just get some quick scrappy research, and going with other planners that let me interview part of the time. It will just feel good to start running with projects on my own. More experience is what I need now.
On the scale of experience, a fellow planner who was actually conducting the focus groups talked about how good it felt to be able to shoot from the hip more. He didn't need a questionnaire written out, a cheat sheet to look at, he just needed to be listening and reacting and thinking of questions along the way. It was kind of cool to hear him talking about the next thing he learned, felt comfortable with, and was excited about being able to do as it shows the continual progression of a planner - the same assignment but different roles and different stages of development within those roles.
I also hear about planners, and other participants in the focus group/research experience, getting really tired of the same old thing. But when you've learned what to do and hit a plateau, maybe that's a good time to improvise and try something new. If it's getting so boring, revolutionize it.
Just keep on learning.
Now that I've done all of the setting up, videotaping, organizing, and anything else you could imagine in the back room, those things come naturally to me and I don't have to think about them any more. No longer do I have to think so hard about using the camera...I just do it.
Today was a great example of finally getting to move beyond this technical back room stuff to focusing more on what was said in the interview. Sure I was behind the camera but I was looking through it at the people we were talking to.
Another thing that has helped me become more involved, besides just knowing the equipment, is my increased confidence in helping out, even on a small task. My input and opinion is valued and often, even if not solicited, is very much wanted. I know that to add something new, like a question the interviewer didn't think of or ask yet or to follow up with a thought on what was said, is to expand on the original thinking. One idea breeds more so that is always helpful. Also, the planner I went out with told me beforehand that I could interject with a question if I felt it was something that would add learning - he opened it up for me to be more involved. I really appreciated it and this is a new trend for me as my role continues to expand.
The next step will be to do more of the actual interviewing and running focus groups. I have of course done things on a small scale such as man on the street, one on ones with people we know to just get some quick scrappy research, and going with other planners that let me interview part of the time. It will just feel good to start running with projects on my own. More experience is what I need now.
On the scale of experience, a fellow planner who was actually conducting the focus groups talked about how good it felt to be able to shoot from the hip more. He didn't need a questionnaire written out, a cheat sheet to look at, he just needed to be listening and reacting and thinking of questions along the way. It was kind of cool to hear him talking about the next thing he learned, felt comfortable with, and was excited about being able to do as it shows the continual progression of a planner - the same assignment but different roles and different stages of development within those roles.
I also hear about planners, and other participants in the focus group/research experience, getting really tired of the same old thing. But when you've learned what to do and hit a plateau, maybe that's a good time to improvise and try something new. If it's getting so boring, revolutionize it.
Just keep on learning.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Some Pretty Cool Things
Alright, it was unfortunate that another bad thing happened at my apartment because this weekend was pretty cool.
If you've been following this blog at all, you'll know that I have had quite a few problems with my apartment and I will be happy to move out soon. Unfortunately, bad stuff has continued to happen the entire time I've been here but I just stopped writing about it. The reason that today seemed so sucky was because I actually spent some time trying to fix up this dump and then it turned on me again. But I'm going to try to focus on what good I did - a lot of organizing, a thorough dusting, and tomorrow vacuuming if everything goes to plan.
So on to this weekend. It has probably been one of the funnest weekends I have had in Dallas.
On Thursday night in Addison (a day before the 4th) they had Kaboom Town. Kind of like Taste of Addison but focusing on the fireworks. I had texted a bunch of people and talked to a few peeps at work earlier in the day to see if anyone wanted to go. No takers. I have a friend that lives in Addison Circle and she mentioned something about meeting up there, but I wasn't relying on being able to see her. Now came a decision I have to make quite a lot these days - do I stay in because I have no one to go do fun things with or do I go try to make my own fun? Most of the time I opt to stay in because I find that I have a lot more fun when I'm out with others. This time, I decided I was going out.
Now I've written about eating out at a restaurant by yourself which I've never really warmed up to. That's something I still need to work on, but I think that Thursday night was a baby step in that direction. I fought the traffic, was surprised when I actually got a parking spot, made my way into the crowd and found a place to sit on the grass between families on their spread-out blankets. I got a spot near the speakers so I could hear the music. At this point I didn't know if I really had any concrete plans for the 4th, and I always like to see fireworks, so I just sat and enjoyed the fireworks to the patriotic music. I have to say, Addison puts on a good show.
After the fireworks they had an outdoor screening of Rudy. I really love the idea of seeing a movie out under the stars so I stayed to watch. I had actually never seen Rudy before so it was fun to just sit out. It was a pretty nice night and eventually I even laid back, propped my head up on my purse, and nearly fell asleep out there. One of the scenes in the movie involves a bunch of football players starting a slow clap for Rudy. Everyone in the audience played right along and started the slow clap - it was cheesy but really fun (I love cheesy things) and I just had to smile and laugh. You just have to be laid back when you're outside watching a movie.
Sure, friends would have made that even more fun but I didn't want to stay home. I was rewarded for being independent and had a really great time.
On to the 4th of July. Just a really casual gathering of friends and watching the Lewisville fireworks. It was nice to not have to make a big fuss - I wasn't cooking, I didn't have to travel too far, I didn't have to fight traffic, and I just got to enjoy good company. I especially didn't want to travel to Austin this weekend because of all the holiday traffic so I'm glad I went to a celebration that didn't involve all the hoopla.
Finally, tonight. Went out with a group of friends to see a band in a small country bar. We know the drummer, and it's always fun to know someone in the band. I love to just be silly and dance, I'm not very self-conscious about it, so it was really fun for me. I don't have too many friends who like to go out dancing here and I don't often get invited, so it was a real treat for me to go dancing. When I'm in Austin, I really like to go to a bar where everyone dances and no one has to feel embarrassed about it. When everyone's moving to the music, I bust out a few of my extra moves. Now most of the time when I dance, not a lot of people are dancing so everyone feels a little more exposed. I turn the dancing down a few notches so I don't embarrass my friends. :p I just like to be crazy and free when I'm dancing...I would say it's probably my favorite thing to do.
So it's late but I just wanted to go ahead and get this down on the old blog. I meant to blog about it today but then the printer mishap occurred. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to get it down because I'll just be doing stuff around the apartment and we all know how I feel about that! Haha. Just trying to pull through and get to the point where I get to move out of this place.
All in all, though, I had a really good time and I just really wanted to record that. I seem to have fewer and fewer things that are really making me happy these days...the last year has been rough. But I believe that's a whole other post reflecting back on my first year out in the real world.
To be continued...
If you've been following this blog at all, you'll know that I have had quite a few problems with my apartment and I will be happy to move out soon. Unfortunately, bad stuff has continued to happen the entire time I've been here but I just stopped writing about it. The reason that today seemed so sucky was because I actually spent some time trying to fix up this dump and then it turned on me again. But I'm going to try to focus on what good I did - a lot of organizing, a thorough dusting, and tomorrow vacuuming if everything goes to plan.
So on to this weekend. It has probably been one of the funnest weekends I have had in Dallas.
On Thursday night in Addison (a day before the 4th) they had Kaboom Town. Kind of like Taste of Addison but focusing on the fireworks. I had texted a bunch of people and talked to a few peeps at work earlier in the day to see if anyone wanted to go. No takers. I have a friend that lives in Addison Circle and she mentioned something about meeting up there, but I wasn't relying on being able to see her. Now came a decision I have to make quite a lot these days - do I stay in because I have no one to go do fun things with or do I go try to make my own fun? Most of the time I opt to stay in because I find that I have a lot more fun when I'm out with others. This time, I decided I was going out.
Now I've written about eating out at a restaurant by yourself which I've never really warmed up to. That's something I still need to work on, but I think that Thursday night was a baby step in that direction. I fought the traffic, was surprised when I actually got a parking spot, made my way into the crowd and found a place to sit on the grass between families on their spread-out blankets. I got a spot near the speakers so I could hear the music. At this point I didn't know if I really had any concrete plans for the 4th, and I always like to see fireworks, so I just sat and enjoyed the fireworks to the patriotic music. I have to say, Addison puts on a good show.
After the fireworks they had an outdoor screening of Rudy. I really love the idea of seeing a movie out under the stars so I stayed to watch. I had actually never seen Rudy before so it was fun to just sit out. It was a pretty nice night and eventually I even laid back, propped my head up on my purse, and nearly fell asleep out there. One of the scenes in the movie involves a bunch of football players starting a slow clap for Rudy. Everyone in the audience played right along and started the slow clap - it was cheesy but really fun (I love cheesy things) and I just had to smile and laugh. You just have to be laid back when you're outside watching a movie.
Sure, friends would have made that even more fun but I didn't want to stay home. I was rewarded for being independent and had a really great time.
On to the 4th of July. Just a really casual gathering of friends and watching the Lewisville fireworks. It was nice to not have to make a big fuss - I wasn't cooking, I didn't have to travel too far, I didn't have to fight traffic, and I just got to enjoy good company. I especially didn't want to travel to Austin this weekend because of all the holiday traffic so I'm glad I went to a celebration that didn't involve all the hoopla.
Finally, tonight. Went out with a group of friends to see a band in a small country bar. We know the drummer, and it's always fun to know someone in the band. I love to just be silly and dance, I'm not very self-conscious about it, so it was really fun for me. I don't have too many friends who like to go out dancing here and I don't often get invited, so it was a real treat for me to go dancing. When I'm in Austin, I really like to go to a bar where everyone dances and no one has to feel embarrassed about it. When everyone's moving to the music, I bust out a few of my extra moves. Now most of the time when I dance, not a lot of people are dancing so everyone feels a little more exposed. I turn the dancing down a few notches so I don't embarrass my friends. :p I just like to be crazy and free when I'm dancing...I would say it's probably my favorite thing to do.
So it's late but I just wanted to go ahead and get this down on the old blog. I meant to blog about it today but then the printer mishap occurred. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to get it down because I'll just be doing stuff around the apartment and we all know how I feel about that! Haha. Just trying to pull through and get to the point where I get to move out of this place.
All in all, though, I had a really good time and I just really wanted to record that. I seem to have fewer and fewer things that are really making me happy these days...the last year has been rough. But I believe that's a whole other post reflecting back on my first year out in the real world.
To be continued...
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Another One Bites The Dust
I'm pretty sure this apartment is cursed. I just cannot seem to do anything right here.
No, this time it wasn't an apartment-specific thing, but I'm gonna blame it anyway because this place has bad chi or karma or something. Today, it was about finally installing the printer that my mom got me for Christmas.
Yes, I understand that it has been a ridiculously long period of time that I have had this printer and not installed it. Part of me was waiting for the ink in my old printer to run out (which it just did recently) but I believe part of me knew something bad was going to happen when I tried to install this stupid thing and therefore was avoiding it.
So I'm following the directions, I'm fairly good at figuring things out intuitively, but somehow I did a misstep and it all went to hell. The directions tell you to plug in the USB cable but then not to plug it in. What I mean by that is it tells you to plug it into the printer but not into the computer. Now why tell me to plug in the USB cable but not fully plug it in - that's just stupid. Just tell me to plug it in later (like 4 steps later) when I actually need to do it. Okay, so I accidentally plugged it into my computer. Does that give the printer the right to never work? Sorry, gonna have to return this one - I plugged in the USB cable too soon!!
Well, I'm sure that wasn't really the problem. I disconnected everything, tried turning things on and off, unplugged things, and even turned my computer off and back on. The whole problem was something with the print cartridges but they were brand new (came with the printer) and I had installed them correctly.
I went ahead and loaded the software thinking perhaps I could just get the printer to "install new cartridges" as if this wasn't the first time I was doing it. After I installed, it said to test a print page. I went ahead and tried and it located one of the six cartridges as being the problem cartridge. Okay, let's take a look at that one...full of ink, inserted correctly, nothing looks damaged on the cartridge or in the printer...but it doesn't work.
At this point I feel like a caveman beating two rocks together because I am so mad that the printer cannot identify the cartridge that is obviously in there correctly and isn't damaged. I start yelling and cursing at the thing because all I wanted to do was set it up today. Why does it have to give me grief? Why does it have to be so hard?? Yaarrrghhh!!
I don't really want to go buy another ink cartridge because the one I have is perfectly fine. I also don't think this printer really sells the cartridges one at a time, but I'm only guessing about that. I can't call Customer Service because they're not open. I can't print anything until I get this fixed but that's not really how life works...well, I can always hook up my old printer. I can't just drop everything this week to call the Customer Service, which I'm sure will ask me something stupid like "did you install the cartridge correctly?" but I'll have to do it - I'll have to sit on the phone with them (mind you, I'll need to be at home to make this call) to see if they can figure out why I'm having issues. It just makes me so infuriatingly mad to not be able to get this to work. And it's a huge "I told you so" because I should have installed it months ago to make sure it worked because now I'm pretty sure I won't be able to return it. Also, if I do have to return it it means lugging it to Austin.
See, cursed. I can't do anything right. I was so on a roll this weekend too because I cleaned up my apartment (still need to vacuum but I was super proud of all I got done) and was feeling like I could get a lot of things squared away - the printer being one of them. I'm not terrible with technology but something seemingly so simple did not work for me. Cursed. I will be so glad when I finally get to move out of this dump and hopefully leave the bad karma behind. I need things to start going right again so that I don't always get my motivation squashed.
Now this beautiful printer just sits on my desk with nothing to do.
No, this time it wasn't an apartment-specific thing, but I'm gonna blame it anyway because this place has bad chi or karma or something. Today, it was about finally installing the printer that my mom got me for Christmas.
Yes, I understand that it has been a ridiculously long period of time that I have had this printer and not installed it. Part of me was waiting for the ink in my old printer to run out (which it just did recently) but I believe part of me knew something bad was going to happen when I tried to install this stupid thing and therefore was avoiding it.
So I'm following the directions, I'm fairly good at figuring things out intuitively, but somehow I did a misstep and it all went to hell. The directions tell you to plug in the USB cable but then not to plug it in. What I mean by that is it tells you to plug it into the printer but not into the computer. Now why tell me to plug in the USB cable but not fully plug it in - that's just stupid. Just tell me to plug it in later (like 4 steps later) when I actually need to do it. Okay, so I accidentally plugged it into my computer. Does that give the printer the right to never work? Sorry, gonna have to return this one - I plugged in the USB cable too soon!!
Well, I'm sure that wasn't really the problem. I disconnected everything, tried turning things on and off, unplugged things, and even turned my computer off and back on. The whole problem was something with the print cartridges but they were brand new (came with the printer) and I had installed them correctly.
I went ahead and loaded the software thinking perhaps I could just get the printer to "install new cartridges" as if this wasn't the first time I was doing it. After I installed, it said to test a print page. I went ahead and tried and it located one of the six cartridges as being the problem cartridge. Okay, let's take a look at that one...full of ink, inserted correctly, nothing looks damaged on the cartridge or in the printer...but it doesn't work.
At this point I feel like a caveman beating two rocks together because I am so mad that the printer cannot identify the cartridge that is obviously in there correctly and isn't damaged. I start yelling and cursing at the thing because all I wanted to do was set it up today. Why does it have to give me grief? Why does it have to be so hard?? Yaarrrghhh!!
I don't really want to go buy another ink cartridge because the one I have is perfectly fine. I also don't think this printer really sells the cartridges one at a time, but I'm only guessing about that. I can't call Customer Service because they're not open. I can't print anything until I get this fixed but that's not really how life works...well, I can always hook up my old printer. I can't just drop everything this week to call the Customer Service, which I'm sure will ask me something stupid like "did you install the cartridge correctly?" but I'll have to do it - I'll have to sit on the phone with them (mind you, I'll need to be at home to make this call) to see if they can figure out why I'm having issues. It just makes me so infuriatingly mad to not be able to get this to work. And it's a huge "I told you so" because I should have installed it months ago to make sure it worked because now I'm pretty sure I won't be able to return it. Also, if I do have to return it it means lugging it to Austin.
See, cursed. I can't do anything right. I was so on a roll this weekend too because I cleaned up my apartment (still need to vacuum but I was super proud of all I got done) and was feeling like I could get a lot of things squared away - the printer being one of them. I'm not terrible with technology but something seemingly so simple did not work for me. Cursed. I will be so glad when I finally get to move out of this dump and hopefully leave the bad karma behind. I need things to start going right again so that I don't always get my motivation squashed.
Now this beautiful printer just sits on my desk with nothing to do.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I Just Can't Win
And I'm not sure if I should try anymore...
Driving to work one day, I passed an elderly woman sitting outside her nursing home, basking in the sun. She looked so peaceful that I turned around and pulled in the drive near her bench to ask if I could join her. She invited me to sit and to my surprise asked, "What are you avoiding on this beautiful day?"
I was shocked. How did she know I was dreading my next appointment? I'm a social worker, and I'd been on my way to visit a client who had made me feel physically and emotionally drained for months with deceit and manipulations. It had gotten to the point where I dreaded each day I worked on the case.
When I told the woman about the situation, she said, "Sit for a little bit, then go home and turn this case over to someone else. You've done all you can do." I'd never given up on a case before, but I saw right away that she was right.
That very day, I made changes in my caseload that made my work rewarding again. I'm grateful for her wisdom - and for helping me to recognize when to let go.
Driving to work one day, I passed an elderly woman sitting outside her nursing home, basking in the sun. She looked so peaceful that I turned around and pulled in the drive near her bench to ask if I could join her. She invited me to sit and to my surprise asked, "What are you avoiding on this beautiful day?"
I was shocked. How did she know I was dreading my next appointment? I'm a social worker, and I'd been on my way to visit a client who had made me feel physically and emotionally drained for months with deceit and manipulations. It had gotten to the point where I dreaded each day I worked on the case.
When I told the woman about the situation, she said, "Sit for a little bit, then go home and turn this case over to someone else. You've done all you can do." I'd never given up on a case before, but I saw right away that she was right.
That very day, I made changes in my caseload that made my work rewarding again. I'm grateful for her wisdom - and for helping me to recognize when to let go.
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