Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy NYE, sort of.

Well, the weekend went pretty well. On Friday night, I attended a black tie gala at The Peabody Hotel in Downtown Memphis. It was a celebration for the Liberty Bowl football game that was played Saturday. The Andy Childs band did a great job with the main entertainment, playing lots of Memphis songs. Then, Taylor Hicks provided the after dinner entertainment. I stayed for a little of his performance, but not all. The dinner was great, and the atmosphere couldn't be beat.

Here's a photo from the event:















Saturday night, I attended a birthday party at Molly's Lounge. Last night, we wandered from restaurant to restaurant searching for dinner. The first place was no longer serving what we wanted to. After we sat down, the second place told us that it would be 30 minutes until the server was going to acknowledge us. The third place was just too crowded. Finally, we ended up at Sauces. I haven't been there in a while and it was pretty good-- especially considering the first 3 places.

That brings us to today: New Years Eve, 2007. Tomorrow will begin 2008 and I suppose new resolutions for most people. Since I made my resolutions at my birthday, I'm not sure that I'm going to want a lot more. But, if I did have to make one, I suppose it might be to weed people out of my life who aren't who they represent themselves to be-- and those with the wrong intentions.

On a lighter note, I'm happy to be off work tomorrow. Today will also probably be an abbreviated work day. I hope to use the two days to get a few things caught up in my life. Finally, my house is cleaned up. Next, I've got a to-do list that's about 2 months behind...

Friday, December 28, 2007

Randomness - Catch Up Post

I haven't written anything in around two weeks now. Every time I start to, there's either too much going on, or too little.

Christmas was good. I went to Oklahoma City and saw lots of friends and family. Every night I was home, I went out with a group of friends from high school. That's the first time I've ever done that when I've been back, and it was great! I definitely want to do it again. Another highlight of the trip was spending a day at my new friend Holly's farm. Holly and I went horseback riding for a few hours which was super fun.

I flew back from Oklahoma to Memphis on Christmas Day. The airport was surprisingly calm, and I was glad to be back. The only annoying part of the trip was the stupid person sitting next to me on the plane. She was one of those people who will hardly give you the courtesy of getting out of her seat to let you into yours. While I was sleeping, she started asking if I was a high school or college student in Memphis. Turns out she was taking a trip with her high school daughter, which put the entire situation in perspective. Rather than get into everything, I just said, "No, I work in Memphis." People should really work on making less assumptions. Ask something more general such as, "What do you do in Memphis?" or "What takes you to Memphis?" Although, I guess it can't be all bad when someone estimates your age to be 10 years or more less than it actually is. :~)

Let's see, since I've been back, I've worked some and rested more. Nobody's at work this week, so it's been quiet. The coolest part has been the goodie baskets that keep arriving. I spent a big part of my day yesterday just sorting through Godiva and Lindt chocolates, truffles, and snacks-- picking out my favorites.

The past few days I've also come home a little early and have taken a nap before spending time with friends. Wednesday night, I went to Spindini for dinner and last night, I went to a friend's place.

Tonight will be the fun one though. I've got a fabulous date lined up to the President's Gala for the Liberty Bowl. It's a black tie event that will be held at the Peabody with Taylor Hicks as the entertainment. Here's a little background. My only real concern is what to wear, and that's such a fun one! I can't wait.

Alright, I've sufficiently caught you up on the randomness in my life. See you again soon!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Catching Up: Email Bankruptcy

Email bankruptcy is defined as a term used to identify or explain a decision to close an e-mail account due to an overhwelming receipt of garbage messages, compared to legitimate messages.

It can also describe what just almost happened to me today. I have been doing housekeeping, and included in it was catching up on e-mails. I was returning e-mails as far back as OCTOBER!

At least it wasn't August or September, but still... I just almost had to declare e-mail bankruptcy myself!

Whew.


Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Ode to Oklahoma - Ice Paralyzes State

Alright, so a quick note is in order. As you probably know, I'm from Oklahoma and the weather has been terrible there the past few days. Everything has iced over and fallen tree limbs are causing traffic and power problems. In the worst outage in Oklahoma history, approximately 500,000 people are without power and it will remain that way for some time. Fortunately, both of my parents' power was turned back on by this morning. Unfortunately, my grandmother is still without power. In addition to the power headaches, a giant tree that was covered in ice fell on my dad yesterday. It pinned him to the ground and took a team of neighbors and an ambulance to get him out. After searching for an open doctor, he found that he has no long term injuries-- just pain, a sprained ankle, and cuts.


Just as I'm finishing this post, President Bush declared a state of emergency in Oklahoma.















Here's an article detailing the current weather situation in my hometown:


Oklahomans Sit In Dark As Ice Turns To Rain Statewide
OG&E Calls This Worst Power Outage In State History


OKLAHOMA CITY -- Many businesses and schools are closed across Oklahoma, and massive statewide power outages are as much to blame on Tuesday as ice-covered streets were on Monday. Authorities said more than 500,000 homes and businesses have lost power, and shelters are being opened across the state.


The bad news: Electric company officials said it could be a week before power is fully restored. The good news: Freezing rain that has plagued Oklahoma for two days turned to rain overnight Tuesday, as temperatures climbed above freezing.

Officials with Oklahoma Gas & Electric said they will have a better idea on Tuesday just how long the power will be out. First, crews said, they will assess how much damage has been done across the state. OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said they will target the most populated areas first.

"If we have an opportunity to restore 10,000, we'll take that first," he said.

OG&E has requested that those who lose power report the outage; however, they have asked that customers who have reported an outage not call again. They also request that people do not call them to ask when power will be restored.

At this point, officials said, they don't know.

Furthermore, a state of emergency was declared for all 77 Oklahoma counties, and a request for federal aid was approved by President George W. Bush on Tuesday morning. The emergency declaration authorizes federal resources to assist state and local governments.

Authorities have confirmed at least 15 people have died in this ice storm.

Ice disrupted flight operations and led to wrecks that killed 13 people. Freezing conditions also led to the hypothermia death of a 46-year-old Oklahoma City transient, the state medical examiner's office said. Tulsa officials also say a person died from smoke inhalation in a fire caused by the storm.

Most of the outages were in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas. Schools across the state were closed, including at the University of Oklahoma, where finals were set to start on Monday. Ice-laden trees crashed into homes and power lines.

Most morning flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City were canceled. Only one of the airport's three runways was operational. The other two were iced over. Tulsa International Airport was without power after an ice storm and a spokeswoman said it may be two days before electricity is restored.

Freezing conditions hampered crews who were battling a fire at Jones High School. Nobody was injured in the early-morning blaze, but firefighters said most of the school was destroyed.
Jones, a 2,500-person town 20 miles east of Oklahoma City, was without power and had very low water pressure because there was no electricity to power water well pumps.


A number of towns reported water problems as well, including in Norman, where city officials have asked residents to conserve water. Authorities said the city's water treatment plant lost power but that they are getting water from an emergency connection with Oklahoma City.

Four people were killed in a crash near Okemah just after 7 p.m. Sunday along Interstate 40 in Okfuskee County, police said. OHP spokeswoman Betsy Randolph said 11 vehicles were involved in the fiery crash between Okemah and Seminole. All 11 cars burned, authorities said.

One person was killed in southeast Oklahoma City when a Ford Explorer crashed head-on into a tree. Another person was badly hurt and transported to an area hospital. In all, authorities said two people were killed in Canadian and Oklahoma county crashes.

Aruna Patel, 58, of Altus, died from injuries suffered when the truck she was riding in slid into a bridge railing and then got broadsided by a sport utility vehicle Sunday on U.S. Highway 62 in Tillman County, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The highway patrol also said an Elk City woman was killed when she was partially ejected from a truck that ran off the side of Interstate 40 and rolled 1½ times. The woman was identified as 44-year-old Michele C. McDaniel.

Troopers confirmed that another woman was killed in a weather-related crash in Beckham County on Saturday.

Another crash in the Oklahoma City metro area took a fire truck out of service. Police said a car smashed into the back of the truck near northeast 23rd Street and Lincoln Boulevard.
Additionally, troopers worked 19 injury crashes and another 80 non-injury collisions. OHP continues to discourage travel due to hazardous road conditions.


The highest accumulations of ice were reported at a half-inch in Miami and Bartlesville in northeastern Oklahoma and one-third of an inch in the eastern Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City, and more pockets of freezing rain were still moving through the area, according to the National Weather Service. By the time the precipitation ends, forecasters said an inch of ice could be on roads, trees and power lines across Oklahoma City.

And that was only a preview of what was expected in the storm's second round. Another batch of ice was expected to move northward into the state overnight and continue dropping freezing rain into Monday. Up to three-quarters of an inch of ice was expected in some areas.

"(Monday) may be even more of a dilemma than today because we're going to get even a little bit more colder," John Pike, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Norman office, said Sunday.

The storm brought the cancellation of many church services, and Oklahoma State University also called off its football practice in Stillwater.

Pike said the most severe weather for Monday was expected along a line from Stillwater to Altus that would run directly through the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Slightly warmer temperatures were expected to melt some of the ice Tuesday, although rain remains in the forecast Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meteorologist Ray Sondat in the service's Tulsa office said temperatures in northeastern Oklahoma could reach into the upper 30s and even beyond 40 degrees in some areas Tuesday.

Havard Makes Going to Undergrade School a Little Cheaper

Yesterday, Harvard announced that they have officially sweetened their financial aid package for middle and upper-class students. As I mentioned this time last year, they've been considering the program in response to the criticism that elite colleges have become unaffordable for typical American students.

Undergraduates whose families make under $180,000 would be asked to pay 10% or less of their total annual incomes for a Harvard education. For example, a family making $100,000 per year would only be expected to pay around $10,000 per year-- down from their current $19,000 policy-- and WAY down from their standard tuition rate of $34,000 per year.

Harvard is setting a wonderful standard and should be commended. Family income level should not be such a determining factor for attending college in the US. At my own undergraduate school, it cost approximately $20,000 per year in tuition when I enrolled years ago. Their tuition rate for this year has made it up to $34,900 per year.

I am so happy that Harvard has decided to set the example on this one. I hope that it won't be long that the other top universities, including the Ivies, will follow suit.
For more information, check out Google News.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Weekend Recap

The weekend is just coming to a close, and boy was it a memorable one. I saw many friends, had great food, and attended wonderful parties. One high school friend came and stayed the entire weekend.

Then randomly, another high school friend called this afternoon and stopped in for dinner on his way to Virginia. He recently moved back to Oklahoma from D.C. and was sure to tell me about his latest corn dog story from Sonic.

As I mentioned yesterday, there was a party for the new feathery addition. There was also another international party that I stopped by for a few minutes on Friday night. We wrapped up Friday with disco dancing at Raiford's.

Last night included a lovely meal at Felicia Suzanne's with my neighbors. We also stopped by Swig, and EP's. Last, I ended up at the Green Beetle where I played darts for the first time ever (and won!). So fun.

So fun that I didn't get home until around the same time that I'll be getting up for work tomorrow. Crazy.

Although the weekend was wonderful, I'm back in that space again where you feel like you may need a vacation from the vacation. I've had a lot on my mind lately. I've been doing my best to stay busy, but at some point, I've started to feel like the wheels are spinning but I'm not going anywhere. It's probably time to have a little peace and quiet again.

With that, I'm going to bed.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Welcome Lars Vegas

My friend Freddie just got a new bird and last night was his big unveiling. Lars Vegas was officially baptized with Memphis water over a champagne toast last night.

Lars is a parrot whose intelligence is eventually expected to reach that of a 2 year old. Freddie has already begun to teach him new words and sounds. Apparently, he loves showering, napping, and watching Scooby Doo. That's a lot for a parrot!

Anyway, check out all the photos from Lars Vegas' baptism here.

Welcome Lars Vegas!



Wednesday, December 05, 2007

I LOVE the Internet! Facebook Privacy Petition

A few days ago, I joined a petition in Facebook called, "Facebook, stop invading my privacy!" So did around 60,000 other Facebook users.

Apparently, they were listening!

Today, the following article appeared in the Wall Street Journal:

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of Facebook Inc., apologized Wednesday for gaffes the company made in rolling out a controversial new advertising system, and said users would be able to disable the system entirely.

Facebook last week tweaked the ad program, known as Beacon, after more than 50,000 users raised privacy concerns about features that tell Facebook users what their friends are doing and buying on other Web sites.

Facebook made the changes last week without much public comment from its executives, but Mr. Zuckerberg weighed in Wednesday of Facebook's corporate blog.

"We've made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we've made even more with how we've handled them," Mr. Zuckerberg wrote. "We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it."

Mr. Zuckerberg said Facebook took too long to react to user complaints. He said Facebook is releasing a privacy control to allow users to turn off Beacon completely, and he hopes "this new privacy control addresses any remaining issues we've heard about from you."


The flurry of criticism for Beacon and Zuckerberg's mea culpa underscore the heightened scrutiny Facebook is under as its user base soars and as investment money pours in. The three-part advertising plan Facebook announced last month is an attempt to wring a financial bonanza from its devoted users, but it's increasingly clear Facebook's road to marketing riches will be bumpy.

Mr. Zuckerberg said he hopes the change to Beacon "addresses any remaining issues we've heard about from you." But Facebook's move wasn't enough for some critics.


"This is an attempt to hope the privacy mob will simply disappear into the digital ozone," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, which is advocating tighter regulatory oversight for marketing on social networks and other online properties.

Mr. Chester said Facebook shouldn't include its users in Beacon unless they expressly indicate they want to participate.


More broadly, Mr. Chester said he's worried about the amount of information people share on social networks - including names and addresses, political affiliation and other sensitive data - and the Web sites' increasing efforts to tie marketing to that information.

Both Facebook and MySpace have announced recently new marketing schemes that target ads based on the interests people indicate on their profiles. MySpace parent company News Corp. is slated to acquire Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Left and Right Brained

Suprise-- I'm 1/2 left brained and 1/2 right brained...!





You Are 45% Left Brained, 55% Right Brained



The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.

Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.

If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.

Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.

Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.

If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.

Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

And Then There Was Raiford's...

Last night was another good night. The crew met up at Swig and then headed to Molly's Lounge. Lastly, we stopped at Raiford's. It was a great night with great friends!

Check out the photos here.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Elf Yourself

Haha- I'm an elf!! Office Max has created a fantastic Internet marketing site! Check out my little dance here.

Friday Update

Well, it's been practically a week since I wrote an update.... so here goes nothing... I drove back to Memphis on Sunday night and the week has been a blurr since then.

It's been a week filled with happy hours and news from friends. I've hardly had any time at home and actually only because I woke up 1/2 an hour early this morning have I been able to write this blog or finally start doing laundry. Last night, I didn't get home until around 11 PM and I walked straight to my bed and went to sleep until this morning. That's been the pattern I've repeated every day.

I don't think I've even watched any TV. I did however hook up Guitar Hero, which I recommend highly! As I mentioned, I finally learned to play over the weekend and now I've been able to set up my own game.

On friend news-- One of my close friends accepted a job this week in Atlanta, so he'll be moving there. He's going to be starting an entirely new life, and I get the sense that he's really going to like it. I'm hoping that I may be able to visit! Other friends told me stories of being stranded in a foreign country with no passport...of new events...and life changing moments. All in all, it's been a good week!

Tonight, I'm going to have another go at happy hour-- and will be meeting up with friends again after work. This may turn into a Raiford's night, seeing as the Atlanta friend will be soon moving.
Tomorrow, I'm going to do my best to be up and presentable by 8 AM. The St. Jude Half Marathon is in the morning and 3 of my friends are running in it. I'm hoping to find another person who wants to watch for a few minutes and then go have breakfast. Hopefully, the bulk of the day tomorrow will be productive, but really... it seems as if when it's the most important to be productive is when the least gets done. Tomorrow night, I'll be attending a friend's birthday dinner and party.

I'm very excited about Sunday! After my last post regarding horseback riding, I found a coach! I start on Sunday afternoon.

Well, that's the summary of the week. Paul reposted a link to a great article in the Commercial Appeal about The Warehouse. This is such a cool place and right down the street from me, so I thought I'd share.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thanksgiving Recap: Horses, Food, and Family

I just woke up, but before I jump back on the road to head to Memphis, it's time for a re-cap of the weekend. As mentioned previously, I've been in Oklahoma City this Thanksgiving holiday.

The first part of the weekend, I spent with one half of my family in OKC. We had Thanksgiving dinner, went shopping, and I went to the spa (see previous post).

Yesterday, I went to Shawnee, OK and spent the day with my family there. We started with lunch and then went to a farm to go horseback riding. I haven't been in quite a few years, so I had a fun time. After riding, we went to a cool new pub called Knuckles where I lost in pool against my little brother. My brothers were once so tiny that they'd lay across the pool table to take a shot, but no more. They're fully capable of beating me in almost everything now and it SUCKS! ha. After pool, we went to visit one of my brothers' friends who LOVES to play Guitar Hero. Together, they taught me to play, so now I'm ready to set up the Guitar Hero game that I got for my birthday. Looking forward to it!
Here are a few photos.















Friday, November 23, 2007

A Little About Where I Grew Up: Moore, Oklahoma

I've gotten quite a few questions this week about my hometown of Moore, Oklahoma. I was planning to mention it today since it's so cold that it may snow tomorrow. But, with all the questions, lets just give a few facts.

Moore is located just south of Oklahoma City and north of Norman, Oklahoma. It was founded during the Oklahoma land-run of 1889. The land run was when the unassigned lands of Indian territory were opened up for citizens who could race out and stake which land they wanted to own. Those who snuck onto the land early were called "Sooners", which nowdays you see on TV as the mascot for the University of Oklahoma.

Now, Moore has approximately 50,000 people. When I lived there, it had 2 high schools, but I guess this year they're building a 3rd. They also have 5 junior highs and 21 elementary schools. According to Wikiepdia, it's within a 20 minute drive to downtown Oklahoma City, the OK capital, the OKC airport, the Air Force base here, and OU.

One of the most important things to note is that the city gets a freaking ton of tornados-- some of the worst. If you've ever seen Twister, you know what I'm getting at. In 1999, the most violent tornado ever measured on Earth happened here. I was in NY at the time and watched the whole thing unfold on CNN. It's an important thing to note because it leveled practically half of the city and caused around $1.1 Billion in damage. This is one of reasons why I'm lost half the time I'm here!

A few notable people who grew up here include Kellie Coffey and Toby Keith.

One of the questions I've gotten a few times lately is 'what do you like to eat when you go home?' It's a tough one, but here are a few suggestions:

> Fried peaches with extra cream cheese dipping sauce at Harry Bear'x
> Chicken fried steak sandwich supreme at Del Rancho
> Cherry limeade slush and cheddar peppers with ranch dressing at Sonic
> The sopapilas at any Mexican place
> Chicken nuggets at Grandy's
> Hot fudge carmel sundae with butter pecan icecream from Braum's
> Sugar cookies with THICK icing from Darlene's Cakes
> A peaches and cream snow cone during the summer at any vendor

So, that should be enough to get you started. Avoid the wind and happy eating!

Black Friday

Amazingly, I actually went out shopping today. This is pretty much a first for me, as I generally stay as far from the malls as possible on the day after Thanksgiving.

But, I went ahead and braved the crowds today to opt for planning ahead. I purchased gifts for my 3 nieces, 1 nephew, and my twin brothers. On top of that, I found a wristlet for me.

You might be suprised, but I did all of this shopping in under 2 hours. Shopping malls are just not my favorite place!

I made an interesting discovery when I stopped by a western store on the way home. I went in looking for a country belt and came out with something completely different: Lucky t-shirts. The country store was PACKED full of Lucky jeans, Lucky t-shirts, and Lucky dress shirts.

They were all priced at around 25% of their normal retail price. I was just amazed. In California, Lucky is like a stylish version of the Gap. It's where you go for $100 jeans, instead of $200 jeans. They're also relatively alternative looking for many people...

On that topic, they sell quite a few mens shirts that look like old style cowboy shirts. In LA, the stylish guys wear these shirts with their expensive jeans and designer shoes. Apparently, in Oklahoma cowboys actually wear the shirts with cowboy boots.

Wow, so anyway... that was an interesting find. I picked up two Lucky deals!

Angie's Favorite Spa Recommendations

Today, I did what I do just about every time I visit Oklahoma-- I wondered where I could find a good spa. I luckily thought to call my little brother, who in turn asked one of his friends. Considering that my brother is in high school, he was not too happy about my request this morning (especially since he was still in bed at noon when I called).

Thank goodness though because her recommendation was amazing! I had a wonderful day at the spa. It was especially impressive considering I called very last minute and it's a holiday for many people. I had two treatments, including a great massage. Afterward, they offered wine! Now, that's my kind of place. :~)

With all this said, here are a few of my favorite spa recommendations:

Cottonwood Spa, Edmond, OK - This is the great spa that I went to today. The spa is clean and modern. The staff is professional and does a great job. They also have a gift shop and hair salon. It's an all around good experience that I recommend if you're in Oklahoma City.

Gould's Spa at the Peabody, Memphis, TN - This is the spa where I'm a regular. I go here for everything from a manicure and pedicure to a facial to a massage. It's a nice and convenient facility if you live in or are visiting Downtown Memphis. It's located in the bottom of the Peabody Hotel, which is one of my favorite locations in Memphis. I enjoy visiting the spa on my day off and then after, walking up to sit in the lobby and people watch. In the Peabody, everyone's always happy. ;-)

Le Petit Retreat, Los Angeles, CA - Probably the best massage I've ever had was received at Let Petit Retreat in Los Angeles. It's a small facility with service that is unparalleled by any typical spa. When you arrive for a massage, they seat you on a comfortable couch in a room with soft drinks and snacks and put a warm pad on your shoulders. Before you even make it to the massage, you're relaxed. Then, the masseuse takes you into a wonderful tent / cabana that sits outdoors for the treatment. It's very unique and completely worth trying. I recommend the hot stone massage here.

Burke Williams, Santa Monica, CA - Burke Williams is a wonderful spa that offers consistent and available service. With a huge facility, many different treatment options, and plenty of staff, you could spend days at Burke Williams. Their locker rooms and relaxation areas are unparalleled. They almost always have openings. This is a great option if you're booking something for a group, last minute, or if you want to have a large selection of treatment options. When you call for an appointment, be sure to notice how streamlined their process is. They have one number for all of their locations and the person taking your order is completely on top of things.

Hotel Botanico and The Oriental Spa Garden, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain - Hands down, if you ever want to make a vacation out of a spa, go here! The entire hotel is built around the spa experience with around 5 different types of saunas, multiple pools, treatment areas, and more. They have all sorts of equipment and machines that I've never seen in the US. It's just an overall wonderful, relaxing experience. My only caution is that you may not speak the same language as anyone there... not that this is normally an issue, but it did create a few interesting stories from my trip.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Recommendation Needed: Memphis Horseback Riding Trainer

I need your help: I'm currently in the process of finding a new barn to ride horses at. Unfortunately, because Memphis is much less country than Nashville, there aren't many places to do this. There are places like Shelby Farms that give trail rides, but that's not quite what I'm looking for.

What I am looking for is this: A barn and a coach that offer English riding lessons, including jumping (i.e. hunt seat). I'd like a place that has healthy horses that can be used for the lessons.

They also need to be sure to have an indoor arena for cold or windy days. I'm hoping to find something tucked away in Germantown or Collierville. Surely there's something, right?

So far, I've looked on the American Quarter Horse Association site, and other sites geared toward either tack or English style riding. Great sites, unfortunately no mention of a coach in Memphis.

As you may have noticed, this isn't my first rodeo. :~) I rode horses growing up in Oklahoma and then continued through college. It's been around 5 years now since I stopped and the time has come to get back into it!

So, I need your help! It must be out there. There are most certainly Memphians jumping their horses! If you hear of something, please contact me at horseback@angiedawn.net.

Thank you!!
Angie

Thanks and Giving

To my surprise, I'm in Oklahoma City yesterday evening. At the last minute, I decided to come here for Thanksgiving with my family. I'm very much looking forward to it. I remembered to bring a bottle of wine, which hopefully I won't forget in my suitcase! (hint)

Anyway, the drive here was much more pleasant than normal-- significantly so. One of my friends from high recently moved to Arkansas, around midway between Memphis and OKC. I stopped at his place on the way and he drove the rest of the way. It was perfect!

More to come later...


Sunday, November 18, 2007

New Year, New Goals

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a birthday recently. Thanks to everyone who made it out or sent their well wishes. It was one of the best birthdays ever!



In all, around 30 people joined me in my celebration which snaked along the Downtown Memphis trolley from Harry's Detour to Circa to EP's Delta Kitchen to Earnestine & Hazel's. It was wonderful!


Because I'm getting older this year, I've been thinking about the goals I'd like to acheive this year. My biggest goal is to try new things and to devote a significant amount of time to being happy. That's fairly general, I know. But, I've spent the better part of the last 10 years trying to "achieve." I'm finally to a place where I'd like to "enjoy!"


Along those lines, I'd also like to take more time to get back into things I haven't done in a while like horseback riding. I'd like to take more time to travel. I'm considering even trading in my practical car for something sporty.


And, after having fun and enjoying, I'd also like to document! In other words, I'll try to blog more and take and share more photos.


Along those lines, I'm going to go ahead and post photos of my early years to Facebook, and maybe here. For starters, here's me enjoying my first birthday and doing what I do best, eating!


Thursday, November 08, 2007

Birthday Wishes

Thanks Paul for mentioning me on your blog twice this week. Yes, it is in fact my birthday coming up-- and in preparation, here's a fun article from CNN.com:

Approaching 30 can cause angst for some twentysomethings. But for Jen MacNeil, it was a reason to celebrate her life and try some pretty cool things. MacNeil decided to give her 20s a big sendoff by doing one new thing every day from her 29th birthday until the day she turns 30.The things she says she has tried range from giving someone a haircut and learning to fold fancy napkins to castrating a calf (which she says isn't as gory as it sounds) and serenading an overworked customer service representative. Some of her favorite experiences include adopting an endangered species (a blue-footed booby), culturing organic honey by using a chainsaw and attending an Al-Anon meeting. Of course, being featured on CNN makes the list, too.MacNeil documents all of her adventures and misadventures on her blog: In the New. She gets hundreds of readers from all over the world, inspiring people to step outside their comfort zones. As she says on her blog, "Life is short, let's make it interesting."

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Comcast Sucks

If you live in Downtown Memphis and use Comcast to get a high speed Internet connection, you may have noticed that Microsoft Outlook stopped working properly after Friday of last week.

This happened for those who are using their own email address (anything@randomdomain.com) and sending it out through Microsoft Outlook.

After much trouble shooting the past days and calling Comcast twice, I was able to debug the problem. Please note that Comcast was no help in this process; they refuse to answer questions if you are using your own e-mail. My question to them was, "has anything changed on your end?" This seems reasonable.

Everything on my end was working properly. I rebooted multiple times, I restarted my wireless router and my cable modem, I set up my email on a seperate computer, I tried sending out through different mail accounts, etc. There were no signs for the problem.

But of course, the problem wasn't me. It was Comcast. Comcast decided to change their e-mail settings over the weekend, and they did not communicate those changes to their customers... even when their customer (me) called twice.
If you have been having trouble sending e-mail for the reasons listed above, here are the steps to change Outlook, so that it will work again.

Happy troubleshooting!

Step 1: Open Outlook
Step 2: From the menu at the top, select “Tools” --> “Email Accounts”
Step 3: Select the “View or change existing e-mail accounts” radio button, then select “Next”


Step 4: Click the “Change” button
Step 5: Type “smtp.comcast.net” into the “Outgoing mail server” field (I whited out my entries for the other fields, but they should remain as they are today—with your own email information, such as anything@randomdomain.com)

Step 6: Click the “More Settings …” button
Step 7: Click the “Outgoing Server” tab
Step 8: Click the “My outgoing server requires authentication” box
Step 9: Select the “Log on using” radio button
Step 10: Type in your COMCAST user name and your COMCAST password. You may have to call them to get this information. Their number is 901-259-2225.
Step 11: Click the "Advanced"
Step 12: Type "587" into the "Outgoing server" box
Step 11: Click “OK”
Step 12: Click “Next >”
Step 13: Click “Finish”
After you complete these steps, your e-mail should work again! Good luck. :-)

Monday, October 01, 2007

Parvez Michel Taj Lands Artwork wtih Crate and Barrel's CB2

Congratulations to Parvez! I opened up my CB2 catalog from Crate and Barrel today only to recognize Parvez's latest artwork!

I've mentioned before in my blog that Parvez is an artist who won the Pepperdine business plan competition with his idea to create limited edition prints for folks in the young professional demographic.

Check out his own site here: http://www.parvezmichel.com/home.html

Check out his work on the CB2 site here: http://www.cb2.com/search.aspx?query=parvez

Check it out. I recommend Parvez's work highly!


Friday, September 28, 2007

My Favorite Harveys Seatbelt Bag on Zappos

Zappos.com is finally caring my very favorite bag: The Harveys Original Seatbelt Bag!
I bought this bag this time last year in Santa Barbara and people continue to flag me down on the street to ask where I found it.

It's a great bag; durable, holds everything, and looks cute!


A New Site: Snappy Greetings . com

I saw a fun site today I thought I'd share: SnappyGreetings.com. It's a site where you can send funny messages to your friends' phones. Check it out.

It appears these folks are also the ones producing a video on YouTube that touches on the upcoming mayoral election in Memphis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN6U-sw_Xoc.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

8 Health Benefits of Drinking Wine

Here's a good article that I found today in October's Food & Wine magazine. While you're reading it, be sure to note that they're generally talking about red wine, and 1-2 four oz. glasses per day.

Every year, there is a flurry of headlines about the health benefits of wine. But can drinking wine really make a difference? Here, the news—very good news, indeed—from the latest studies. Note: The health benefits come from moderate wine consumption, defined by the American Heart Association as one to two four-ounce glasses a day.

By Christine Quinlan

The Benefit: Promotes Longevity
The Evidence: Wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers.
Source: a Finnish study of 2,468 men over a 29-year period, published in the Journals of Gerontology, 2007.

The Benefit: Reduces Heart-Attack Risk
The Evidence: Moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers.
Source: a 16-year Harvard School of Public Health study of 11,711 men, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
The Evidence: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines.
Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006.

The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
The Evidence: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes.
Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam's VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke
The Evidence: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol.
Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts
The Evidence: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer.
Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer
The Evidence: Moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent.
Source: a Stony Brook University study of 2,291 individuals over a four-year period, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005.

The Benefit: Slows Brain Decline
The Evidence: Brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers.
Source: a Columbia University study of 1,416 people, published in Neuroepidemiology, 2006.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Halloween Custumes from BuyCostumes.com

Halloween is just around the corner. If you're looking for a costume, be sure to check out BuyCostumes.com.

They offer free shipping and up to 90% off their products.

Check it out--

Up to 90% OFF Clearance Items at BuyCostumes.com

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Email From Raiford's

Raiford's emailed me tonight and asked me to pass the word along... Here's the message:

Hi Angie,

Raiford’s is coming back with Raiford himself.
The 40’s, the music, the lights, Paula, the limo and RAIFORD spinning the
tunes!! So pass the word. We go for our beer license on Sept 19th
and could really use the support of people in the area as well as those that
partied there. Hopefully the club will be re-opened the last weekend in
September. Stop by if you see us working there to sign our petition of
support. Thanks!

Donna



Wednesday, September 05, 2007

I Have Raiford's News!!

Okay, listen up! I have news. :~)
Raiford's may be coming back-- or at least something in the Raiford's spot!
Why do I say this? Two reasons:

1. Someone has applied for a liquor license for the old Raiford's building. This is clearly an undeniable sign.

2. All of the building's outside lights are on-- including the Christmas lights that outline the Raiford's sign. This is definitely a change. I drove past Raiford's just a few days ago and noticed how dark it was with all of the windows boarded up and with the lights off.

The lights are back on! Yah!

Does anyone know if it will be Raiford's or something new? We definitely need another dance club Downtown. Raiford's has been sadly missed.


(Me & Jessica @ Raiford's -- 20's Themed Birthday Event)

Update: I saw Raiford's daughter at EP's tonight. With the nodd of her head, she told a friend that they'd be opening back up. On my way home, I got a photo of the posting outside. I'll share that soon!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Drugstore.com: Buy one get one free event through August 31st

Drugstore.com is having a buy one, get one free event from now until August 31st. Check it out!

If you haven't tried ordering these sorts of products online before, you should. The selection is almost always better, you can order from your living room, and it's a huge relief (that you didn't have to fight through traffic, kids, and shopping carts) when the box shows up.

Don't forget, its free shipping. There are also free samples and gifts.

drugstore.com, inc.

Many parents now get domain names for kids too young to type

I found an article this morning that brings me back to a topic that I've been discussing for a while: the way in which our increased comfort level with sharing information on the Internet will shape future generations.

This goes back to the idea of publishing photos of a child's ultrasound, their birth, their first steps, first day of school, first haircut-- all the way up to the day they pack up and move off to college. I can't image what the world would be like if today, I could pull up an entire archived history of all of my friends online. But at some point that will be the case because, that's the direction that we're going in.

Here's a link to one of my previous posts on the same topic.

Below is part of the article that I found today on CNN.com. Apparently, some parents are selecting the names for their children according to whether or not the domain name is available. Since there are roughly 300 people in the US with my exact same name, I own all of the (most important-- .com, .net, .org) domain names that have my name in them. Clearly, the other 299 Angela's are out of luck.

At any rate, this is an interesting trend for two reasons: First, have we moved to the point of awareness of technology as a society that checking for a domain name is right up there with purchasing a baby car seat for the ride home from the hospital? Second, think of the creative names that will exist in the next ten years. As businesses have attempted to always own their domain names, new businesses have had to be more and more creative. No longer can you just be the only ABC Cleaner in town; now you want to be the only one-- period. If parents are buying domain names for their unborn children, it's only a matter of time before the same thing is happening with children's names.

To get your very own baby domain name, click here to go to GoDaddy.com.

Anyhow, here's the article:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Besides leaving the hospital with a birth certificate and a clean bill of health, baby Mila Belle Howells got something she won't likely use herself for several years: her very own Internet domain name.

Likewise newborn Bennett Pankow joined his four older siblings in getting his own Internet moniker. In fact, before naming his child, Mark Pankow checked to make sure "BennettPankow.com" hadn't already been claimed.

"One of the criteria was, if we liked the name, the domain had to be available," Pankow said. It was, and Pankow quickly grabbed Bennett's online identity.

A small but growing number of parents are getting domain names for their young kids, long before they can do more than peck aimlessly at a keyboard.
It's not known exactly how many, but the practice is no longer limited to parents in Web design or information technology.

They worry that the name of choice might not be available by the time their babies become teens or adults, just as someone claimed the ".com" for Britney Spears' 11-month-old son before she could.

The trend hints at the potential importance of domain names in establishing one's future digital identity.

Think of how much a typical teen's online life now revolves around Facebook or News Corp.'s MySpace. Imagine if one day the domain could take you directly to those social-networking profiles, blogs, photo albums and more.
"It is the starting point for your online identity," said Warren Adelman, president of registration company GoDaddy.com Inc., which sells basic domain name packages for about $9 a year. "We do believe the domain name is the foundation upon which all the other Internet services are based."
Hundreds of companies sell domain names with suffixes like ".com," ".org" and ".info," which individuals can then link to personal Web sites and e-mail accounts. Parents simply visit one of those companies' Web sites, search for the name they want and, if no one else has claimed it yet, buy it on the spot with a credit card.

There's no guarantee, though, that domain names will have as central a role in online identity. After all, with search engines getting smarter, Internet users can simply type the name of a person into Google.

"Given the pace of change on the Internet, it strikes me as a pretty impressive leap of faith that we're going to use exactly the same system and the same tools ... 15 to 20 years from today," said Peter Grunwald, whose Grunwald Associates firm specializes in researching kids and technology.
Still, even if the effort is for naught, $9 a year is cheap compared with the cost of diapers and college tuition.

Besides providing an easy-to-remember Web address, the domain name makes possible e-mail addresses without awkward numbers -- as in "JohnSmith24", because 23 other John Smiths had beaten your child to Google Inc.'s Gmail service.

Parents not ready to commit or knowledgeable enough on how to buy a domain, though, are at least trying their luck with Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail or Gmail.

Melissa Coleman of Springfield, Massachusetts, grabbed Hotmail addresses for her two kids. She said the kids' grandparents occasionally send e-greeting cards to those accounts, and she sends thank you notes for gifts in her child's voice.

"I think it's great that it's so loud and that it came with an actual WORKING MICROPHONE ... and I'm not sure what `annoying' means, but I'm sure it means that Mommy loves it too!!!!," read one message to Grandpa.

She said she logs in at least once every month to keep the accounts active and plans to save all messages for when her children get older.

Tony Howells, a business consultant in Salt Lake City, Utah, got a Gmail address along with the domain name for his daughter, believing people would enjoy seeing "an e-mail address pop up for an 8-month-old who is obviously not equipped to use it."

Although some parents have yet to use the domain names they've bought, others are sending visitors to baby photos, blogs and other personal sites. Domain name owners have a variety of options to have their personal sites hosted, typically for free or less than $10 a month. They include baby-geared services like TotSites.com and BabyHomePages.net.

Theresa Pinder initially received a domain name as a Christmas gift from her son's godparents and gives it out to friends and family who want updates.

"People are like, `Wow. He already has his own Web site,"' said Pinder, a physician assistant in Phoenix.

There are downsides to all this, though: An easy-to-remember domain also makes a child easier for strangers to find. Chances are one only needs to know a child's name and add ".com."

Pankow, a database administrator in Phoenix, said that was one concern keeping him from using the domains he bought for his five children, including a 9-year-old daughter.

"I'd want to research and try to figure out how easy it is to find out what school she goes to and where she lives" based on the Web site and domain name, Pankow said.

GoDaddy and many other registration companies offer proxy services that let domain name buyers register anonymously. Otherwise, the person's name, address and other contact information are publicly searchable.

Notwithstanding the privacy concerns, Adelman said domain names for kids have become more and more popular as parents start to get domains for their business or family and realize how difficult it is to find ".com" names not yet claimed.

But the numbers are still relatively low. Our Baby Homepage, which lets parents set up personal baby pages with photos and greetings, says only 10 percent of its customers have bought their own domains. A similar service, Baby's First Site, considered selling domains for parents but didn't get much interest.

Brian Vannoy, founder of TotSites, said parents might need more lessons on safety measures such as how to password-protect sites. But he believes the hurdles can be overcome once parents who are less-savvy about technology see the benefits.

"It's easy to remember," Vannoy said. "Everybody knows the new baby's name."


Friday, August 24, 2007

Two Thumbs Up for George Hotz and CNN.com

CNN.com has listed me at the very top of their blogroll for stories relating the George Hotz and his iPhone conversion!

Two thumbs up to CNN.com for their *excellent* reporting!!

Check it out here: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/08/24/iphone.unlocked.ap/index.html?eref=rss_tech

Scroll down under "From the Blogs" and look for "Angie's Adventures."

Yah George Hotz! Can't wait for my iPhone.

Yah! Teen Gives It to the Man Behind iPhone

I just love technology. What I love even more though is how much information and hard work can put the little guy on the same playing field as the big hitter. That's what's great about the Internet.

Check out the article below to learn about how George Hotz untethered his iPhone from AT&T. It can now be used on T-Mobile and out of the country.

He's also posted instructions on his blog for how you can convert your iPhone. Check it out here: http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/.

Congrats George! This is quite impressive. Do your best to roll this into a college scholarship and high paying jobs!

Original article from http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/08/24/iphone.unlocked.ap/index.html:

NEW YORK (AP) -- A teenager in New Jersey has broken the lock that ties Apple's iPhone to AT&T's wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones.

George Hotz, 17, confirmed Friday that he had unlocked an iPhone and was using it on T-Mobile's network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from San Antonio-based AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone's cellular technology.

While the possibility of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile may not be a major development for U.S. consumers, it opens up the iPhone for use on the networks of overseas carriers.

"That's the big thing," said Hotz, in a phone interview from his home in Glen Rock.

The phone, which combines an innovative touch-screen interface with the media-playing abilities of the iPod, is sold only in the U.S.

AT&T Inc. spokesman Mark Siegel said the company had no comment, and referred questions to Apple. A call to Apple was not immediately returned. Hotz said the companies had not been in touch with him.

The hack, which Hotz posted Thursday to his blog, is complicated and requires skill with both soldering and software. It takes about two hours to perform. Since the details are public, it seems likely that a small industry may spring up to buy U.S. iPhones, unlock them and send them overseas.

"That's exactly, like, what I don't want," Hotz said. "I don't want people making money off this."
He said he wished he could make the instructions simpler, so users could modify the phones themselves.

"But that's the simplest I could make them," Hotz said.

The modification leaves the iPhone's many functions, including a built-in camera and the ability to access Wi-Fi networks, intact. The only thing that won't work is the "visual voicemail" feature, which shows voice messages as if they were incoming e-mail.

Hotz collaborated online with four other people, two of them in Russia, to develop the unlocking process.

"Then there are two guys who I think are somewhere U.S.-side," Hotz said. He knows them only by their online handles.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

OH MY! Corky's BBQ on QVC

Ummmm....... first off, let's be clear: I do not watch QVC. :~)

Okay, now that that's out of the way: I was channel surfing this evening and saw a "cooking show" on TV. When I stopped, I quickly recognized the guy cooking as the Corky's BBQ guy.

Then, a few seconds later, I realized I was watching QVC. At first, I thought maybe the item for sale was some kind of barbecue grill or something.

Then I realized that nope, it's actually just barbecue! 5 lbs of ribs for around $50.

Here's a link to the barbecue on the QVC site. They even carry BBQ meatballs. Does Corky's normally make meatballs??

If you're like me, you'll likely be going directly to Corky's site when you want to send ribs to your friends and family: http://www.corkysbbq.com/.

STRANGE!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

AIM Fight

Really quick-- Check out this new AIM feature, AIM Fight. It allows you to compare the number of connections you have compared to others.



http://aimfight.com/

Monday, July 30, 2007

NWA Strikes Again

A follow up to my previous NWA post...

I'm heading out to Newark on Friday night for a college friend's wedding. NWA called and left a message on my cell phone yesterday to let me know my flight tomorrow is canceled.

Is it really that hard to schedule your flights? C'mon!


When I called in, the first person I spoke with wanted to charge me $50+$5+12,500 frequent flier miles to change the first part of my reservation that wasn't affected. On one hand, this makes sense. On the other, they just canceled the return leg of my flight... the least they could do is be flexible when they're expecting me to be!

Since we did we all become cartoons...?

In the past week, there's been a huge influx of Myspacers and Facebook-kids using Simpon like cartoons on their profiles.

What happened...?

Despite my lack of insight into this trend, I'm going to post my very own cartoon self for your viewing pleasure...

Thanks Andy for making this little thing for me almost 10 years ago or something. If only I had a bigger version of it!

Friday, July 20, 2007

NWA - Give me a break!!

I was checking ticket prices on NWA this morning when I saw this screen, "nwa.com Reservations is temporarily unavailable. We are upgrading our site."

All I can say to this is, give me a break! Who upgrades their site at 10 AM on a business day? This is their #1 source of revenue and now, customers can't purchase their product. It's especially bad considering that this is peak travel season.

I understanding these upgrades in the middle of the night on Saturday or Sunday, but most definitely not in the morning on a Friday...




Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Call for Entries for Green-themed Webisode Writing Contest

You may have already received this e-mail-- One of my Pepperdine MBA professors, Molly Lavik, is the Founder of Mentorography. I had her for quite a few courses, including Marketing, different entrepreneurial classes, and Not for Profit Consulting. She is putting on the contest below and is partnering with Net Impact to do it. It looks like Guy Kawasaki will also be one of the judges!

If you're interested, be sure to check it out!

:~) Angie

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

Join this Contest!
Potentially earn $1000 through writing a 30-second Webisode!
Get into writing for the web! Be part of the green movement!
Invent a better world today! All at the same time!

Click here to view the contest details and rules.

"The Commuter Pod" Cartoon Write the Next Webisode Contest is a skills-based writing competition in which participants submit an original storyline script to be eligible to potentially be selected as the winner. "The Commuter Pod" has an entrepreneurial storyline about the development of an eco-friendly car of the future that is 100% recyclable and runs on alternative energy. Storyline Submissions are due by August 9, 2007. The winning entry for the contest will have the opportunity to enter a contract which provides for payment of $1,000 in consideration for writing the next webisode for "The Commuter Pod" and the winning participant will be featured on www.StartupTime.com as well as receive additional publicity. One of the judges of the contest is Guy Kawasaki, the author of The Art of the Start and managing director of Garage Technology Ventures. He is also the co-founder of Truemors, a website that enables people to post news, rumors, and stories in order to "tell the world." The contest is produced by Mentorography, Inc. and sponsored by O.N.E. World Enterprises the makers of O.N.E. 100% Coconut Water and O.N.E. Amazon Acai. StartupTime's strategic partners include Plenty, BrainReactions and Writers Boot Camp.



Sunday, July 01, 2007

Wow, two weeks!

Wow, it's been roughly two weeks since I last posted! To those of you who periodically check my blog, I apologize for the lack of new content!

I've been SUUUUPER busy the past few weeks-- just running around at some kind of warp speed.

Anyway, I'm still here... just a little preoccupied.

Be back soon!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Friday Morning Update

Alright, I haven't taken the time to write an update about myself in a while, so here it goes...

Yesterday was one of the longer social days I've had in a while. In fact, I may stay home tonight just to recharge.

The day started off normally with work in the morning. By lunch however, everything changed. My work had a suite reserved for us at the Redbirds game. It was nice to walk down and watch a baseball game in the middle of the day. The best part was the food-- they had tasty snacks for us.

I left the game at the beginning of the 8th inning. My attention span is just only so long and I knew that I had a long day ahead of me, so I went back to the office. When I got back, I had an exciting idea that I started to pursue... and got so involved that I almost ended up missing my next activity.

After an hour, I headed down to the Residence Inn by Marriott that's located in Downtown Memphis. They had a rooftop party set up for us-- and more snacks! I adore that hotel; it's where I stayed when I moved back to Memphis in September. I think it used to be apartments or something because each unit has such a unique feel. I like Residence Inns normally anyway, but this one is better. And, they have free food and drinks... :-)

It was incredibly HOT yesterday afternoon, especially on the roof of a building, next to a grill and in the sun. I headed home to shower and prepare for the next leg of my evening. I switched into a new dress I recently found and headed up to my rooftop to visit my neighbors before heading on.

I went down to the Memphis Arts Council reception at the new Westin hotel. I could see by the reaction of the staff that they're starting to recognize me. Ha! (I may be back tonight, but as I said... we'll see how I'm feeling.) Anyway, the Memphis Arts Council event was fabulous! I met a few new people, reconnected with old ones, and enjoyed more food and drinks. :-)
While I was at the Arts Council event, one woman stopped me to ask where I'd found my dress. I told her that I found it online. She wanted the name of the website. I actually don't even remember where it came from. I found it on one site and compared prices and bought it from the place where I could get the best deal. She thought I was lying and started to promise not to get the same dress if I'd just tell her. Wow... Anyway, here's a photo of the dress on a model from the site--

After this wrapped up, I headed over to the Peabody rooftop to check out Kevin and Bethany Paige. I met up with friends and had a great time!

Next, I headed over to Flying Fish to say hello to the friends mentioned earlier from my rooftop. They were eating french fries with hot sauce... surprise! :-)

Made a quick run through EP's Delta Kitchen and and ended up at Flying Saucer with two of my girl friends. It was a fun time. Someone high fived me for my dress, so I suppose the night worked out alright.

On the way back home, I stopped by Earnestine & Hazel's to pick up my neighbor and his date and drove us back.

And here were are at Friday... :-)

[Thanks Paul for your two recent posts highlighting a few things from my site.]

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Projectionist Pans Movie, Loses Job

Wow, what an interesting past few days it's been. A friend here in Memphis, Jessie Morrison, has been fired this week from his job. Why? Because while working as a projectionist at Malco, he wrote a negative review of a movie online.

What difference does that make you may ask? Well, he wrote it about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. What happened next is a little surprising...

Fox figured out that he wrote the entry and where he works. Fox then phoned his boss and threatened to pull their movie from Malco's entire chain of theatres.

Just after, he was fired.

It's all a little sad. The reviewer loves movies and had been writing online reviews for quite some time-- and his company new in advance that he was doing this. In addition, he didn't reveal any movie "spoilers" in his review. He simply stated his opinion.

Anyway, the whole thing is burning up the Internet today. All you have to do is search for "Memflix" on Google and you'll now find over 35,000 entries.

Here's the latest from CNN.com:

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- A projectionist at a Memphis, Tennessee, theater chain has lost his job after writing an unauthorized early review of "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" for the Web site Ain't It Cool News.

Jesse Morrison, the projectionist, claims that the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, was behind the decision by Malco Theatres Inc. to suspend him for an undetermined period. The studio denied the charge.

While studios and filmmakers have endured early reviews of their movies, both negative and positive, on Web sites since the early days of the Internet, the incident might mark the first time someone working in the entertainment industry has lost a job for voicing an early opinion online.

On Saturday, http://www.AintItCool.com posted a negative review by Morrison (writing under his online moniker Memflix) under the headline "Memflix crushes all hope for 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.' "

A 29-year-old film, video and journalism major at the University of Memphis, Morrison worked for $7 an hour at the Ridgeway Four, next door to Malco's home office. He picked up further compensation by readying movie prints for exhibitor and press screenings, which allowed him during the past year to write reviews of such movies as "Disturbia," "Vacancy" and "Spider-Man 3" for Ain't It Cool. He also wrote reviews for Malco's movie blog and a circular distributed at the theater.

On Monday, two days after his "Silver Surfer" pan appeared, Morrison was called into a meeting with Malco senior VP Jimmy Tashie and, according to Morrison, was "suspended until further notice," with the suggestion that he would not be asked to return.

Morrison said Tashie pointed out that "20th Century Fox called them that morning and threatened to take away the press and trade screenings because of this whole thing. They were upset."

Asked if Fox had any role in the suspension, Tashie said: "Absolutely none." The executive said his company received a call from Fox that said "there's somebody there working for (Malco) who is writing reviews in advance. That's all they said. No one asked us to do anything. We have been in business 95 years, and this is the first time anything like this happened. And this boy knew what he was doing was the wrong thing. ... He was in a position of trust and he violated that trust."

Drew McWeeney, known as "Moriarty" on the Ain't It Cool site, picked up Morrison's cause. Amid two positive reviews for the new movie, he championed Morrison's right to free speech and wrote: "He's written many reviews for us before, but when he wrote one for 'Fantastic Four,' Fox went into hypersensitive overdrive. They tracked him down and had him fired, threatening to pull their business from the entire chain over that review."

Sources inside Fox denied the studio's involvement, saying that the disciplinary action was beyond their reach and was the theater chain's decision.

Some entertainment companies, including film productions, do ask workers to sign confidentiality agreements, agreeing not to disclose information. Morrison said he had never been asked to sign such an agreement, though he would have if asked.

"If they had sat me down and told me that this has caused such a stink and that we would like you to sign some waiver, I probably would have signed it," Morrison said. "In my opinion, they used strong-arm tactics. I don't regret going on my Web site or Ain't It Cool at all. I just wish it hadn't come to this, but I don't really believe I did anything wrong."

Tashie said: "In the future, anybody in that position will sign something."

A number of Ain't It Cool readers have rallied to Morrison's cause, some even offering him jobs like a cameraman gig in Mexico.

Morrison said he is weighing his options. "I'm hoping to get a job as a professional movie reviewer, but I don't know what's going to happen with that. I guess you could say I'm at some kind of crossroads right now."

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Net Impact Rockstar Conference Registration Now Open!

November 1st to 3rd, 2007, Nashville, Tennessee

Join us in Nashville!

Rockstar Registration is now open for the 2007 Net Impact Conference, taking place November 1-3 in Nashville. Register before June 15th to receive $100 off the regular registration price!

What will you do next to make our world more sustainable? This November, more than 1,500 graduate business students and professionals will come up with an answer. The 2007 Net Impact Conference will challenge attendees to think deeply about current issues and trends in the business world, while engaging them to take an action-oriented plan for change back to their communities.

Comprised of keynote speakers, panel discussions, networking opportunities, case competitions, debates, and much more, the 2007 curriculum will feature cutting-edge business leaders from around the world speaking on the following themes:

  • Corporate Impact
  • Leadership & Career
  • The Social Sector
  • Business and the Environment
  • The Business of Health
  • International Development

Attendees will also have the opportunity to pursue their career aspirations by networking with over 60 of the top for and nonprofit companies at the 2007 Net Impact Career Expo


Thursday, June 07, 2007

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Simply Google

Check out this Simply Google page. It compiles all of Google's funcationality into one easy page.

Thanks Towform for bringing this to my attention!

Very cool!

Angie's Favorite Phrase: "New Media"

My favorite phrase right now: "New Media."

Wikipedia definition: "New media is a broad term that usually refers to new technologies and communication methods in the context of their effects on the established mainstream media.
Originally this term was used by the pioneer Website developers to differentiate their techniques from the other methods of communication that shared the "media budget" within a company. This allowed the suggestion of new vs. old while at the same time establishing a claim on the budget available. Over time the term was used to refer to anything that was Internet-related."


Examples of New Media:
Video games and virtual worlds as they impact marketing and public relations.
Multimedia CD-ROMs
Software
Web sites including brochurware
Corporate blogs and wikis
Email and attachments
Electronic kiosks
Interactive television
Mobile devices
Podcasting
Hypertext fiction

Apple iTunes Sells DRM Free Songs, Music

Starting yesterday, Apple began selling songs in its iTunes store without copyright protection.

Purchasing songs without DRM (digital rights management) protection software will mean that you will be able to play these songs anywhere, on different types of players.

Apple is starting first with songs from music company EMI Group. The music available includes songs from Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, and the Rolling Stones.

The DRM-free songs are higher quality than past songs Apple has offered for download. They also cost 30 cents more than the normal 99 cent iTunes songs.

I urge you to support Apple's trend-setting move and help to make this the new standard!

(To check it out, click the banner below.)

Apple iTunes