Good Sounding, Bad Idea # 13

You know the drill, fill in the blanks - your first name, then last. Next comes, in no particular order; your address, birthday, phone number and blood type. Well, maybe not your blood type, but sometimes the questions do get tedious and seem never-ending. But how aware are you of how many times you give your information away and which sites keep and sell your information?

Good Sounding, Bad Idea #13 is all about our Online Identity

The other night I was watching the local news when I saw a story about a new site, Spokeo, where the story claimed all personal information could be found. I was intrigued! As a girl who has been known to "Google" herself from time to time, I had to check this out. After doing my best investigative reporter search on Spokeo, all I found was some very outdated info including my address from 2006, when I lived in Missouri!

While Spokeo was a dud, it did make me question who has my info and how do they use it?

Many who know me, know I am a sucker. I will fall for anything, anytime and admit I am gullible. Soon after I bought my home, return address labels from three different nonprofits asking for a donation in exchange began showing up in my mailbox. Maybe it's because I work for a nonprofit, but most likely it's because I have a hard time saying no, I wrote out three checks to these different nonprofits and mailed them off. I did not expect in return to receive address labels from EVERY other nonprofit in the Universe. (thankfully the organization I work for does not do this) Now, whenever I open my mailbox and see these return labels inside, I feel a ping in my heart. I want to help, I mean some nonprofit paid for and sent these labels to me, but I had to draw the line somewhere so I do not and will not contribute again. Not to mention that sometimes they come spelled DiAnna - honestly, who spells their name like this?

Side story aside, I removed my information from the Spokeo site and have since been thinking very carefully about where I post my info and as well as who I give my info to!

Good Sounding, Bad Idea # 12

Bret Michaels on Celebrity Apprentice is my Good Sounding, Bad Idea # 12.

I can see how producers would think the Poison front man would be good entertainment, however, I doubt they've ever seen an episode of "Rock of Love" or they'd know he's only interested in one thing...




He's not the hardest worker on the team and at every task asks to be the grunt guy. I think he's best suited for chasing crazy, tatooed women in bikinis rather than trying to win over The Donald, but hey, it does make good TV!

Good Sounding, Bad Idea # 11

If you read my blog regularly, you're most likely asking yourself, "where are the Good Sounding, Bad Ideas 1 - 10?" Well, I haven't published them yet and maybe never will, hehehe.

Today is all about Good Sounding, Bad Idea # 11: Blind Dates

While blind dates sound fun because there is the possibility of meeting new people, blind dates never turn out the way you imagine in your head. Or at least they don't for me! This past weekend, my sweet friend from high school, Danny, set me up with a co-worker of his.

Perhaps the disaster was my mistake from the get-go.

1. I NEVER asked to see a photo of this fella

and

1. I let a guy friend set me up.

The only question I posed was, "Is he tall?" I am 5 feet 8 inches in flats and am not comfortable being the Nicole Kidman of a relationship. I like the men I date to be taller than me. Only once in my life have I dated a man who was shorter than 6 feet and it/he was a disaster!

Boys don't look at other boys the way girls look at boys, at least Danny does not. While the guy he had in mind for me was okay, he was not my type in the least. He was nice, but "it" wasn't there. There was no unspoken heat and you've got to have heat in your relationships!

To top off my fabulous blind date that I left early, but not early enough, I had a parking ticket waiting for me. I told my sister I think the Universe is trying to tell me something. I've had two parking tickets in two weeks. This, after seven years without a single driving citation. What's next?

I did learn my lesson, I will ALWAYS ask for a photo, if I ever decided to go on a blind date again.

A Good Sounding, Great Idea!

For once, I'd like to tell you about a Good Sounding, Great Idea. Belle Deisgns is my big sister's company. Belle Designs offers custom graphic design and marketing services without the custom prices. She specializes in business and personal creations and can tailor anything to fit your needs and budget.

I know I'm biased, but she truly is one of the most talented people I've ever met! Not only does she have amazing ideas and vision, she's able to implement them. She's volunteered for the Ovarian Cancer Alliance, like me, and created this flier for their Ski Train fundraiser. She also created her own wedding program! These are things that I could never do.

On top of these great pieces, she's able to offer companies or individuals marketing plans and advice on branding. She's a one-stop shop for all your PR, marketing and design services. Check out the website and if you find yourself needing any help, give her a call!

I've Never Been Good at the Numbers Game

Numbers have never been "my thing". When I was younger, I would do anything to get out of math homework, literally anything! Lately there's one number in particular that keeps bothering me, the number 28. It's my age.


Turning 28 didn't bother me and I don't really think it's the age that does. It's when people ask me how old I am, I have to sit back and think..."How old am I?"

(photo courtesy: westga.edu)

It's a bit ridiculous!

I think it's because I don't feel 28. I feel more along the lines of 25 or 26-years-old. I know it's silly because it's just a number but I still feel strange saying I am 28. I also know that by no means, is 28-years-old, old...but I have a hard time believing I am this old sometimes.

By the time my mother was 28, she had both me and my sister and had been married for seven years. Times have changed, this I know, but I can't imagine having a husband and two children at this point in my life. When I see old friends from high school with their children it startles me until I realize that, yep, we're old enough to have kids.

Another thing that scares me is that 2010 marks my 10-year high school reunion. It feels like I just graduated from Colorado State, not that I started my academic career 10 years ago. Not sure why all of this freaks me out, it's normal...right?!

Maybe I'll start telling everyone I'm 26, just for kicks.

I Guess My Lucky Number is 13

13, that's how many weeks it took my precious little pup, Presley to heal after her patella surgery. Here she is right after we got the good news. Now, I know she doens't know the Dr. said she's allowed to run, jump, play and "return to normal activities" but she looks less than enthused with the news! Perhaps it's her seatbelt, but better safe than sorry!


This picture cracks me up and looks pretty familiar...

like the force should be with her!



I'm over the moon that Presley is 100% back to normal and can return to her silly self! I love my button butt.

My Newest Song Obsession

New Article Suggests GenY (GenMe) Are Overconfident Narcissists

Today I stumbled upon the article Big Generation Gaps in Work Attitudes Revealed while perusing my Yahoo.com news site. It does offer an interesting perspective on GenY, I'm not a fan of the "GenMe" term used in this article - it sounds too self centered but I think that was the point, however I disagree with the author's point of view. (me at a work event...narcissist smarcissist)


The following is an excerpt and what I most disagree with:
"In some respects, GenMe seems to want to have their cake and eat it too. That is they want high pay and status but aren't as interested in burning the midnight oil. "Given that GenMe values extrinsic rewards more than Boomers did, the combination of not wanting to work hard but still wanting more money and status verifies the sense of entitlement many have identified among GenMe," the researchers write in an article published online this month by the Journal of Management. "


I have had the pleasure of having a vast and varied career history in my short time since University and can attest to the fact that myself and several GenY coworkers have and continue to burn the midnight oil. An admirable quality I find in most GenY employees is that we truly care about what we do (and most often how it's done). Also, many of us are goal oriented, no I am not copying my resume to this blog post, and strive to be the best in our given field and I do not find the correlation between wanting to be successful and being narcissistic.


It has been my experience that companies, bosses and HR Managers short change GenY. Often times we're not paid what we're worth because frankly, there's another kid waiting right behind you who will work for whatever is offered.

I think maybe I take personal offense to this article because I have worked hard to be where I am today. After graduating I worked a midnight to 9:00 a.m. shift at the local ABC affiliate producing the morning newscast. I later moved hundreds of miles away from my family to a small SW Missouri town taking a job that paid near the poverty line. I worked my way up, learned the news business and was lucky enough to later land a job back in CO where I honed my hatred for broadcast news. After that was out of my system, I took a paid internship - mind you I had three years work experience - at a PR firm in Denver and later by the grace of God was hired by my current employer. I don't feel entitled but I guess you could say that I do feel as though I have paid some dues.


Don't get the wrong idea I don't hate everything about the article and find some to be true like this excerpt:
"The youngest age group was also no more likely to want to help others and society through their work than other generations. The assumption that GenMe employees care about volunteerism and social issues has spurred many companies to let workers volunteer on company time as a way to attract this generation, the researchers said. "




I also agreed with the part at the bottom claiming dog-friendly offices are a big draw.


Read the article and see what you think...

Local Things I Love

I'm lucky to live in Colorado, I know, but I've even luckier to realize all the amazing things Colorado offers as well as the businesses the wonderful people who live in this state have developed.

1) When my feet are happy, so is the body they're dragging around... that's why I love Melt's foot butter. It makes my tooties feel so refreshed and I also love the fact that all their products are handmade in Colorado!

2) If you know me, you know that one of the things I love doing most is eating. Whether I'm cooking, grabbing take out or having a fabulous meal with my friends or family, food makes me happy! Few places are as memorable as Lucile's Creole Cafe. I first discovered the biscuits the size of one's head while attending Colorado State University. My boyfriend and I at the time were nursing a hangover and Lucile's was the perfect antidote.

3) Another favorite of mine is, Snooze. If you've ever been there, you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't had the fortune of indulging in their pancake flight, then you my friend are missing out! It was a fast family favorite that my sister actually discovered for us and didn't become the desirable location it is today until the losers who were the Real World Denver cast made it their regular hangout. It's understandable why they loved it, anyone who's been there loves it, but I wish they would have saved this jem for the locals, the natives, the people who deserve to eat there.

Is it sad that most of the favorite places I can name off the top of my head are food related? Maybe, maybe not...

4) My last local favorite is Paper Wares. They don't have a website because they don't need one. I found the invitations I used for my sister's personal shower and my friend Luz's lingerie shower there and both designs are stunning. They have the best selection of invites and the women who work there are some of the kindest, most creative people I've run into.


I love my home!

Running on Empty

2010 began with a bang and I've been running to catch up ever since! Work is crazy, but good because it's better to busy than not!; and between spending time with family, friends and Presley, I am one exhausted lady.

At work today I actually got caught up with everything, that's a first for 2010 but I'll take my wins where I can get them, and had some time to browse one of my favorite sites, Real Simple. The website is a great resource for anything from recipes to relaxation tips. The latter is where I landed today and I must admit, these tips seem real simple. Let's see how simple implementing them is...

My personal favorite is the Banish a Bad Mood in 15 Minutes article. Don't we all need this sometimes?

Happy Friday and stress less this weekend!

(Photo courtesy, Sophie Blackall)