Moving on up to the Eastside!

Okay, so I'm in heavy move mode! As you can see below my move date is fast approaching! I'll get back to my normal blog routine once I get settled. New York here I come!

RSS Me. You know you want to!

A couple of friends have asked can I subscribe via RSS to your blog? Why yes you can! I know it's a bit confusing when there's no link. All you need to do is add http://brieflynoted.blogspot.com/rss.xml or http://brieflynoted.blogspot.com/atom.xml to your preferred RSS reader, like Bloglines and then you'll be subscribed, meaning my posts will automatically be forwarded to you once they are posted. I got to give cred to the Skinny Jeans blogger who posted the above info graph which provides a good explanation of RSS. Basically what it does is puts all the current headlines from all your favorite Web sites and blogs in one place. Exactly! Wonderful! Subscribe :)

Blue Dotting

I work in an industry where tech and lifestyle come together and I love it. Web 2.0, consumer tech tradeshows, new media and launch parties—they are all right up my alley. When a friend invited me to the unveil of Blue Dot, a startup providing users with a “new way” to stay connected to their social groups, I had to check it out. So I did and I came and left the party with doubts. I mean how many new social networking sites can one girl keep up with? MySpace alone takes up a lot of free time as does Zooomr, and you know, maintaining my blog and oh ya my career. How much time would it take to add another activity to the mix? I’ve tried 43 things and wasn’t into it. I’ve signed up for Friendster and lost interest quickly. What was going to make this any different?

Well, I was reminded that it’s always better to try something before you dismiss it. User experience is key to adopting new technologies and happily, I had a great one using Blue Dot. I signed up yesterday and I’m pretty much hooked. So what does it do you ask? The site allows users to find, save, and share interesting Web content with their friends within a very simple, attractive interface. If you see something on a Web site you think is noteworthy enough and you want to share it with friends just “dot it” (a button located on your browser after downloading it of course). With one touch it’s easy to instantly share things with your Blue Dot friends. I’m always recommending articles, talking about events, sending YouTube clips to friends, so this tool is perfect for me. I’m what Malcolm Gladwell would call a “maven.” I’m somewhat in the know and now I can be even more so by checking out the network. Check out my profile and see what you think. And, if you decide it’s something for you sign up and add me as a friend!

PS- my profile says I’m in NY and clearly I’m not because the countdown is still ticking away. I just didn’t want to update my profile twice. Peace!

Countdown to New York

Remember this?

A friend reminded me of this episode and I had to find it. One of the greated Saved by the Bell moments ever follows this Jazzercise video... Remember?! Jesse Spano freaks out. "I'm so excited, I'm so excited... I'm so, so scared." This video is hilarious too! Gosh, I love YouTube!

Water. It does a body good.

Each day I check my horoscope. It provides a nice break, along with celebrity blogs, during the hectic work day. Today's was especially telling, but let me tell you a story before I go into it. I had a little Lindsay Lohan moment last week, an experience that gossip columnists would deem "extreme exhaustion." I've been going about 100 miles an hour lately between parties, work and my hectic life that is on its way to New York. The combination of stress and probably too much partying (for my standards, which isn't a lot) inflicted major sickness last week. I left work one day, went home, and nearly slept 24 hours straight. I felt AWFUL! I was sure it was the flu, or worse mono. Well, I went to the doctor and discovered that all my problems could be solved by drinking a simple glass of water. Yep, I was extremely dehydrated. FYI, a sure sign of dehydration is an accelerated heart beat, which I had. I'm actually a little bit embarrased to admit it, but not so much I guess to write about it on my blog, so there it goes. So, I did what the doctor told me and drank gallons and gallons of water and voila! I felt better.

Now, back to the horoscope. Here's what the stars say about me:

"Drink plenty of water, dear Pisces, in order to keep your system properly hydrated. Water is the most important part of your diet, and it is likely that you are not drinking nearly enough. Being a water sign means that this element is the foundation of your being, making you extremely emotional, caring, and sensitive. Make sure to distance yourself from people who try to suck this life force from you."

See! How funny is that! I love the part that says, "Make sure to distance yourself from people who try to suck this life force from you." Um, who are those people? I can't really think of anyone who is not pro-water... maybe a barista? Coffee is my weakness! Okay, that reminds me, it's time for another nice cool glass of water...Ahh! Renewal :)

Arrr, talk like a pirate day. Gar.

Today is "International Talk like a Pirate Day," or so everyone is telling me. I think it’s funny that so many of my friends know about this. How do they know? Did they receive an email? See it on TV? How does everyone know about this? And, why is it getting so much attention? Do pirates, I mean real pirates, even still exist? You know, I bet this whole thing was invented by the marketing folks at Disney. It’s probably their final effort to stir up interest in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl before it leaves the box office.

Now in the spirit of "Talk like a Pirate Day", I’d like to give a birthday shout out to my favorite fashion designer, who ironically could very easily look like a pirate with the right attire. Ahoy, Happy Birthday Marc Jacobs! Aye, me parrot concurs! I wish I could say that pirate speak came from my own imagination, but I can’t. I found a pirate translator, so enjoy the last few hours of “Talk like a Pirate Day” yourself mate!

A Surprise Encounter

Every girl fears the unexpected run in with the ex, especially if the breakup was bad. Well, this week it was my turn for the stomach flip in more ways than one. I don’t know why, but I really thought I would be able to get through the next two weeks without an encounter. Silly me.

Sitting in a café, working intently on a project, I looked up and there he was waiting in line for coffee. I froze, immediately looked down and whispered under my breath to Lindsey sitting across from me. I couldn’t believe it. Before he could even order a coffee, he turned around and walked out the door. He definitely saw me. With a bit of pushing, Lindsey convinced me to go outside and talk to him. I was so nervous. I had always imagined confronting him, but was totally unprepared and completely thrown off by the unexpectedness of the situation. After gathering my nerve, I approached him and we like most first after-the-break-up encounters played catch up. We talked about my move, work, family and friends. It was odd, awkward, but all very familiar at the same time. I was reminded of “his way” and to be honest was slightly comforted by it.

I realize that this may all sound trivial to the uninformed reader, but I don't care. The problems in "our relationship" had deeply bruised my spirit, which led me to end it. I'm so much happier today now that I've moved beyond all that I couldn't control. And, I'm content with today's events. I feel the encounter has provided some much needed closure. It wasn't the way I envisioned it happening, but I'll take what I can get as fate intended.

Washington Wine and Wedding # 3

Apparently, Fall "crush" is the most beautiful time of year in Washington wine country. I was lucky enough to experience its beauty on the very cusp of the Fall harvest this past weekend while my good friends Angie and Jef were married at Cave B Inn, a winery and resort in Quincy, WA. All their guests, including me, stayed in "cliffhouses" that featured a wall of windows exposing breathtaking views of the Columbia River Gorge. While chatting up a Cave B employee, I learned harvest is fast approaching and there are special packages for guests who want to help pick, stomp and help make wine out of this season's grapes. Plus, your package entitled you to two massages, $125 to spend in the restaurant and a really fun weekend.

I encourage all Northwesterners to make a trip out there!

Keith Olbermann on Bush

Finally someone has said something powerful and poignant regarding Bush and the mess that has been the last five years. If you haven't seen this yet, please invest nine minutes and do so. This was the first time I've seen a member of the media step into the ring with the president, the adminstration and the mass media and say hey, "you all have betrayed America!" He very clearly articulated what I've felt before, but didn't know how to say. Watch!

9/11

Five years ago, I turned on my TV and in horror wondered what the hell was happening to the world. It’s difficult to forget 9/11, especially on its anniversary. I will always remember where I was and how the tragic events of the day unfolded. I get somber when I think about it.

About two years ago, I visited the WTC site. It was just a vast amount of empty space in a very busy grid of skyscrapers. It was eerily quite and still. Today, two phantom-like beams of light remind people of its presence. It’s chilling, and pretty powerful.

Well, 9/11 is being memorialized all over the news today and everyone is asking; how safe are we? What has changed? There are a lot of unanswered questions and today’s media and government continually warn us of our own complacency. A lot of reflection is going on, but is it too much? I think so. You know, the network is going too far when its news programs are talking and essentially promoting their own controversial docu-drama, a fictionalized account on the “path to 9/11.” Anyway, I guess I want to say that the competition and the quest to differentiate network news coverage is rather transparent in my opinion. My respect for broadcast journalism, in particular, has lowered.

300 lbs of Taboo

Came across an amusing article today... apparently the town of Snyder, Okla. is up in arms and is calling for the resignation of their Chief of Police because his wife posted nude pictures of herself on the Internet. The AP article that hit today mentioned oh about three times that she weighs 300 lbs. What if she was 150 lbs? Would the town call for a resignation then? Makes me wonder. Anyway, the greatest thing about this article is the following quote:

"My wife is 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds," said Ozmun, who became chief in January 2005. "If there is somebody that thinks they can control her, have at it. I have tried for 11 years and haven't been able to."

Love it!

A Bride, a Groom and Cowboys

Labor Day is a great weekend. It’s long and leisurely like a holiday should be and this year I spent it with friends and family in Eastern Oregon and Washington. With Moka, my traveling buddy in tow, we made our way across the state to Hermiston, OR to attend the wedding of one of my closest friends, Adrianne and Matt. It was an AMAZING time! Adie was such a beautiful bride and it was so fun to be a bridesmaid in her picture perfect wedding. Seriously, the wedding reception looked like a party that could be featured in InStyle Magazine. Absolutely beautiful! And I must say that of all the dancing I’ve done this summer, this wedding DJ wins a blue ribbon because I haven’t had so much fun dancing in a long time. I don’t think I left the dance floor for more than two minutes. I was a little sore the following day and could have used some time to recuperate, but before I could even say goodbye Oregon, we were on our way to Walla Walla, WA to visit my grandparents and partake in a little county fair rodeo action.

Almost every summer my grandpa takes me to the rodeo. It’s a tradition of ours. Even though I'm a big city girl, there is a part of my personality that is a little "country." Small-town America has influenced the fabric of my life. I have so many fond childhood memories I can reflect on like riding horses on grandpa's farm, picking and eating too many boysenberries, playing pool in grandma's basement and going to the rodeo, something I relived this weekend… I get such an adrenaline rush watching cowboys wrestle steers or try to withstand eight seconds of tortuous movement on a bucking bronco. It’s a dangerous sport, but there’s just something about watching a rodeo in a town like Walla Walla. In fact, I’ll quote Moka who said, “Doesn’t the rodeo just make you love America?!” Well, as a liberal girl from the West side of the state, it’s hard for me to feel patriotic these days, but I had moments when I actually felt, okay I’ll say it, a little proud. The feeling first rushed through me as I sat on the grandstands watching a cowboy gallop his horse around the arena while holding the American flag. A country song was playing and the cowboy sped up with the pace of the song and it just got everyone so riled up. It was pretty cool to see so many people cheering for our country. Not something you see everyday. The next moment, if you will, occurred while watching the world’s number one bull-rider Matt Austin. He rode the scariest looking bull with so much grace. It was really cool to see. Anyway, Moka is now convinced she wants to date a cowboy and although I don’t see myself with one, I can understand why.