Ah, there’s nothing like that warm, fuzzy feeling you get at this time of year. No, it’s not the joyful, amorous feelings you inevitably get during the Christmas season, nor is it the fun-filled, dreidel-spinning eight days of Hanukah. I’m talkin’ the superfluous countdowns of the year’s most ridiculous news stories, celebrity tweets, crimes committed, and must-have gadgets.
So grab some egg nog, have a seat by the fireplace, and enjoy to your heart’s content! (Props to time.com for knowing what readers want)
Top 10 Crime Stories of 2009
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1943832,00.html
Top 10 Pictures of 2009
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1943832,00.html
Top 10 Weird News Stories of 2009
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944626,00.html
Top 10 T.V. Shows of 2009
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944142,00.html
Top 10 Celebrity Tweets of 2009
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1945632,00.html
Top 10 Gadgets of 2009
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278,00.html
For more Top 10s of 2009, go here: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1945379,00.html
Happy Countdowning!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Preteen Angst - Attack of the 12-year-olds
Something's gotten into their milk and cookies.
12-year-old boy arrested for killing friend
Boy, 12, arrested on sex assault charges
Boy, 12, charged with pushing Asian angler
Detroit boy, 12, allegedly kills woman
Police charge boy, 12, after police cruisers rammed by stolen car
Boy, 12, arrested for setting fire to home using paper bag, gasoline
12-year-old boy arrested for killing friend
Boy, 12, arrested on sex assault charges
Boy, 12, charged with pushing Asian angler
Detroit boy, 12, allegedly kills woman
Police charge boy, 12, after police cruisers rammed by stolen car
Boy, 12, tried to set his friend on fire twice, police say
Boy, 12, arrested for setting fire to home using paper bag, gasoline
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friggin' Facebook
This CNN article totally sums up how I feel about Facebookers.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/20/annoying.facebook.updaters/index.html?iref=mpstoryviewHide all
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/20/annoying.facebook.updaters/index.html?iref=mpstoryviewHide all
Thursday, May 7, 2009
How serving prepared me for a corporate job
Since the age of 13, I have been part of the workplace. My occupations have varied from newspaper delivery girl, to restaurant hostess, to memberships sales at the Y.
Three weeks ago, I began my first “real” job in public relations as a communications officer for the municipal government. I was immediately thrown into a frenzy of tight deadlines, needy clients, angry graphic designers, and 15 brand new projects, all for me. I now understand why adults have told me in the past, “Nikki, stay in school as long as you can.”
It was not until I was ranting to a friend/fellow waitress the other night that it hit me – I know this feeling… why don’t I feel more overwhelmed? Ah yes, because I’ve been a waitress at the Metropolitain Brasserie.
Think about it – your clients are the restaurant patrons; the graphic designers, web specialists, and other people on your team that help you get what the client wants are your chefs, busboys, and hostesses; the product the clients needs is the food and drinks your customers order; and of course, your communications expertise is your table service.
Getting thrown into all these projects is just like patio service on a beautiful summer day. My customers would sit at a table and order something. My communications service would be akin to recommending which wine would go best with the coq au vin. They would order complex dinner items that are not listed on the menu and in return I would go to the kitchen and try not to piss off the chef while asking if it was possible – this is just like the 823,562,982,118 changes a client wants made after every new draft a patient graphic designer makes for them. That table of 10 on a Friday night needs to be out in one hour – that’s the impossible printing deadline for the 30,000 brochures your client needs.
Most of all, trying to manage 15 different projects all at once is like serving 15 tables all at once. You work your ass off while getting the client what they want while helping them make better decisions. You try not to piss your team mates off by constant modifications. You need to constantly be maintaining your priorities and meeting deadlines.
From the day I started serving, I have stuck by the fact that the experience of serving in a restaurant teaches you all sorts of life skills – patience, time management, communication, organization, detail orientation, and even persuasion. This just proves my point even more.
Some people choose serving as a career, and it is very well a great choice for many. I can easily say that after working part-time in a busy downtown restaurant for four years, I am more than ready to take on this so-called “real” job. So for all you corporate managers out there, next time you’re looking at a résumé for a communications position on your team, consider the applicant with a few years of restaurant experience. They won’t let you down. If they were a good server, they wouldn’t know how to.
Three weeks ago, I began my first “real” job in public relations as a communications officer for the municipal government. I was immediately thrown into a frenzy of tight deadlines, needy clients, angry graphic designers, and 15 brand new projects, all for me. I now understand why adults have told me in the past, “Nikki, stay in school as long as you can.”
It was not until I was ranting to a friend/fellow waitress the other night that it hit me – I know this feeling… why don’t I feel more overwhelmed? Ah yes, because I’ve been a waitress at the Metropolitain Brasserie.
Think about it – your clients are the restaurant patrons; the graphic designers, web specialists, and other people on your team that help you get what the client wants are your chefs, busboys, and hostesses; the product the clients needs is the food and drinks your customers order; and of course, your communications expertise is your table service.
Getting thrown into all these projects is just like patio service on a beautiful summer day. My customers would sit at a table and order something. My communications service would be akin to recommending which wine would go best with the coq au vin. They would order complex dinner items that are not listed on the menu and in return I would go to the kitchen and try not to piss off the chef while asking if it was possible – this is just like the 823,562,982,118 changes a client wants made after every new draft a patient graphic designer makes for them. That table of 10 on a Friday night needs to be out in one hour – that’s the impossible printing deadline for the 30,000 brochures your client needs.
Most of all, trying to manage 15 different projects all at once is like serving 15 tables all at once. You work your ass off while getting the client what they want while helping them make better decisions. You try not to piss your team mates off by constant modifications. You need to constantly be maintaining your priorities and meeting deadlines.
From the day I started serving, I have stuck by the fact that the experience of serving in a restaurant teaches you all sorts of life skills – patience, time management, communication, organization, detail orientation, and even persuasion. This just proves my point even more.
Some people choose serving as a career, and it is very well a great choice for many. I can easily say that after working part-time in a busy downtown restaurant for four years, I am more than ready to take on this so-called “real” job. So for all you corporate managers out there, next time you’re looking at a résumé for a communications position on your team, consider the applicant with a few years of restaurant experience. They won’t let you down. If they were a good server, they wouldn’t know how to.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Don’t forget to turn off the lights!
Tonight at 8:30, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to take action on climate change. Switching off your lights is just one simple step you can take to help make a difference and send a message that you care about the planet.
The countdown is on for more than 2,100 cities across 82 countries who are committed to this global effort. Help make Earth Hour a successful and powerful event. Participating shows that you want to be a part of the solution:
Sign up for Earth Hour at http://www.worldwildlife.org/
Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to participate.
Download Earth Hour materials, such as web banners, toolkits, logos and posters to help spread the word in your community.
Make every hour Earth Hour. Consider what else can be done within your home and workplace to change behaviour and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m. turn off your lights for one hour.
Here are a few links to some neat pictures from last year’s Earth Hour:
http://blog.enterpriseitplanet.com/green/blog/2008/04/canberra-takes-earth-hour-crown.html http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/02/global-citizens-love-the-earth-for-an-hour/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseum_Earth_Hour.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_Hour_Sky_Tower_Auckland.jpg http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/photogalleries/earth-hour-before-after/index.html
Tonight at 8:30, people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to take action on climate change. Switching off your lights is just one simple step you can take to help make a difference and send a message that you care about the planet.
The countdown is on for more than 2,100 cities across 82 countries who are committed to this global effort. Help make Earth Hour a successful and powerful event. Participating shows that you want to be a part of the solution:
Sign up for Earth Hour at http://www.worldwildlife.org/
Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to participate.
Download Earth Hour materials, such as web banners, toolkits, logos and posters to help spread the word in your community.
Make every hour Earth Hour. Consider what else can be done within your home and workplace to change behaviour and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m. turn off your lights for one hour.
Here are a few links to some neat pictures from last year’s Earth Hour:
http://blog.enterpriseitplanet.com/green/blog/2008/04/canberra-takes-earth-hour-crown.html http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/02/global-citizens-love-the-earth-for-an-hour/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseum_Earth_Hour.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_Hour_Sky_Tower_Auckland.jpg http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/photogalleries/earth-hour-before-after/index.html
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
If you don’t like cheese, don’t read this
It’s good to be angry, stressed, or upset sometimes. But then there are those moments when something crosses your mind and you can’t help but smile to yourself. For me, these things that do just that:
· Accidentally hearing someone say something nice about you
· Remembering the last time you laughed really hard and laughing at it all over again
· Having someone play with your hair
· Eskimo kisses
· Hugs from little kids
· Remembering Matt screaming on the rollercoaster in Vegas
· Thinking you did horribly on an assignment only to find out you got an A
· Summer thunderstorms at the lake
· Fast boat rides
· Laser cats
· Childhood vacations
· Discovering your latest favourite song
· Hot seatbelts in the summer
· Seeing kids at recess
· Having people laugh at your jokes (genuinely)
· Coming up with a really good idea (for anything)
· Finding a $20 in a jacket you haven’t worn since last spring
· Spring
· Hearing a song you love and haven’t heard since you were a kid (Thanks Matt!)
· A new outfit (and being able to afford it)
· Swings
· Frisbee
· Seeing one stranger being kind to another stranger
· Seeing a butterfly
· Original compliments (someone recently told me “Thank you for being you.”)
· Unexpectedly bumping into your boyfriend on the street
· This
· Accidentally hearing someone say something nice about you
· Remembering the last time you laughed really hard and laughing at it all over again
· Having someone play with your hair
· Eskimo kisses
· Hugs from little kids
· Remembering Matt screaming on the rollercoaster in Vegas
· Thinking you did horribly on an assignment only to find out you got an A
· Summer thunderstorms at the lake
· Fast boat rides
· Laser cats
· Childhood vacations
· Discovering your latest favourite song
· Hot seatbelts in the summer
· Seeing kids at recess
· Having people laugh at your jokes (genuinely)
· Coming up with a really good idea (for anything)
· Finding a $20 in a jacket you haven’t worn since last spring
· Spring
· Hearing a song you love and haven’t heard since you were a kid (Thanks Matt!)
· A new outfit (and being able to afford it)
· Swings
· Frisbee
· Seeing one stranger being kind to another stranger
· Seeing a butterfly
· Original compliments (someone recently told me “Thank you for being you.”)
· Unexpectedly bumping into your boyfriend on the street
· This
The Big Move...Again
We finally got approved!
Matt and I have been looking for an apartment for ages now. I’ll spare you the monotonous details about what it took to get this place, but let’s just say by the end of it our new landlady already hates us.
Whenever I tell people I’m moving in with my boyfriend, they get all excited and let out their “Oooooooh!”s and the “Oh my God that’s such a huge step!”s and “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”s. But honestly, it’s really not a big deal. Of course I love the guy and want to take this next step, but really, I’d love to be anywhere but where I’ve been for the last five years.
In 2004, it was my first year in university and luckily my 83 per cent average in high school landed me a room in residence. “Dry rez”, since I was only 17, but I was just glad to be there. I made some good friends that year – some lasting friendships for sure – but I hated my roommate. The first few months were all right, but after we all came back from Christmas break, things went way downhill. She had her boyfriend over every night (keep in mind the rooms are about 13” by 14”…aka a shoe box) and were not shy to express their love while I was sleeping 5 feet away. Let’s just say I hate Kraft Dinner now. She stole my clothes and my food. She kept me up all night, knowing I had class early the next morning. I tried to spend as little time in my room as possible, so when April finally came around I was relieved.
The next year, I lived with three girlfriends. While this was probably the best year of the five, one friendship was destroyed. Moving in with friends can be an invitation for disaster. It started even before we moved in together – “J” demanded one of the bigger rooms merely because she thought she had the most stuff (bullshit). I spent the majority of the first month cleaning, painting, and buying house supplies all by myself (and mom). Did I get a thanks? Hahaha, riiiiight. All three of them were smokers. So, when winter came around, who was stuck getting ganged up on when I insisted they smoke outside? Sorry girls, but you know you did that. Someone’s mayonnaise went missing and for some reason it was blamed on me. It was that petty argument that convinced me that if we all stayed living together, we would end up hating each other. So while they all went home for the summer, I moved in with….wait for it…. My dad. Oops.
I love you, Dad, but living with you again SUCKED. He didn’t do anything specific, but kids, it’s exactly what you would think being free for almost three years then moving back in with a parent would be like. Yes I came home late last night. No I didn’t clean my room. Yes I had a bagel. I’m sorry, I forgot to clean my bowl. Yes I got off work early – would it kill you and Kim to keep the loving to the bedroom when your daughter could be home any minute???
So when my friend Stew told me there was a free room available in his place, I jumped at the chance. In January of 2007 I moved to where I’m living now. Stew left last May and I was stuck with my weird, creepy roommate and two strangers. This is by far the worst of them all. Take the last three years and combine them. I painted the place from a disgusting royal blue and puke yellow to “Distant Mountain” and “Misty Morning”. Not one thank you. I spent hours cleaning it every week, only to have it all messed up two days later from one of their frequent parties. I was up all night whenever “K”’s boyfriend was over. Thin walls, people! This is a co-op! Food and milk went missing. Passive aggressive notes went up. Once the weird roommate even walked right into my room when I had the door shut, saw me, and said, “Oh – you’re home…” and just backed out of the room and shut the door. WTF??? I can go on and on but this post is getting a little long.
Every time I’ve moved I’ve been so excited to go to the next place, only to have it be , well, not so exciting. This time, though, I’ll be vigilant. I’ve spent enough time with Matt to have an idea what he’ll be like as a roommate, and I’m not scared to tell him to smarten up if necessary. You can always change a man, right?
Matt and I have been looking for an apartment for ages now. I’ll spare you the monotonous details about what it took to get this place, but let’s just say by the end of it our new landlady already hates us.
Whenever I tell people I’m moving in with my boyfriend, they get all excited and let out their “Oooooooh!”s and the “Oh my God that’s such a huge step!”s and “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”s. But honestly, it’s really not a big deal. Of course I love the guy and want to take this next step, but really, I’d love to be anywhere but where I’ve been for the last five years.
In 2004, it was my first year in university and luckily my 83 per cent average in high school landed me a room in residence. “Dry rez”, since I was only 17, but I was just glad to be there. I made some good friends that year – some lasting friendships for sure – but I hated my roommate. The first few months were all right, but after we all came back from Christmas break, things went way downhill. She had her boyfriend over every night (keep in mind the rooms are about 13” by 14”…aka a shoe box) and were not shy to express their love while I was sleeping 5 feet away. Let’s just say I hate Kraft Dinner now. She stole my clothes and my food. She kept me up all night, knowing I had class early the next morning. I tried to spend as little time in my room as possible, so when April finally came around I was relieved.
The next year, I lived with three girlfriends. While this was probably the best year of the five, one friendship was destroyed. Moving in with friends can be an invitation for disaster. It started even before we moved in together – “J” demanded one of the bigger rooms merely because she thought she had the most stuff (bullshit). I spent the majority of the first month cleaning, painting, and buying house supplies all by myself (and mom). Did I get a thanks? Hahaha, riiiiight. All three of them were smokers. So, when winter came around, who was stuck getting ganged up on when I insisted they smoke outside? Sorry girls, but you know you did that. Someone’s mayonnaise went missing and for some reason it was blamed on me. It was that petty argument that convinced me that if we all stayed living together, we would end up hating each other. So while they all went home for the summer, I moved in with….wait for it…. My dad. Oops.
I love you, Dad, but living with you again SUCKED. He didn’t do anything specific, but kids, it’s exactly what you would think being free for almost three years then moving back in with a parent would be like. Yes I came home late last night. No I didn’t clean my room. Yes I had a bagel. I’m sorry, I forgot to clean my bowl. Yes I got off work early – would it kill you and Kim to keep the loving to the bedroom when your daughter could be home any minute???
So when my friend Stew told me there was a free room available in his place, I jumped at the chance. In January of 2007 I moved to where I’m living now. Stew left last May and I was stuck with my weird, creepy roommate and two strangers. This is by far the worst of them all. Take the last three years and combine them. I painted the place from a disgusting royal blue and puke yellow to “Distant Mountain” and “Misty Morning”. Not one thank you. I spent hours cleaning it every week, only to have it all messed up two days later from one of their frequent parties. I was up all night whenever “K”’s boyfriend was over. Thin walls, people! This is a co-op! Food and milk went missing. Passive aggressive notes went up. Once the weird roommate even walked right into my room when I had the door shut, saw me, and said, “Oh – you’re home…” and just backed out of the room and shut the door. WTF??? I can go on and on but this post is getting a little long.
Every time I’ve moved I’ve been so excited to go to the next place, only to have it be , well, not so exciting. This time, though, I’ll be vigilant. I’ve spent enough time with Matt to have an idea what he’ll be like as a roommate, and I’m not scared to tell him to smarten up if necessary. You can always change a man, right?
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