Success and curveballs

I'd like to explore success for a minute. Success comes in many forms. For some, it's about matching or beating a competitor's capability/time/goal. For others it's finding a soul mate, establishing a home and creating a family. And for still others, it's about always challenging themselves to be better or to learn / experience more so that they can give back more. I believe I best fall into this last category.

For me, life is about taking risks and bouncing back from rejection (I have a quote from Dr. Lillian Glass to thank for that). It's about failing, but failing up. Don't get me wrong, success plays a role in my life, too, but I've found it's those failing moments that most help everything come into focus.

But why am I talking about this?

On Sunday I happened across a book at Anthropologie. It's titled, It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be. I highly encourage you to pick it up and give it a 4 or 5 page test-drive. I bet you'll find the advice obvious (like don't seek approval, seek criticism), but I also bet it will suck you in and open your eyes to how thinking slightly outside the box can also put you ahead of the curve on the road to success.

And if not, you can always rely on my favorite contingency source of advise, my friends in Rascal Flatts. For example, "when life throws you curves ... learn to swerve." No truer words exist in my life -- what about yours?

A pick-me-up

It’s been 10 days since my last post and I’ve been lambasted by numerous fans, so here we go. Let's have some fun.

Today I want to chat about the benefits of hitting on strangers (told you it would be fun). Yes, in my opinion, it is totally okay for a single person to hit on strangers.

• Benefit 1: The “pass-it-on” factor. Really – doesn’t it feel good to be complimented? Do you find it gives an extra bounce to your step? Uh huh. And now answer this: why not pass that feeling on to some unsuspecting lovely creature whose perfume (or cologne) wakes your insides?
  
• Benefit 2: The “jackpot” factor. At the least, you’ll get a cold stare or maybe be swung at (2 tips here: stay at least an arm’s-length away and don’t say anything inappropriate!), whereas at the most, you could snag a new PH (or new potential wifey, you male ThreeChicChick fans out there)! Hello, jackpot!
  
• Benefit 3: The “just because it feels good” factor. Even I have had my fair share of men crooning sweet nothings out their car windows, commenting on my calves, or even stopping me to discuss my toes, and yet while some of these instances were downright awkward – they made me smile – and I still get a good laugh out of them, today.

So, if I may – I challenge each of you to accept this mission: Dare yourself next time you see a hottie, make a game of it, or share a comment and consider it your good deed for the day. And oh, tell me about it J

Let the Good Times Roll

So I spent the back half of last week and the weekend in The Big Easy (New Orleans) for Mardi Gras. I was down there for work, or "work" if you will, and decided to stay for the weekend to enjoy the craziness that is Mardi Gras celebrations and the carry-over from the Saints victory that was still rocking and rolling a week later. I was fortunate enough to do the same thing last year for work and play, and the fiance, who at that time was just "the boy," came down to hang out too. He came down again this year as well and we had the best time. If you haven't ever been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, I highly recommend it...with one catch. I recommend going the weekend before Fat Tuesday - I can't even imagine what the city would be like Monday and Tuesday. We go out Friday and Saturday nights and that's enough to tire you out for a week. The crowds are unbelievable on Bourbon Street, and only get more irritating the more time you spend around them.

The first time you go is great, watching the parades, getting into catching beads and the other stuff they throw from the floats, pushing people out of the way to catch the beads from the balconies on Bourbon, stumbling through the trash in the streets, avoiding the religious zealots protesting the celebration and handing out literature detailing your heathen ways, and the fiery ways you'll be punished in the afterlife.

Since this was our second time at Mardi Gras, we didn't deal so much with the Bourbon Street mess, but instead found some great dive bars and, most importantly, explored the restaurant scene, which is what New Orleans is also known for.

If you go, here are a few MUSTS you should eat at...disclaimer, we ate at a number of these through my work, so we didn't have to pay full price for most of the meals, allowing us to become incredibly spoiled over the week, as these places can definitely add up. However, it's completely worth it to splurge on a few of these:

- Restaurant August: Owned by Chef John Besh, who you may know from Top Chef Masters, The Next Iron Chef (runner up) and his new cookbook that is everywhere, this restaurant features some delicious dishes that are pleasing to even the most picky eater (me.) I don't eat seafood, so you can imagine how hard it is to find a good meal in a city on the water. However, I highly recommend the yard egg raviolo with brown butter and sage for an appetizer to share and the filet of beef for the meal (OMG). They will change your life. I was also told that the Redfish and the crab-stuffed gnocchi were a religious experience.

- Commander's Palace: Executive Chef Tory McPhail knows how to keep his customers happy, namely by visiting certain tables during the meal to chat you up and make recommendations on desserts, wine pairings, and just make you feel cool. We were treated to his personal recommendations on the menu, which were all amazing - antelope, rabbit, lamb and veal chop for the entree were all melt in your mouth, and the ice cream (I think it was buttermilk) and strawberry shortcake desserts made me want to bathe in them.

- Bacco: The fiance and I celebrated our anniversary with a wonderful dinner out on the town the last night we were in town. The fiance had done some research and this was a restaurant that kept coming up as a fantastic place to eat. It had a great atmosphere - very classy and elegant, white table cloths, marble bar, waiters in crisp shirts and long aprons, the works. We started with an appetizer of Calamari Creole (I was feeling brave and tried the dreaded seafood) and it was amazing. The calamari wasn't chewy or tough, like I've had before, but was light and flavorful and the sauce had a spice that really complimented the flavor. There were a few things on the menu for dinner that looked very appetizing so you really couldn't go wrong here.

- Finally, our last day in town, we went out for lunch at The Ugly Dog Saloon, which is known for its BBQ and it delivered! We both got the sliders on special, which featured chicken, beef and pork, along with their homemade BBQ sauce that had just enough kick to give it flavor without being too hot for my taste.

Any way you slice it, you'll have a blast in New Orleans. I'm looking forward to going again, maybe not during Mardi Gras, to check out more of the city - its architecture, the haunted tours, more restaurants :)

Where do you recommend going for a taste of The Crescent City, so I can start my list for next time?

Tips

I'm still learning how to cook meals and take care of a home. I have found the following tips to be very useful in saving time and allowing me to get things done while still being fabulous. And no, these are not all mine, so if you spot your tip on my list, sorry-- you shouldn't have told everyone b/c now I know about it and I'm going to tell my friends...

Food
-When cooking at home, warm dinner plates in the microwave for about 45 seconds before serving food on them. It keeps food hot for much longer than cold plates fresh out of the cabinet.
-Examine the toppings on salads and entrees at restaurants. Chances are you've heard of every ingredient listed and could make the same thing at home for much less.
-Always look at expiration dates before you buy things. Stores often put sooner-to-expire goods at the front of store shelves, so don't be afraid to reach for items in the back.
-A roaster oven is the best kitchen item I have ever used. Nesco is the best brand. It will change your life.

Beauty
-To avoid getting lipstick on your teeth, after you apply, put your pointer finger in your mouth and pull it out to avoid any color that may have gotten on the inside of your lips.
-If you travel a lot, bring your favorite bar of soap (airline friendly) with you to avoid allergies or skin probs while on the road. Even nice hotels can have unfamiliar products and hard water that can cause breakouts.
-For great-looking eyelashes, heat your eyelash curler for a few seconds with a hair dryer before using. Then, lightly powder lashes to allow mascara something to cling to.

Home
-Dust before you vacuume. Dusting sends dust all over. Dusting a half an hour before you vacuume allows dust time to settle so that you can sweep/vacuume it up!
-Invest in a clothes steamer. Irons are so 1995. Buy a steamer online and you'll never regret it.
-Organize your closet. Throw out old clothes and reorganize your closet by season or color. You'll be able to find what you need more quickly and won't be sad about skinny jeans from college that you can no longer fit into.

Hope you can use some of these! Let me know if you have any more great tips!!

-Blondie

New Digs

Here's something new, fun + exciting to focus on: My office moves in with our parent company on Friday. I received a sneak-peek tour today. Check out my new classy cube (with Atrium view) :)

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PH Weekend: Part I update

You probably noticed that it has been a few days since the weekend with the potential PH. I figured I'd close the loop now. To be perfectly Patti Stanger about it, "this pecker is not picking that" PH. (Disclaimer, I do not have a pecker.)

Without boring (or exasperating) you with the details of the bomb that was my weekend, let's instead discuss some rules I here-on-out will adhere to. I'll name only three, but if I'm missing anything CORE, I'm relying on you to let me know:

1) Always follow your gut. Does that "doppeldanger" Facebook photo of his as Jersey Shore's "The Situation" make you squeamish? So will he. And the way he acts.

2) Do not compromise to keep things running smoothly. If his requests are out of line, if your responses make him revert back to high school, if he acts unacceptable, face it - he probably is too. Move on.

3) Be desired. And we're not talking just sexually. If said PH will not look you in the eye, makes lame excuses or otherwise makes you feel unvalued, he's only interested in the tip of the iceberg (himself). Dump him, and dump him fast.

If I've learned anything from this weekend (beyond the fact that my friends are amazing, my intuition is in-tune and I actually may be ready for a date with a few good men), it's that I have a lot to offer, I want to be appreciated, and I want to admire and learn from the man I choose to spend my time (or my future life) with.

With that, I propose a (red) wine toast: to the successful future dating lives of me + all the ladies out there facing the same obstacles. Onwards + upwards!

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All that Twitters

So I've renewed my involvement on Twitter lately. I took a hiatus for awhile-not really on purpose, but the initial hype around it had died down and I wasn't making a conscious effort to Tweet on a daily basis. Now that I've been back for a week-ish, I'm debating two sides of an issue: Is Twitter really an important social media tool that is imperative for people, especially in the PR world, to be involved in? Or is it more just a fun way to share mini updates with friends, check out links and occasionally learn about breaking news, but doesn't require regimented, regular interaction?

I'm on both sides actually - normally, when I Tweet, I scan people's Tweets for interesting news tidbits, fun links and to just see what people are up to. However, I've also seen and shared breaking news and used it to learn more and become further involved in social media engagement.

Sometimes it seems to me that the majority of Twitterers are just selfish, me included, Tweeting their location in the grocery store or that they binge-ate Starburst at the office today (ahem, wasn't me...) But, at the same time, don't we also live in a time where it's all about being selfish? Making the news work for and apply to me? Sharing what I'm doing because that's what I care about? Checking out my friends' updates to see if what they're doing is something I should do?

What do you think? What's the value of Twitter? I'm still deciding what side I'm on. But I also might just stay in the middle because that's what I want to do...and I can because it's MY social media experience.

PH Weekend: Part I

Okay, as you know by now, PH Weekend Part I is here. (Before you ask, no, PH Weekend Part II is not on the books!) It currently is Friday at 2:06 CT and my concentration is shot. Will I have time to get a mani, work out, vacuum, shower, get ready AND drink a glass before he arrives? Gosh, I sure hope so. I'll need it!

Here's the plan. PH arrives at 9:00 CT, we head to Big Bar (thanks Big Red!) around 10/10:30 p.m. where we sip a sexy martini (or beer, whatever) before we slip back into a cab and head home. PH sleeps in my bed (enough said).

Day II: Out on the town for breakfast (who am I kidding? Let's call it brunch). Probably at Tilly's (thanks Blondie!). Next up, a walk here, a talk there, maybe a little hand-holding (wishful and silly thinking - strike that!). Back home to get ready for the evening. Drinks with friends, dinner by [fake or imaginary - ha] candlelight and then PH sleeps (in my bed).

Day III: PH makes breakfast, wearing apron (use your imagination). We say our goodbyes, and then I come back here and blog all about it.

Deal? Exciting.

Bday + PHs

As Big Red mentioned, my birthday was this past weekend. It was a great weekend. Friday I had a wonderful Italian dinner at Rosebud on Taylor Street with my parents. Saturday, I took three of my greatest friends to Trader Vic's on State/Maple and we enjoyed two Rum Kegs, crab rangoon, duck, sea bass, filet mignon and pork, topped with a classy slice of cheese cake and followed by a few hours at my favorite downtown-slum: The Hangge Uppe. On my actual birthday, I climbed 80 flights of stairs for Children's Memorial Hospital, and survived with some sore abs and a HUGE smile. My friend and I went out for brunch at West Egg, and then I ended the weekend with a mani/pedi and a huge glass of wine while I completed my 2009 Self Evaluation.

All this said, the weekend put me in high spirits and I decided that this year I really am going to reengage my friends, mobilize them (and myself) more often, and live life to its fullest. Turn off the gossiping, turn down the cattiness and turn up the living. And oh, maybe add a potential husband (PH) to the mix. :)

Crazy Train

That has been my life lately, hence the lack of posting on my behalf this past week. The fiancé was here this and last weekend, which was wonderful and we got lots of planning done- the cake, menu, tuxes and readings- but I've also had two mental breakdowns during those weekends. I feel better after getting out much of my stress and am now focusing on not letting things overwhelm me (or at least trying to not let them overwhelm me) as well as talk about what's stressing me out right away, rather than letting it build up and then explode in a ball of fury, as I did last night.
It was Brown Eyed Girl's birthday over the weekend and Blondie, she and I are going out this week to celebrate- that will be helpful to chat with the girls and just relax.
I know I'm prone to wanting to control everything and get uptight when I can't get things done on my schedule so I'm making an effort to loosen up a bit and roll with the punches better. Currently my plan is to sit back, take some deep breaths and relax for the train ride I'm on, so I can head into tonight (and the wedding planning I've got to work on) with a clear head. Off to relax...breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.