Video from Non-Profit Summit 2008: Three co-workers and I presented at the Blog, Blog, Blog session

A few weeks ago, I spoke on a panel called Blog, Blog, Blog at the Nonprofit Summit 2008, sponsored in part by CDS Creative, the company ran by my new friend Catherine Shafer. The CEO of my company, Scott, an SEO expert from my company, Jeff (and fellow blogger), Catherine and I talked about all the advantages of blogging for nonprofits-- not to mention how easy it was. I had a great time! After the session, I was interviewed for the video presentation-- check it out. You must wait until the very end to see me, but there's a lot of good stuff there pertaining to managing nonprofits-- if you wish though, you can move the dial up to around 5:00 to see my interview and B-roll footage of Catherine and the Solid Cactus gang. Click on the video for the '08 summit.

http://www.cdscreative.com/cdscreativevideos.htm

Don't Pick Trash This Election Day

A portion of Kingston Township in Pennsylvania is a whole lot cleaner, while a few co-workers and I are a little dirtier. I don't want to re-write the whole post, but you can read about the my company's Adpot-a-Roadway program here, and how a half-dozen of us volunteered the Saturday after Halloween to clean up some very strange litter. (Normal litter, too.)

However, what I could not share on my company blog was this photo. In a sheer moment of genius, I said to a pair of co-workers, "Holy crap, look at that big piece of trash. I've got that one boys!" So, I ran over and tried to bag it up. You can see it here, in Exhibit A:




Okay, so I didn't really steal the sign. Why would I incriminate myself anyway? But really, it's garbage. It's not even Red, White and Blue!


Consider this blog post a PSA. A lesson that the McCain/Palin signs don't belong in yards-- they belong in dumpsters.

Go Obama. Don't pick trash on Election Day.

Dude- if you're in e-commerce, this is the place to be.

Since I did not have Internet at home the past month, I was not privy to this lovely YouTube video that my coworker created from a collage of pictures from Solid Cactus E-Commerce Boot Camp, October 2008. For more information on upcoming Boot Camps, click here.

In the meantime, enjoy this little montage. I had to spread the word. And yes, I had fun as you can tell. = )

Centralia and Halloween Party I - A little late of a post

Last weekend was pretty awesome. I would have added a post sooner, but being without Internet at home and sheer laziness of going somewhere with wi-fi kind of got in the way.

Friday night, a few co-workers and I met up with my creative writing bud A. and headed to Gravestone Manor, a theatrical haunted house in Wilkes-Barre, where two of my other creative writing friends work. It was pretty cool. Then, we hit up Old Tyme Charley's in Plains for a little 40lb. Head and a lot of bomb shots- Jager bombs. Grape bombs. Raspberry bombs. I also ran into some old radio buds, so that's always fun!! With a case of heartburn, we then hit up Flaherty's in Edwardsville where we pretty much closed down the place. It was nice little tour of some of the finest bars in NEPA...

Saturday, I hibernated all day until it was time to get ready for A and C's annual Halloween bash. I'll post some pics later of that. Fun times ensued as usual. I reigned champion at Beer Pong, and then the Flip Cup team I was on also rocked. My friends may have had a pole, too. And you know what that means for a drunk Donna. There may or may not be videos.

Sunday, it was a hungover road trip to Centralia... you can read more about that on the post below. But I saw a part of Centralia I never saw before- the portion of Route 61 that is closed off. It goes on for a few miles- we walked a lot of it- really getting some exercise, too-- you just don't realized it's a big hill when you go down... haha. The big crack in the road was quite impressive- trees were growing out of it. But what was even more amusing was the graffiti painted on the road. Craziness.

So much changed in Centralia since I first started going- a lot more has been torn down, but there was still cool stuff to see. I just really enjoyed the weekend. I was completely exhausted by Monday! But what a great weekend- a haunted house, a few bars, a great party, a cool road trip and still some good sleep!

I still have yet to get my TV and washer and dryer, but I guess I'm not really home enough to watch TV. My two new neighbors commented on that fact last night, as I ran into the house to change and then leave again for dinner with co-workers at Rustic Kitchen at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino. They were outside smoking and said, "When are you ever home?!"

Back from San Francisco

(editing on 10/12 to add pics and links- wrote this at Wegman's originally and their wi-fi gave me probs!)

I am in love with San Francisco. I returned to Northeast PA late Friday night from the three-day trip to the Bay City. The Online Market World expo was great- we met lots of great people! After the day's work at the expo, we were able to check out some of the city. My favorite neighborhood, as you could probably guess, was Haight-Ashbury. We checked that out on Tuesday, our first day in town.

I have a fascination with the 60s and in fact, sometimes feel I was born in the wrong decade. The area is still making money of the Summer of Love, for sure. (I know I spent quite a bit of dough in the various shops!) After Haight-Ashbury, we took a cab to North Beach, or the Little Italy area. A friend had told us that was a good place to find good eats. We asked our cabbie for a suggestion, and he dropped us off at a place called Rose Pistola. Mmmm. I had the sole and my co-worker had the lamb. We shared some awesome risotto balls for an appetizer. The kitchen was all open, and it included a big woodfire oven for their pizza. The chef came out to my table and fileted my sole for me right there. That was neat! Great service too from our waiter, Reuben. I loved their big, open kitchen!

After Rose Pistola, we walked around a bit. We stumbled upon the Beat Museum. We paid the $4 student rate and went through the exhibit. We met the owner, who was a really neat guy. He's been collecting beat stuff for years and four years ago opened the museum and gift shop. He had rare first editions of many books of the generation and lots of photos. It was a really neat place. After that, we were looking for a bar to have a few drinks at. We heard some blues music pouring into the street from this one bar (the name is escaping me), so we ventured in. We took a seat at the bar, which looked like it was converted from a greasy-spoon diner. As we waited for our Anchor Steam (me) and the red wine (co-worker), we gazed around and realized we were in a Steelers bar called Giordorna's. Top to bottom, left to right, it was all Steelers memoriabilia. We came all the way to California to visit a PA sports bar! I asked the bartender and he was from PA, as was the owner. This started a stream of PA people who were now living in Cali. Throughout the whole week, I'd say we met about 20 people who lived locally, but had roots in PA. After the first drink there, jet lag set in. We had plans to hang out all night, but the fluffy hotel bed won over.

Day 2 and 3 we worked at the convention all day. The second night, we hit up a really hip Sushi place called Blowfish: Sushi to Die For. The tagline comes from the blowfish legend-- anyone who eats one, dies. The place was super cool-- house music pumping through, anime playing on flat screen TVs everywhere and lots of cool Japanese action figures-- but most of the place was decorated in beautiful Japanese decor. The staff was awesome-- a really fun place to work it seems. The food was AMAZING- as were the drinks we had at the bar while we waited for our table. Blowfish Sushi was probably the best I've ever had. We had to wait a while for a cab- it was in the Mission District, but a little off the beaten path, so we had to have the matrie'd call for one. We went back to the hotel to get coats- it was pretty chilly- and then walked around downtown to find a bar. We realized that most of the cool stuff was in the neighborhoods, not downtown when we could not find a bar. We stumbled into a neat looking place called Farmer Brown. The place had a copper-top bar and lanterns made out of old burlap sacks. The bar menu had southern style stuff, and the house drink was Pabst Blue Ribbon with a shot of Jack (or something, I forget what the liquor was). Just as we sat down, the bartender said it was last call. At 11:00?? So we had one and then followed some guys from Switzerland to this club called Ruby Skye that that bartender recommended. That was pretty awesome- in this old theater which looked more like a gothic church. I was never in a club with velvet ropes before, so that was cool. Expensive, but cool.

Our last night in town, we attended a VIP Dinner Cruise around the bay with about 50 other attendees and exhibitors from the show. Our table was really great-- met some really great people. It was too foggy out to go to the Golden Gate Bridge, but we were able to see Alcatraz. That was really neat. When we got back to the hotel, I passed right out. We worked hard all week, were jet-lagged and I guess it caught up to me. The next morning, we had a great breakfast and my co-worker had an earlier flight than me, so she left. Then, me. Spent the day in the air. Overall, totally awesome trip! Hope I get to do it again soon!

Some Cool Going-Ons @ the Workplace

Three Weeks With Three Cups of Tea with the Cacti
I am reading Three Cups of Tea and am enjoying the living heck out of it. I don't think I would have picked up the book on my own-- but now that we've got a book club going on at the office, I'm reading the same book with about a dozen other co-workers. I think it's an awesome idea!

Now that my reading list for the MA in Creative Writing at Wilkes University is over, I can enjoy reading whatever I want again -- which is of course usually memoirs anyway. But, now I have a thing going on that will continue to keep me in the reading habit, trying to make sure I am up with everyone else so we can talk about what's happening in the halls at work, and then of course at our planned discussions which we'll be holding after we're done. You can read more about the Solid Cactus Book Club, or as we call it, the SCBC, here at the company blog. That pic is of all my fellow office book worms.

I Still Work for One of the Best Places to Work in PA
If you keep up with my blog, you know I love my job. And lots of others do too because Solid Cactus has once again made the list of The Best Places to Work in PA. We don't know what number yet- that gets announced at an awards banquet later on this fall. You can read about this honor, again, at the SC blog as well as on the Best Places to Work in PA official website.

I Was Blessed a Lot Today
Literally- not in the wierd religious sense- but my co-workers must have said "Bless You" at least twenty times today. I felt sluggish all day-- had lots of coffee, soda, candy, ice cream and more to get my mind and body going. Nothing really helped. A few others at the office have colds, and I think I am next. I plan to finish eating my grape leaves and just crash, or lay in bed with Three Cups of Tea until I fall asleep. I haven't used a sick day yet and it's been 16 months (see above, about me loving my job) so I definitely want to get some rest to kick this thing before it settles in somewhere like my nose or my throat or my head.

The Ghost of My Blogging Past

I don't really think of my blog as a diary. But in a way, it kind of is. I don't really get too personal or gushy like you would in a diary, but when you go back an re-read things from months or years before, you sometimes get a good feeling. You remember the emotions that you were feeling at the time you wrote it. As someone striving to become a memoirist, I've realized how much I wished I had written more down as I've lived my life. I looked back at a post from June 2007. It was a point in my life where I was somewhat content with a job at a local career school, although I hated the fact that they didn't use computers and hated the fact that they laughed at me when I mentioned that we should try advertising online and maybe doing something with MySpace or Facebook to attract students. (Haha- I now laugh at that company because I work for a company now that "gets it.")

So, I found a post that captured my thoughts at the time I made the decision to leave that place-- and because I believed in my ideas, my goals and myself- I found such happiness. Here is what I wrote in June 2007:

NOW SOME ADVICE FROM DONNA FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS A PUSH:So, I was really thinking about how happy I am that I stood up for my choice in leaving my job. For those that don't know "The Man" (as I collectively call corporate America) wasn't gonna let me take off the last Friday of the residency. I don't think anyone with heart and soul would let The Man stand in the way of their dreams. Unhappy with other 'goings-ons' at the place, I decided that because they didn't see the value in letting me take off one measly day and missing a mandatory training, I gave my two weeks notice.What did I get in return for staying true to my heart, you ask?

1) A kick-ass new job @ Solid Cactus

2) 40+ new writing friends who understand the creative life!

3) Some great new writing mentors

4) A few people who I think will be close friends for life

5) Tons o' fun & lots
'o memories and jokes

6) 3 credits toward my master's

7) Motivation and energy

8) Ideas

And to think I would have traded eight hours of corporate training for all that! I made the right choice and I absolutely can't wait to continue on with this program. I seriously think this will change my life. Screw The Man. Let's write. Someone is smiling down on me....

I guess getting ready to spend more time with the peeps I met right before I wrote this last year is really reinforcing my decision. Since then,
not only has my writing grown, friendships blossomed, but things
career-wise have been awesome too. Hmmm. Think I'm happy??

Knocking on Tulsa's Door: Excavating Memories

Wow. I can't believe I am headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma tomorrow after work. I'm packing light and prepared to walk, talk, interview, observe and finally, just visit. Most of all, I want to excavate memories. Some for the purpose of my memoir, some with my family.

14 years since I've been there. I've seen my Oklahoma aunt and uncle and cousins since I've moved, but always here in PA. I haven't seen or really heard from anyone I went to school or worked with in Tulsa since I was 16. Thanks to social networking, I've reconnected with one of my best Tulsa friends and coworkers and have been talking with for a few months, we'll call him JP. Aside from that, very recently I've connected with a few on Facebook- but many of them do not live in Tulsa anymore. And just this week, I found two more friends- one via the online white pages (GH) and then another from GH who passed along DTs (not me, haha, same initials) number. I wasn't sure where I would stay, but I finally decided to book a room in Tulsa for my first two nights this way I have wi-fi and a reference point while I am in town. I found a hotel a few blocks from where I used to live. This is great because I can walk around my old neighborhoods!! I am stoked.

J and I before a Little Texas concert at the Tulsa Fair in 1993 (?)

Now let's get back to GH. And let me preface this by saying this will be a rare "sentimental blog entry" for me.... GH was my boss when I sold newspapers door-to-door for the Tulsa World. My first boss and a HUGE part of my life. Can't give away all the details or else you'd have nothing to look forward to for my in-progress memoir. At any rate, a few years ago I watched The Secret. One part of that DVD really struck me- about gratitude for what others have done for you and how once you start to feel that and recognized that, positive things can come your way. So, that inspired me to write hand-written letters to several people who really inspired me and enouraged me in my life, or even some that did really big favors for me in the past. One of those letters went to GH- although I was never sure if it was the correct address.

I really didn't have business cards. There was a machine at the mall and we all made our own cards. I think for $1.00 you got four.

So- one of the first things he said when we began to talk last night was, "So, I got your letter." There's long stories involved, not for this blog, but he didn't respond to the letter back then. And that's okay- I wasn't looking for people to respond. Anyway, in my letter to him I mentioned the positive impact he had during a difficult time in my teenage years, and how to this day as an adult I used things he'd taught me. I really could go on, but this is a blog post and not a memoir chapter. At any rate, he said this to me: "Your letter meant the world to me."

When he said that, I kind of choked up. I can't imagine what it must be like to receive a letter out of nowhere from someone you mentored 14 years earlier saying how much they meant in your life and life choices. It must have been an amazing feeling. Furthermore, he explained that it was actually a tough time in his life and it reassured him. He and I then talked for nearly two hours-- not really much time to catch up for 15 years-- but nonetheless it was a cherished conversation-- he told me how I always had the desire to win, and had "the fight" inside me to be the best, to be unstoppable. Back then, it was selling newspaper subscriptions door-to-door, but its still something I have inside me. He recognized that when I was 13-15 and kept me motivated to always do my best. And when I do my best, to show me that I can still get better than my best. My industries have changed, but the fire that GH lit all those years ago still burns strong. He groomed me for success. I am completely happy with my life and where I've been and where I am and where I want to go. Were there bumps? Oh god yeah. But the spirit and heart GH dug out of (I always had it- just took someone to notice and pull it out) is what kept me kicking.

The newspaper crew, led by GH and then later by M. and the guys I worked with were my life, my family. That's why my memoir centers around them. That's why I am going to Tulsa. Here's a crew of them below from an overnight sales trip to Arkansas in 1994 or 1994-- is the one giving the peace sign and DT, who I will also see is the the right under him next to me and the redhead.

My classmates in my creative writing class have read my early drafts of my memoir but it has took a complete turn. I have a great mentor who is pushing me- like GH did all those years ago- and I look forward to sharing this story with everyone soon.

An Action-Packed Weekend: Drinks, Music & War (Paintball, that is)

Some weekends I sleep the weekend away. You know, R&R to the fullest extent. Sleep. Nap. Read. Eat. Nap. Sleep.

This weekend though, I realized how much fun you can have actually being awake!

Friday, I had a great time with co-workers at the Arena Bar & Grill- we kinda got the VIP treatment from the staff there, which was quite awesome. Tomorrow, the owners of Arena are having the grand opening of their second location, Metro Bar & Grill in Dallas, PA-- I am pretty sure a bunch of co-workers are going to head up to help them kick off their new location. I am uber-excited because not only is this new bar near work, but also very close to my new apartment, so maybe I found my new local bar. By the way, I blogged in more detail on my company's blog here.

Saturday, I headed to Bethlehem to meet three of my Wilkes creative writing gals-- we spent the whole day at Bethlehem Musikfest, which is going on all week. It's probably one of the largest music festivals there are.... We had an amazing day watching artisians, eating wonderful food, listening to great music and catching up on where we are with our books/screenplays.

I love these ladies so it was so great to see everyone again. Two of us stayed the night at the other's house- had some great pot roast stew her husband made (complete with veggies from their garden) and we fell asleep watching a horror movie. Incredible day- side bar- we saw a kick ass Celtic rock band called Finn's Fury. The band rocked-- check them out here. I bought their CD after the first song. I wanted to stay longer for their show, but we only had one day at the fest, so we wanted to continue to walk around. We got all sorts of samples- Wii socks, toothpaste, Burt's Bees stuff and fans from the to-be-opened-in-2009 Sands Casino.


The next morning, Sunday I was off to v2.o of Cactus Paintball- we had a smaller group this time, but it was still a blast. I drove to Skirmish U.S.A right from Bethlehem. I blogged about it on the company blog here-- but man, it sure was a good time. I bought my first paintball gear- a mask. The rental wasn't tight enough and kept fogging up, so I sprung he 29.99 and got my own- worked out much better.

After Skirmish, since I drove myself, I was able to pick up two hitchhikers- they were young teens, maybe 13 or 14, my brother and sister's age. They were lugging their paintball bags and had their thumbs up, so I gave them a ride-- they would have had to walk about eight country miles to the one kid's house. It was my good deed of the day. However, I got turned around in their development and ended up in Brodheadsville- I know the area, just didn't know the development would put me down that far-- so by the time I made it back to 115 near Long Pond- they had blocked the road to let out the race traffic from the PA 500 so I had to detour and thus ended up in some traffic. So, I ended up being an hour behind my friends to meet them for beer and wings. So much for karma.

The weekend didn't seem to end- Monday I hit up Hops and then the new casino and tonight I went bowling. We had some beer and pizza- and I was so starving from my shopping excursion after work, that I had to get a bag of Bugles from the vending macine while waiting for the pizza-- and guess what! Taped to my Bugles was a coupon for a free game of bowling! I won a prize!! Booyah!!

I had so much fun the past few days and got to hang out with so many great people!! I think I need to sleep, but needed to blog before I forgot!!

July is Bursting With Birthdays, and Other Things That Make Me Happy

I don't think I have ever gone out this consistently over a matter of weeks in honor of co-worker's birthday celebrations. But it's cool. I like it. I had one two weeks ago that kicked off this Cacti birthday month, and then last Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, tonight and then one on Saturday, too and perhaps one next Thursday. I chalk this up to just working at a fun place that attracts a lot of Cancers. After all, we are pretty darn neat.

Speaking of working with neat Cancers at a neat place, when I hear other people say certain things about their jobs, it makes me feel happy. I just read a former classmates status message on Facebook. It was something like, "Yay! Today is dress down day!" Ahem? That's everyday where I work. And I love it. It's little reminders from the outside world that confirm that I am completely happy every day at work.

From partying so much lately, I must say that maybe I am a little banged up and bruised- I may get clumsy sometimes and maybe once, earlier this week I took a good fall. But it was all in the name of birthday goodness.

The Birthday Party Made the Company Blog

Thanks to John Dawe, everyone can now relive a moment from mine and Matt's birthday celebration, when another co-worker took the stage. Listen to the cheers at the end-- there were a ton of us there. It was awesome. Check it out.

http://blog.solidcactus.com/ - main blog page.

Oh, and while you are on the blog-- you can learn a lot about my awesome company.

My Twenties Are Over ... and I Am Okay With That: Donna enters 30-hood- a lifetime summed up in a blog post

When I was a kid, 30 seemed so old. Heck, so did 21. I mean, 30 is a milestone birthday I guess, at least according to the greeting card companies. It's a new decade, so that's something special I suppose. But what I am not, is old. 30 is not old. Since I have been 29 for 364.5 days, I must say that I truly feel younger than ever, even though each day I've been growing older. The past few years have been pivotal- I finally graduated college, I started a career in ecommerce at an excellent company and I've started and am more than halfway through my Master's in Creative Writing. I recently also made some choices in life that have given me independence- the freedom to truly find out who I am and what I want to be. So, the late 20s have been the best years of my life, but I know the 30s will only get better.

Recently, I was trying to remember dates for the memoir I am writing- I was trying to get a focus on the years 13-16-- they seem so distant- but to help, I had to physically draw a map- so I thought I'd share the timeline of my life up until now.

1978- born in Philadelphia as Donna Ploshay.

1979-1981- learned to walk, talk, pee in a toilet, moved a lot

1982- started nursery school; mom got remarried and I get new last name too; moved to Poconos; travel to music shows on weekends

1983- started kindergarten at Tobyhanna Elementary Center; travel to music shows on weekends

1984-1987- no major life events, continued elementary school, was a great Girl Scout; played Mrs. Do Right in "Invasion of the Quarter Snatchers"; travel to music shows on weekends; go to Disney World

1988- 1989- mom got divorced; we moved around & mom met Joe who'd be stepdad

1990- move to Reading, Pa for part of 7th grade, back to Poconos for part of 7th grade and then to Tulsa, Oklahoma to finish out the year at Nimitz Middle School; my most nomadic year

1991- got braces and contacts; had my first boyfriend and first kiss; join fife & drum corp; start job selling newspapers door-to-door for Tulsa World & Tulsa Tribune newspaper

1992- little brother born; mom got remarried; I got drunk for the first time; start high school, join marching band (flute)

1993- Still in high school; still working for Tulsa World; quit marching band; little sister born; lost my virginity (details reserved for the memoir!); join school newspaper staff, The Sentinel, try working at McDonald's for little while but went back to selling papers

1994-Get driver's license and first car, move to Muskogee, OK to start 11th grade; move back to Poconos to finish 11th grade; start working at Big Boulder Ski Area, Split Rock Resort and Piggy's

1995-Start senior year, still have those three jobs, join local radio station's high school intern program; editor of high school newspaper and on yearbook staff; pretty uneventful

1996-1998 Won high school a rock concert, get in first car accident, graduate high school, move to Wilkes-Barre, start at Wilkes, get first apartment, get my cat, Spectra, work briefly at Red Lobster and Taco Bell, work in radio part-time, start dabbling in writing and internet stuff; organize protest on campus, join every possible communication studies club there is; present petition to city hall to allow roller blading in downtown Wilkes-Barre

1998-2001- Leave college at end of sophomore year to work in radio full-time, do really cool things, some that can't be printed, go to Memphis 2x, Nashville 3x; win some industry promotion awards, start freelance writing locally; Turn 21; HIGHLIGHT: Meet my birth father!; have first long-term relationship with boy

2001- leave radio to go back to school, but don't go back to school yet; have a stint at Best Buy and then start as admissions rep at local career school; still freelancing; first real break-up (but it was all good)

2002-2004 Start back at Wilkes part-time to finish degree; still working at school- GO SKYDIVING & Go on TLC for reality show called Help Wanted and place 2nd; still freelancing; meet new guy and move in with boyfriend for first time

2005- quit work to finish degree; enjoy being a full-time college student again; still freelancing; self-publish, Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack? And Other Inspirational Stories of Non-Traditional Students.; get pregnant, miscarry (twice).

2006- start working at same school again, but still have two more college classes to finish; still freelancing

2007- Resign from job at school when they don't let me change schedule for school; start at Solid Cactus, graduate college with BA in Communication Studies, begin Wilkes' MA in Creative Writing program; have College Prowler guidebook on Wilkes published; get engaged

2008- Here I am. What next?

P.S. Wanted to add more links, but I got lazy. Wanted to add pictures, but they are all still at Dave's house. I'll perhaps update with some baby pics later. ; )

Back From a Blogging Hiatus

I'm back to posting. I cannot believe how long it has been since I wrote a post to the blog, but as you can see from the previous post, I just moved. That, and work has been busy. I've finally kicked my school work in high gear and I've also become addicted to this word game on Facebook that has sucked up an enormous amount of my time. So everything but that latter is a valid reason for not blogging.

The past few weeks, I've had random things happen and then I meant to blog about them, but didn't and now I kinda forget what they were. So, let me just rehash the past month.

MY NEW APARTMENT
My friend Andee said it best, "Ghetto can be very inspiring." The paneling on the walls here is odd and the bathroom has some strange pegboard wall. So to say the interior is interesting would be correct. But, it has character and is different and I think that suits me well.

The handyman still did not fix the outlet at the kitchen counter, so I make coffee from the TV stand in the living room. I don't have a TV- I left that for Dave because he deserves it. I figure I will get a TV, but I am not going to until after June 28th. I want to finish my memoir draft before I get sucked back into 6-hour CSI marathons on Spike TV every Sunday. My dryer broke two days ago, so I need to get that looked at too, or I may have to venture to the, GASP, laundromat. Ugh. Although it is a scorcher and could probably air dry my clothes- but then again, I don't have much in the way of a drying rack. I have a couch and a bed and a coffee table and two end tables. I need so much still. I need a desk, I need a dresser and a need a storage cabinent thingy. So, I am settled, but yet, not settled. But I can sleep, cook, shower and write. That's all I really need.

I think two people have called me on my new home number since I have been here. The first time, it was a weekend morning and it was Dave. I kept hitting the alarm clock. Both the phone and the alarm clock are new and I hadn't heard the phone ring yet, so I didn't know what it was. So, that was comical.

I realized that I waste a lot of food. I already had to chuck two loaves of bread. Since I live alone and really don't eat now since I have no one to cook for and am too lazy to just cook for myself-- so I buy groceries, but then they all go bad and I throw them away. I finally learned this week that instead of buying a whole gallon of milk, I can buy a half at a time. Instead of buying the bigg ass half and half, I can get a pint. Of course, that lasts a while anyway. I threw away these great onion pouch bread pocket things-- there were eight in the bakery bag... and I couldn't have the same thing eight days in a row, so they went bad. I bought a loaf of wheat bread-- I had three sandwiches, but then the bread went bad. Mold. Ick. The only thing that seems to keep is Diet Pepsi, Miller Light and iced tea. I fare okay in the bevergae arena, but I can't keep food to save my life.

FREEDOM
It's weird being nearly 30 (one more month to go!) and somewhat starting over again. I work with some of the coolest people in the world and I have so much fun hanging out. Right now, I am having my second cup of tea with honey because I have no voice. I had that much fun last night. Not that Dave or I ever had to ask each other permission to do things, but it is just cool to be on your own and just pick up and do something. I like that. Being in a relationship is nice too, but I forgot what living on my own meant. I've also reconnected with a few older friends I haven't seen in a while that maybe I didn't hang out with because it was just too hard to get together, so it's nice to just be able to do what I want without having to leave someone out. I have so many people I need to go see- I want to see Laura in DC-- she's lived there for years and I just never took the time to drive down. I want to go to Tulsa to see my family and old friends -- and also to do research for the book.

The important thing for me now is to just take time for myself- I am in the process of writing that memoir, and am really in a discovery phase-- it's strange to be this old and then are still learning about yourself- but I guess we all do, every day. Having my own space right now is the wisest choice I made. I can focus. Who knows where I will end up-- maybe being on my own was something temporary and things will go back to the way they were just two months ago. Or, maybe I will end up being a cat lady. Or, maybe I will meet someone. But I am not looking. The bottom line is that- I am just taking each day as it comes.

WRITING
My third creative writing residency is coming up in two weeks- June 20. I cannot wait. I absolutely can't. For anyone who just has that dream of writing a book- look into the MA in Creative Writing program at Wilkes. Even if you don't want to be published- just for personal enrichment- do it. This program is amazing. It's low residency which means that you start with an 8-day residency, then have a "project semester" where you learn two genres. Then, you come back for the second residency, choose a genre to specialize in and come with your story pitch-- you spend the week, in addition to classes, pitching your idea- you leave that Saturday assigned to a faculty mentor-- all whom have been published and we have some crazy, talented and successful authors on the faculty-- then you spend the next "project semester" drafting. So, that's where I am at. These next 8-days are less structured- we do readings, meet with our mentors and gain direction for the final "project semester".... between June and January- we revise. I go back in Jan. 2009 to graduate, read and also get to meet with agents, etc. So, that's the program in a nutshell- more like the mechanics of it because i didn't even get into what happens outside of class- the hilarity that ensues when you put a few dozen creative people together in a dorm or a hotel-- with or without alcohol. The friendships that are formed are amazing, the mentor-student relationships that are formed are too.

So, that has been my life recently. All good positive stuff. Are things hard being on my own? Sure. Can I manage? Yes.

Solid Cactus Featured on NBCs The Office

Solid Cactus has gone Prime Time! NBC's hit show's The Office featured its Job Fair episode on Thursday, May 8. And, one of the vendors at the ficticious job fair at Pam's alma mater, Valley View High School was NEPA's own Solid Cactus. From our company blog, it appears that NBC actually contacted us for some props.

I am posting two pictures from the episode, which you can clearly see the Solid Cactus banner sharing some stage time with Steve Carrell and Jenna Fischer. If you look really close, you can see the one of the extras is wearing a Solid Cactus shirt.

Let's see what kind of resumes we get now!

Solid Cactus Proud

Did I ever mention that I love my job?? This article explains some of the reasons why.

Check out this great story in today's Times Leader on Solid Cactus- this story was from a report on our Ribbon Cutting last Monday.

http://www.timesleader.com/business/20080504_04solid_cactus_sd_ART0.html

My First Ticket

I've been know to live life in the fast-lane. However, I don't drive there.

I am a slow driver. People pass me all the time. People ride my ass all the time. In general, I think I piss other drivers off. I'm a 29-year-old grandma driver.

Yet, Wednesday morning, I was given my very first speeding ticket. It's like a life milestone. Your first tooth. Your first step. Your first word. Your first "time." Your first beer.

Your first speeding ticket.

It was my first day at our new location in Shavertown, so I took a different route to work. Work is now about 12 minutes closer for me because I don't have to go into Wilkes-Barre on the Cross Valley, or through all the lights on Wilkes-Barre Boulevard. I have a short-cut that I can take which leads me right to the road my new office is on.

My first day going to my new workplace. I am driving on Sutton Road in Shavertown, which has some gorgeous houses. I dream of living on this road, actually. So, 1) I was extremely hungover. 2) I was in la-la land and 3) I was starting at houses, left and right. Next thing I know, I see flashing lights-- no siren though.

I do a double-take because I thought these lights must be intended for someone else, but I realize that I am the only car on the road, so I pull over.

I was quite embarrassed because if you are a regular reader of this blog, then you will know about my letter to the editor a few months ago-- about speeders and terrible road conditions on Route 118. So, I tell the cop this, as well as the story about it being my first day. I still got a ticket. $164. I was nice, polite, didn't object or anything. It is what it is. He was doing his job, and I was now late for mine.

48 in a 25.... yikes. That's almost double, a co-worker pointed out to me. It didn't feel like I was going fast. Maybe since the road is hilly and curvy, I was caught while I was coasting? I don't know.

I wanted to say to him, "Oh thank goodness you got me this morning because I was shit-faced when I drove home from Hops last night..." but I didn't think that he'd think it was funny. Haha. I sort of wondered if my breath still smelled like alcohol. I read Tucker Max, I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell, and he actually had his own breathalizer and was still reading drunk the next morning. I mean, I doubt I was, but it was a funny thought to actually get a DUI the next morning on your way to work.

And, as Murphy's Law would have it, I did win a Spiff at work-- $100! Collected it that same morning, which was quite comical. Last time I won on the slots (five years ago), my car broke down, so as Donna Luck would have it, win money- something happens to my car, or in this case, my driving.

New Inn & Restaurant in Poconos - Woodfield Manor- Right by Mount Airy Casino!

I had an awesome night on Friday. One of our clients was opening a new inn & restaurant in Swiftwater, Woodfield Manor. Friday, they had a cocktail reception for some people and myself and a few co-workers attended.

If anyone is headed up to the new Mount Airy Casino or anything Pocono-ish for that matter and needs a nice place to eat and/or stay, I would highly encourage you to check out Woodfield Manor Chophouse.

This place has been an inn since 1808- it used to be an old hunting lodge. Today, the new owners have modernized it, while still giving it that rustic ambiance. The place is absolutely immaculate. The interior designers did a phenomenal job. I just can't get over how nice it is. The inn portion of Woodfield Manor has six suites upstairs- we were able to see three of them on Friday. Just lovely! The theme of them all were rustic, yet modern with lots of browns and burnt oranges-- each room as TWO flat panel screen TVs! Out back, there are also 13 cottages. So, plenty of room for guests.

But what was even more amazing was the food. At this special event, the chef prepared appetizers and entree items to give everyone a taste of what would be served regularly at Woodfield Manor. I tasted things I have never tried and actually felt pretty cool about myself for being so open. On the appetizer menu was Shrimp Martini- a huge martini glass filled with shrimp, onions and other seasonings, Beef Wellington, lamb skewers and they also had this awesome fruit kabob basket. That is what was passed around.

Then, they had a buffet of more appetizers- two kinds of oyster shooters (which I did not try), an AMAZING lobster bisque, alligator sausage spring rolls which rocked-- my favorite of the incredible spread, some type of clam florentine-ish on the shell, crocodile bites (not the official name I am sure), and stuffed mushroons.

Then, they put out some samples of entrees, which would delight any serious meat eater. We had Filet Migon (so tender and yummy), wild boar (tasted like pork), elk (this was a little gamey for me), ostrich which was my favorite meat actually (it was topped with a garlic & cheese type conconction- incredible), and then creamed spinciach and mashed potatoes with Gorgonzola cheese.

The chef came out an met everybody- he is so funny and a totally creative and excellent cook. The wait staff and bartenders were so friendly and the inn manager and his wife, the restaurant manager were lovely. Just a total great night. I am so excited for my clients, Tina and John and wish them the best of luck with their newest property!

I already raved to everyone I saw since Saturday and am going to plan a trip with a few other couples to have dinner, go to the casino, the outlets and then come back and stay the night. So-- check out Woodfield Manor! I think they officially open in a few weeks.

It's on 314 East in Swiftwater, just off Route 611-- near Aventis Pasteur and my old high school, Pocono Mountain Senior High. (now, PMHS East).

I will update this post with a few pictures once I get them. To learn a little bit more about this property, you can read a blog post about Woodfield Manor here on the owners' corporate website.

I love my job!

Short and simple blog.

I love my company. I love what I do. I love my job.

I am soooo happy!

Sweet Nostalgia. Literally.

**updated 10/24/07- I had the link to the site wrong- if you are revisiting this post, please try the candy link again!

As I am writing this, I am chewing on something that I haven't chewed on in FOREVER.

Teaberry gum.

And it is yummy. And, I think it still sells for .25 a pack.

I have to thank Candy Pam from the Blair Candy Company in Altoona, PA for this nostaligic taste trek I am on right now. Check out her site at: http://www.blaircandy.com/ as she sells lots of classic candies- including of course Clark's Teabrry gum.

I had the chance to meet Pam at our Boot Camp last week when our clients camp to town to learn all about ecommerce. She was one of those who made the trek- and she came bearing gifts. I just tore into my candy baggie today and am glad I did. Mmmmm. Teaberry rocks.

What is teaberry? Well, it is actually an endangered plant in some parts, like Illinois. But the Eastern Teaberry plant (or, Gaultheria procumbens) is an American Wintergreen plant, which produces berries. According to http://www.wildflower.org/:

"This leathery semi-woody aromatic perennial has creeping underground stems thus forming small colonies of plants. Showy red fruits may persist through the winter. The genus was named for Dr. Gaultier a Canadian physician of the mid-18th century. Teaberry extract is used to flavor teas candies medicines and chewing gum. "

And according to the very reliable soure, Wikipedia the D.L. Clark Company based in Buffalo, New York began making the teaberry gum in the 60s. The gum is still made in Mexico.

3:00 Reboot, NPR and Other Things

Hi All! Haven't blogged in a few days, so here are some random updates and thoughts.

Every day just around 3:00 p.m. by computer at work goes nuts and I have to reboot. It is usually around this time that I realize that I, myself could also use a reboot. So, 3:00-ish has officially been designated as my rebooting period. I restart my computer and then go to the break room to grab a (hopefully sugar-free) Red Bull.

While I am in the subject of work, I love my new job and company. What cool people! I get to talk to some cool folks around the nation all day long!

SUPPORT NPR- Summer Pledge Drive
I renewed my membership to WVIA-FM yesterday afternoon. I cannot tell you how much I love NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Fresh Air, and additionally my local station's evening programming by George Graham. While I like classic rock and some contemporary rock and country, I've been growing tired of the same-old, same-old, so I listen to George Graham whenever I can-- I am not that into jazz, which is the first part of his show. But later in the evening he features music you don't hear anywhere else-- world music, folk, blues, local stuff-- just some really, really great stuff. I won't knock commerical radio because I worked in it for a long time, but man-- is this good shit!! There is something very special about public radion.

Regarding the news programming- I subscribe to the paper and read various things online each day and I watch the local news a few times per week. But nothing digs as deep and spends more time on individual stories than NPR. I feel smarter and more informed since I began listening daily about six months ago. It's good, good stuff. I learn so much! My particular favorite feature is a year-long reporting featuring NPR is doing with National Geographic on climate change-- they are traveling the globe interviewing people that are affected... And-- Fresh Air--- Terri Gross does some amazing interview with people in arts and entertainment, or newsmakers everyday from 6:00-7:00-- so many interesting things.

I encourage everyone local to donate to WVIA, or if you are not local, to NPR directly-- I am sure your local NPR station is also in the middle of their pledge drive.

COMMITTED TO THE ARTS
On a personal note, there have been some things on my mind lately. I have been wrestling internally with some things... mainly one choice. If you've been keeping up with my blog, you are probably noticing that I am thrilled about the MA in creative writing and my rejuvenation with writing in general. This is something I need to do, and devote my full-attention to, minus my time at my job. There have been lots of new beginnings for me this summer with a new job and this master's program. All that said, I am not going to get into personal details here, but you can read between the lines I am sure.....

I am on the waiting list for an apartment in downtown Wilkes-Barre. I need to be closer to my job and I need some time alone to writer. I am happy. That's what matters right now.

Life is good. I am enjoying a rather strong White Russian (I couldn't find a shot glass to measure the Absolut. Oops!) I made a committment with some classmates to have 100 pages of a novel done by January-- gonna hop over and try to get started on that!

DREAMS & SLEEP
I started an Amazon.com store selling dream journals, dream dictionaries, sleep aids, etc. Visit it at http://www.thedreamdrawer.com/.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/225148/what_is_psychic_dreamwalking.html
That is a link to one of my archived articles at Associated Content.

Cheers!