British Television Ad Awards

The BTAA's are nearly impossible to go to since they sell out so often and are only shown for one month. The Walker Art Center has them every where in December, which just makes it a difficult time of year to go in general. Needless to say, last night was the last night, and I got to go. Thank you my wonderful sister. It was sold out, but Heidi has good art connections and was able to get us into the show. Hello, dream come true- #1 it's British, #2 Ads, #3 the best ads. How can one go wrong? There was some very funny Tesco ads for clothes. They looked kind of Gap/Old Navy-esque but the price stickers were making the people fall over while they danced. It was good. They were a lot of serious ads about unlicensed cabs and about all the sexual crimes they commit per month and not to use them, etc. Pretty powerful. Good times.

Climbing that ladder.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't expect to have a glamorous/glorious couple jobs post college. Yes, there might be perks to the job and I may really enjoy the job, but I don't expect anything. I'm not that picky, because I know that I can't afford to be, literally. I have just been hearing so many people talk about who they will work for and who they aren't willing to work for, and what they would work on and what they wouldn't- but non of whom are completely satisfied with what they have now. I fully believe in having goals and attaining them, or doing what's needed to get there, but I can't imagine eliminating all my options so early in my career. I just don't get it.

Two parts present, One part future and a dash of Soul Asylum

Last night I went to see Soul Asylum at First Ave. It's been awhile since I have been there and I forgot how much I love that place. One of my co-workers was the opening band, so that's a good incentive to go in the first place. I have to say it's weird to see someone on stage talking/singing in front of a nearly sold out crowd when he hardly talks in meetings!! I always like seeing co-workers outside of the office, it's nice to work with people that have similar interests as myself. However, I won't be working with them for much longer...

In between bands, I looked over and the guy standing next to me was a guy I had interviewed with- my new future co-worker. Thankfully I knew I got the job, so forcing myself to talk to him was pretty easy. At least I could make a good appearance before I start my job. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of media people from various ad agencies at the show, since EVEYONE knows everyone else. It is one industry where you don't want enemies!

Soul Asylum rocked. I've never seen them, so it was good to finally see them. However, I've never seen so many married people in one room before!! Maybe I pay more attention to rings than I have in the past, but every guy that walked by, married. It was odd, and I've never felt like the youngest person at a show in a very long time. All and all it was a good time.

I was out doing some last minute shopping yesterday and ran into the HR manager from my current work. I warned her that I got a job offer and she told me I'd be crazy not to take it and that it is a good career choice for myself. I told her I really like our company, and she said I could always come back... nice to know. I think it's easier to go back to a company when you've already worked there, as long as you leave on good terms and they don't ask you to leave of course.

Merry Christmas to me,

I got a new job! I honestly can't wait to start. I spent all day at my job thinking about how excited I would be to get it, and I now I no longer have to wish. I interviewed last week and then had a phone interview this week and everything went well and the director called today and I loved his transition. He began the conversation asking about my upcoming days off (the agency always has the week between Christmas and New Years off) and I only have Friday and Monday off. He said "if you worked here you'd have next week off... well, do you want to work here?" Um, yeah, I do want to work there. Fuckin' made my day. Carmichael Lynch, here I come. Now, I just have to tell my current employer that I am high-tailing it outta there. I like my agency, but there are no openings for the job that I want to do and I do NOT want to wait around until there are. At first I really liked my job and didn't mind going in, but not anymore. Just hearing the director talk about some of the stuff I would get to work on, I was so excited. I also love the fact that I will be insured in just a few short weeks. Then I can go to the chiropractor again (which I need to since I fell UP the CEMENT stairs yesterday).

I am in shock. I had a really good feeling about the interviews, but it's a different story to be victorious. I feel like I am dreaming. I'm sure Adam is sick of me saying it already, but I got the job. I need to repeat it to myself every now and then just so I can remember that it actually happened.

Speaking of Christmas- EVERYONE at work was saying "Merry Christmas" all day long. Not a big deal, but then they all commented on how "nice" it is to hear someone say it instead of Happy Holidays. I feel like it is ingrained in my brain to only say Happy Holidays and not specify any of them. It covers all of the possible Holidays that maybe occurring in the upcoming weeks. Works for me. Someone starting ranting on about being PC and people getting offended about it all. Maybe since I grew up during the transition from 'Christmas break' to 'Holiday Break' that I don't think people are being oversensitive about their Holidays terms and that we do not need to say Merry Christmas to everyone we see.

Prenevi

My sister and I went to a party of a mutual friend from high school, running into other people from high school, and someone said "The Prenevost sisters" and then refered to us as "Prenevi" emplicating that it is the plural from of Prenevost. I think it is a pretty good word association. I think it is weird that my sister and I don't really get to hang out that often, but when we do, we usually run into someone that we haven't seen for a while and they always think that we hang out all the time. We are twins we must be leading the same lives. It just seems weird to me.

Heidi starting ranting about all ofher friends that she has that have purchased homes and she insulted it. Adam and I just looked at her and said we're investing. At least we should be able to get something out of it when we're ready to sell. I guess, buying a house somewhere means that you want to live somewhere for awhile, you want to "make some roots". I'm just not sure when we're going to move, it's enough space for us now, but I imaigine that we would need some more room in the future. I can't think anymore and will no longer attempt to finish this thought. Maybe on another day...

My work wants to kill me

Okay, they just want to smother me with Holiday wreaths. Some one mentioned that she bets her kids will get sick on Christmas Eve, and I said that I used to get sick then because of all the wreaths and trees. I'm allergic to trees and would often find myself throwing up at church because there would be so many tree parts around. Of course, they all find it amusing and want attack me with the wreath that is hanging closest to my office. Isn't it bad enough that I had an asthma attack the other week at lunch from laughing so hard, now they want to want to suffocate me with a tree. Can someone say "Christmas Spirit?"

Winter Wonderland.

It snowed about a foot today. I love looking at a yard that hasn't been walked in yet, so it is just a fresh blanket of snow. It makes me smile to see a piece of earth completely uninterrupted and natural. But it's a bitch to drive in. It's a love hate relationship with the snow. Break out the boots, you'll need them till March.

Regret.

I went and saw Ice Harvest the other day (John Cusack's new movie). It was sort of a work sponsored event, minus the work people. (If we do random activities this week, we can get points and in turn enter a drawing to win an ipod nano and other fun prizes). So, I went by myself, which is nice to do every now and then. I had a lot of things on my mind when I went to the movie, and had a hard time paying attention. A couple of times I was tempted to just walk out of the theatre- not because the movie was bad, just because I had things that I wanted to get done. When I go to movie's and my head is spinning from ideas/thoughts, I find myself taking notes from the movie. Like I'm going to get another meaning out of the movie. I'm not sure, but this is what I wrote down:

"it's futile to regret...different choice, same result"

The ever so handsome Mr. Cusack's character was telling a story about fraternal male twins (naturally my interest is peeked). The story was one twin was very law abiding and followed all the rules, etc. The other twin did whatever he felt and was in and out of jail, etc. Both of them died young a day apart from each other. In essence it doesn't matter how careful you are in life, it's not going to change your destiny. Live a happy life and don't have any regrets. I think everyone has some regrets, but I guess the biggest thing is avoid the big regrets.

Today I was listening to Paris Texas, one song played about 4 times, I don't know how or why, but the lyrics were "I never want to live my life saying things like 'I wish I...'"

It just seems like a lot of things are telling me not to regret my life or aspects of my life. It's kind of like when you read your horoscope for the day, you try to apply the events that have already happened to the 2 sentences that will happen to you that day. I guess it just depends on what you choose to pay attention to and how you want to interpret it.

If I choose to listen, my 'signals' are telling me "no regrets."

Obligated.

I hate when I feel obligated to do something versus genuinely wanting to do it. It was my friends birthday yesterday, I guess more of an acquaintance since I haven't seen her for about 4 months. She came to my birthday festivities last summer and I felt that I had to go out for her birthday. I was busy everyday last week and just wanted to relax on Saturday night, but I felt I had to go out. Adam agreed to come out for a drink with me, we paid too much for the cover than couldn't even find the birthday girl. The bar was packed and it sucked. We decided to go see Syriana since we were already downtown and really didn't feel like going to another bar. I hate packed bars where you can't move, they just make me not want to be there. I like being able to sit down and enjoy a drink and talk with people. It's one thing when I go out to go dancing, then I just want to dance and don't think about anything else. I guess it all depends on the mindset when starting an evening. If I don't want to go out to begin with, the night is not going to be that promising.

I don't even want to think about how much money I have spent the last few weeks buying gifts. I have a ridiculous amount of secret santa type gifts. I have noticed that you never really get anything that you want from those. I will spend $50 on gifts for others and will probably end up with lotion and bubble bath. I have been doing an insane amount of shopping and keep buying things for myself. I am not supposed to shop for me, but for others. I don't even want to think about it.

Shoes.

I also think that the right pair of shoes gives confidence, but at the same time, why do they have to hurt so much?

Confidence.

I am amazed at the way some people carry themselves, or the way they show they aren't confident. I know when I feel uncomfortable in a situation, I try to act as confident as possible and attempt to blend in or act like I am supposed to be there. As I break my way into the advertising world, I find myself going to more and more "functions" some of which I know no one but the people I went there with and others where I run into everyone I've ever known. Either way, it's a new experience for me to have to do the random chit chat with people. "Where do you work? What accounts do you work on? Do you know so and so?" Every freaking time. Everyone in the Ad world is connected in some way or another. But I realized that no matter the situation you have to make the best of it- I already knew that but the point was definitely reiterated this evening. I also noticed how much the company you are with can make or break your evening. Or their lack of confidence can rub off on you. I'm not a fan of that. I think that is why I like friends who are sure of themselves, because then that rubs off and in turn makes me happier/confident. Or perhaps that is how we choose friends or the people we want to be around. Naturally we would not choose to hang around someone that was always dragging us down, right? I feel like I've just had an epiphany on this topic, or maybe it's just the first time that I've ever really thought about it. Either way for the first time in a while I fee like I have friends that bring out the best in me and we have a good little group of people going. I haven't had a "group" of friends that I hung out with consistently in a long time, high school days in fact. I never really replaced or found a group of people that were sincere, with similar interests, and fun to be around. It really is difficult to find that in a group of people.

Okay- How I met your Mother.

It's been a long week, but consistently "how I met your mother" starts it off strong. I believe the episode on this week was when Ted and Barney went to Philly to follow some girls. I think her name is Lilly (the one that is engaged to Marshall) tried to pick up some guys, or at least wanted them to talk to her. I'm sure we've all been in that place (or just me, it's okay, I understand if you're not willing to admit it) where you feel like you are invisible. The nights that you want someone to talk to you/buy drinks, it never happens, but when you least expect it, bam free drinks all night. Maybe it all comes back to the confidence thing and that when you have it, it attracts others. I think I'm on to something.

For life.

One if my good friends from high school proposed to his longtime girlfriend. It happened about one month ago and he hadn't told me yet. Oddly enough, I am okay with that since he did wait to tell me in person, so that makes it better. Very few couples that I know now did I actually know before they were a couple. I have memories of both of my friends before they even really knew each other. Ah, high school sweet hearts together at last.

Minnesota has become a winter wonderland and a tundra. It's only December.

Crazy Neighbor complaint #1:

Adam played some music with his bass player buddy on Saturday during the day. Yeah, it's loud but it was also only 2pm. We had some friends over that night- nothing too crazy. Yes, we had a snow BBQ, but last time I checked, that wasn't very loud. This morning the neighbor stopped Adam in the street and told him "loud music wasn't going to fly", he told Adam that loud bass music at 9pm was shaking his house. I don't think imaginary music traveled across the street and shook his house. He referenced having some trouble with the people next to us when they moved in, but it was taken care of. I don't know if he's try to regulate the neighborhood and keep the rifraf out, but making up lies isn't going to do that. Just because we are young doesn't mean that we are hooligans. The neighbors on the other hand have pigeons in the basement and the mom told me not to be a single mom. Thanks for the advice, I didn't know that already.

Love Actually

I honestly do not feel like I can get in the Holiday spirit without watching Love Actually. Perhaps it's the fact that I would rather be in London than anywhere else, or how everything works out in the end, kind of. Some people end up happy, others don't. Life isn't perfect and that's okay. I think it's nice to have a holiday movie where everyone doesn't end up being ridiculously happy. And of course, it's true, any british guy can head over to the states and get an American girl. Duh, have you heard the accents?

Racist Walmart.

On my drive home this evening I heard a story about Walmart and their denial of a Black Man's check. He is an HR representative for a company and was buying 500+ gift cards for the members of the company, so his bill was $13,000 and we wrote them a check and Walmart claimed it was fraudulent (it wasn't) but they made the man wait there for 2 hours while the "verified" his check. Ultimately Walmart did not allow him to purchase the gift cards and the man ended up at Target. There's another notch on the belt for Target. I was trying to find more information on the story but this was all that I could find. On the site there is a story about a black women in a St. Paul suburb that had Walmart deny her [good] check.
Minnesota, you're letting me down. Walmart, you always did.
What does this all signify? Yet another reason to go see Anna's play in Madison (about Walmart taking over the world).

New Blog, New Start.

In the height of google mania, I want to jump away from posting/ranting under my name. What I was thinking in the first place, I'm not really sure, clearly I wasn't. No harm done (I hope). Needless to say, I am starting anew. Hurrah. Or not. Let the games begin...

Vomit free since '93

I can't say it nearly enough, but, I love How I Met Your Mother. Brilliant. Bloody Brilliant. Monday's episode recapping a drunken night was fabulous. We've all been there and tried to figure out the events of the night before, but I know I don't have a camera crew capturing my every move. Oddly, there is a bar in Minneapolis called the Red Dragon (the shot that Ted took 5 of) that has super strong drinks known as the 'red dragon' special. You only need one, but they sure are tasty.

I can't say that I have ever had a "puking record," but my sister did for a while. No catchy slogan to accompany it, but she did a lot of, "I haven't puked since the 3rd grade" up until the high school days. I recall her being pretty bummed when the streak was over. Ahh the good old days.