Anyone who knows me, knows my absolute disdain when it comes to the CTA. The CTA drives me crazy. You are packed like a sardine in a smelly car where people are (more often than not) only looking out for themselves. It is frustrating and annoying -- especially throughout the Brown Line "Improvements."
However, the other day, the nicest thing happen to me on the L. I boarded the train after leaving the office and got into a packed car, prepared to stand balancing myself and all my work stuff. When, a gentleman (who knew they still existed) stood up and offered me his seat. Now, I am not elderly, handicapped or pregnant, which in train terms are typically the people you want to give your seat to. I am just a 30 year girl with a few bags. And yet he gave me his seat.
It was the nicest thing ever and completely changed my mood and my day. So, to the kind stranger on the Brown Line. I just want to say, "thank you." You are a good, kind man and I hope that life rewards you.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Mike and Mike
I woke up early this morning and without the use of the alarm clock. For those that know me, that is a shocking statement in and of itself. I am not a morning person. No fewer than 6 alarms go off at different times of the morning in an attempt to make me get out of bed. One of my alarms is set to ESPN 1000 and the Mike and Mike show. Since I was awake, I turned off the alarms and turned on the TV to ESPN2, which broadcasts a TV version of the show. I stared at the TV listening to Mike and Mike talk sports. An hour into my vegging (and at the point when I should have been getting up and getting into the shower), they started talking about 9/11 and how they remember being on air. And it was surreal, because they were the ones that broke the news to me 5 years ago.
I was in my car (doing the horrible commute that plagued me for 4 years -- though, this was only the second week of it and I didn't know how much it would suck) and had stopped at the Starbucks for coffee. I came out with caffeinated goodness and heard them mention a plane hitting the WTC. It was almost laughable and blase at the time. I pictured a bad prop plane moment out of a Godzilla movie and mentally moved on. I remember Mike Greenberg saying that they were going to keep us posted, but that since this was a sports station, they were going to keep it on the topic at hand - I believe it was pennant races and early football games.
Of course, this was around 8 AM CST. Within the next hour, all hell had broken loose and our lives had been forever changed. I remember the sensitivity and compassion that fueled Mike and Mike's broadcast, after the second plane hit and the Pentagon news broke. I remember ESPN turning it over to ABC for full coverage.
It's strange that five years later, I tuned into the same broadcast and to the same broadcasters as I did that day. To hear their voices and their recollections, which completely mirrored mine, was comforting. It reminded me that even with the most horrific tragedies, life slowly moves forward.
To all those whom lost their life that day, you will always be in our thoughts and prayers and hearts and souls. God Bless You. God Bless America.
I was in my car (doing the horrible commute that plagued me for 4 years -- though, this was only the second week of it and I didn't know how much it would suck) and had stopped at the Starbucks for coffee. I came out with caffeinated goodness and heard them mention a plane hitting the WTC. It was almost laughable and blase at the time. I pictured a bad prop plane moment out of a Godzilla movie and mentally moved on. I remember Mike Greenberg saying that they were going to keep us posted, but that since this was a sports station, they were going to keep it on the topic at hand - I believe it was pennant races and early football games.
Of course, this was around 8 AM CST. Within the next hour, all hell had broken loose and our lives had been forever changed. I remember the sensitivity and compassion that fueled Mike and Mike's broadcast, after the second plane hit and the Pentagon news broke. I remember ESPN turning it over to ABC for full coverage.
It's strange that five years later, I tuned into the same broadcast and to the same broadcasters as I did that day. To hear their voices and their recollections, which completely mirrored mine, was comforting. It reminded me that even with the most horrific tragedies, life slowly moves forward.
To all those whom lost their life that day, you will always be in our thoughts and prayers and hearts and souls. God Bless You. God Bless America.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
“Crikey!”
I heard a father lamenting the tragic death of Steve Irwin. He was talking about having to console his son and how his son was so devastated. It seemed so dramatic and I was having a hard time relating. I could sympathize with the loss. It was tragic, shocking and sudden. For a moment though, to me, it was just another sad ending in the news. And then I thought about all the kids that grew up watching him. All the kids who dreamed of being him when they grew up. And, I remembered.
I remembered being a kid filled with dreams. Thinking that I could be anything (and I really planned on being it all – astronaut, singer, teacher, writer, dolphin trainer and president of the United States). Then, January 28, 1986, changed the way I looked at things. The death of the Challenger crew brought the dark side of life to my otherwise innocent eyes. It was unnerving and scary. It made me see that things have a beginning and an end. It also made me a little fearful of the sky. I am not an astronaut today and I don’t know if that one incident shaped everything. But I wonder.
So, to the kids who dream of being a Crocodile Hunter when they grow up, keep dreaming – emulate all that Steve Irwin was in life – adventurous, conscientious, respectful, unafraid (but cautious), exuberant, jovial, a lover of all living things, a true friend and family man and a loving soul. He would want to be honored in that way. He would want you to reach for the stars!
I remembered being a kid filled with dreams. Thinking that I could be anything (and I really planned on being it all – astronaut, singer, teacher, writer, dolphin trainer and president of the United States). Then, January 28, 1986, changed the way I looked at things. The death of the Challenger crew brought the dark side of life to my otherwise innocent eyes. It was unnerving and scary. It made me see that things have a beginning and an end. It also made me a little fearful of the sky. I am not an astronaut today and I don’t know if that one incident shaped everything. But I wonder.
So, to the kids who dream of being a Crocodile Hunter when they grow up, keep dreaming – emulate all that Steve Irwin was in life – adventurous, conscientious, respectful, unafraid (but cautious), exuberant, jovial, a lover of all living things, a true friend and family man and a loving soul. He would want to be honored in that way. He would want you to reach for the stars!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Too much of a good thing...
Starbucks learned a mighty lesson in the power of the Internet / "FWD"ing emails this week, when they sent out a free iced coffee promotion to individuals in the Southeast region. Under the premise that they could forward it to friends and family, people who received the email did just that. Soon Starbucks saw its "Southeast" promotion spread like wildfire across the US.
In order to service their customers, Starbucks extended the promotion to all company-owned Starbucks stores -- at least that's what they said. Under this theory, anyone who received the coupon could go to Starbucks and get a free Iced Coffee. Of course, 6 days later, they issued a statement that retracted the offer - no more free Iced Coffees for anyone. They did this, because, "Unfortunately, it has been redistributed beyond the original intent and modified beyond Starbucks control."
Um, okay, Starbucks, welcome to the 21st Century. Your original email said the following: "Starting today until September 30th, please join us in "surprising and delighting" our family and friends, while introducing you to our iced beverages. Attached is an invitation for a complimentary iced Grande beverage. Please forward this invitation to everyone in your email address book."
Nowhere in the email or on the flyer does it specify that this is only a regional promotion. Was Starbucks so naive to assume that people's email address books would only include addresses for the region in which the promotion was valid? It is ironic that Starbucks used email / Internet to promote themselves and their products and then shut it down when it got to be "too much." Interesting.
When is free advertising too much to handle? Well, in Starbucks’ case, it was when they realized there would be a lot of people coming for a free coffee. Really, I think it is now, when they realize that the same hands that forwarded the coupon to entire their address book are now forwarding this information as well: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/starbucks.asp . So Mr. Mega Conglomerate Starbucks...which would you have preferred....a few free coffees or your customers thinking that you make promises that you can’t keep. Seems to me that the surprise to my family and friends is that the grande coffee costs! The delight will most likely be found in the public relations nightmare that you have started for yourselves...
In order to service their customers, Starbucks extended the promotion to all company-owned Starbucks stores -- at least that's what they said. Under this theory, anyone who received the coupon could go to Starbucks and get a free Iced Coffee. Of course, 6 days later, they issued a statement that retracted the offer - no more free Iced Coffees for anyone. They did this, because, "Unfortunately, it has been redistributed beyond the original intent and modified beyond Starbucks control."
Um, okay, Starbucks, welcome to the 21st Century. Your original email said the following: "Starting today until September 30th, please join us in "surprising and delighting" our family and friends, while introducing you to our iced beverages. Attached is an invitation for a complimentary iced Grande beverage. Please forward this invitation to everyone in your email address book."
Nowhere in the email or on the flyer does it specify that this is only a regional promotion. Was Starbucks so naive to assume that people's email address books would only include addresses for the region in which the promotion was valid? It is ironic that Starbucks used email / Internet to promote themselves and their products and then shut it down when it got to be "too much." Interesting.
When is free advertising too much to handle? Well, in Starbucks’ case, it was when they realized there would be a lot of people coming for a free coffee. Really, I think it is now, when they realize that the same hands that forwarded the coupon to entire their address book are now forwarding this information as well: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/starbucks.asp . So Mr. Mega Conglomerate Starbucks...which would you have preferred....a few free coffees or your customers thinking that you make promises that you can’t keep. Seems to me that the surprise to my family and friends is that the grande coffee costs! The delight will most likely be found in the public relations nightmare that you have started for yourselves...
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
30 observations from the 43 days that got swallowed up by my 30th birthday
So, it has been awhile, but between work and planning parties and enjoying summer in Chicago, I have been not sat down to write in awhile. To make up for it, here are 30 random things since I wrote on this site last:
30. Rebel Without a Cause is good on a movie screen, better outdoors with fireworks in the background and amazing when you have all of the above, plus friends and 3 bottles of wine.
29. The Berenstein Bears were right...there such a thing as too much birthday. (Actually, my birthday (and subsequent celebrations) was amazing. More than anyone could ask for, but this 30-year old is plum tuckered out).
28. It was 104 on the day before my birthday and the Cubs got their butts kicked. Of course, I could write that line for most of my birthdays.
27. Kiddie pools aren't just for kids when it is 104 outside. (This goes for slip 'n' slides as well).
26. German beer packs a lot of punch!
25. The key to good Sangria is soaking the fruit in sugar and brandy. The key to a good hangover is drinking a punch bowl's worth of Sangria.
24. Truth or Dare Jenga is the best way to turn a quiet Saturday night into a night of debaucherous chaotic fun.
23. There is nothing quite as funny as jazz hands.
22. If you are a cute girl with your even cuter friend and you stumble into “Nerds Single Night,” do not pull out your crossword. It is not going to help the situation.
22. As a follow up to #20, if you are a guy that signed up (and paid to attend) said Nerd Night, don’t walk around the bar looking down on others and acting as if you are better then everyone else. Don’t graze a girl you’ve never talked to and then use a line involving a shade of blue. Don’t argue your tab when you are obviously wasted. Finally, don’t blame said tab (that you racked up hitting on women) on 2 “Hate-Filled Evil Women.” Really, we didn’t give you a thought until then and now you have made yourself the star of a story that will never cease being funny. And for the record, you don’t hold a candle to Vince Vaughn.
20. American Graffiti is as good a movie as I remember and once again, better under the stars with a bottle of wine. If it is a movie you have never seen, you must rectify this.
19. The 10th Season of Friends is really good. It does kind of pull everything together in a nice ending.
18. Summarizing the last several weeks of the summer is hard when you are trying to come up with 30 things and when you are writing it a month after the fact.
17. When you go to a club (and you’re a shot and beer kind of girl) and the night takes a turn when you pay $20 just to start it, the best way to salvage it is to drink your weight in vodka. Bunny boilers be damned.
16. Watching a PBS documentary is not nerdy – however, sitting on the couch watching it, eating ice cream and knitting might be.
15. Fresh basil really does make a better fagach.
14. Sometimes people don’t always see you, even when they are looking right at you.
13. Hallmark really does make a card for everything and everyone. (Including a Word Up card for Dane! Happy Birthday, Dane! And others that I have missed...Deb - love you and Jason - welcome to the 30 Club!)
12. Never settle.
11. Getting crushed by your crush on your birthday requires late night recovery pub-style – shots and beers.
10. Follow up to #11, the sister who stays and does the shots (even though she hates them) and the friend who keep on pouring them (because it’s how he can make the situation better) are what it is all about.
09. Follow up (again) to #11 – it is always worth the risk. Even if you end up crushed.
08. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. (And usually, that involves It Raining Men)!
07. Sometimes the tough girl needs to be covered in satin and lace.
06. There is something to be said about being a damn good wingman (and about having one).
05. Dr. McGillicuddy’s and Hershey Syrup really do make everything better.
04. A really nice family picture is important, even if it involves a U-Boat.
03. There is nothing better than spending a week with your sister! Well, maybe it is your sister and the 6 pints of Grater’s ice cream she brought with her.
02. Every girl should own a Tiffany Bracelet. (Thanks Mom and Dad for making that dream come true. We’ll call the Mistletoe Bear incident a draw).
01. Turning 30 isn’t bad, as long as you are surrounded by lots of liquor and all of your family and friends. So, though I have not been thoroughly kissed in this, my 30th year, it has all around been a good start. Here’s to family and friends and the feeling that you fit in this crazy world. Here’s to 30 and absurdy!
30. Rebel Without a Cause is good on a movie screen, better outdoors with fireworks in the background and amazing when you have all of the above, plus friends and 3 bottles of wine.
29. The Berenstein Bears were right...there such a thing as too much birthday. (Actually, my birthday (and subsequent celebrations) was amazing. More than anyone could ask for, but this 30-year old is plum tuckered out).
28. It was 104 on the day before my birthday and the Cubs got their butts kicked. Of course, I could write that line for most of my birthdays.
27. Kiddie pools aren't just for kids when it is 104 outside. (This goes for slip 'n' slides as well).
26. German beer packs a lot of punch!
25. The key to good Sangria is soaking the fruit in sugar and brandy. The key to a good hangover is drinking a punch bowl's worth of Sangria.
24. Truth or Dare Jenga is the best way to turn a quiet Saturday night into a night of debaucherous chaotic fun.
23. There is nothing quite as funny as jazz hands.
22. If you are a cute girl with your even cuter friend and you stumble into “Nerds Single Night,” do not pull out your crossword. It is not going to help the situation.
22. As a follow up to #20, if you are a guy that signed up (and paid to attend) said Nerd Night, don’t walk around the bar looking down on others and acting as if you are better then everyone else. Don’t graze a girl you’ve never talked to and then use a line involving a shade of blue. Don’t argue your tab when you are obviously wasted. Finally, don’t blame said tab (that you racked up hitting on women) on 2 “Hate-Filled Evil Women.” Really, we didn’t give you a thought until then and now you have made yourself the star of a story that will never cease being funny. And for the record, you don’t hold a candle to Vince Vaughn.
20. American Graffiti is as good a movie as I remember and once again, better under the stars with a bottle of wine. If it is a movie you have never seen, you must rectify this.
19. The 10th Season of Friends is really good. It does kind of pull everything together in a nice ending.
18. Summarizing the last several weeks of the summer is hard when you are trying to come up with 30 things and when you are writing it a month after the fact.
17. When you go to a club (and you’re a shot and beer kind of girl) and the night takes a turn when you pay $20 just to start it, the best way to salvage it is to drink your weight in vodka. Bunny boilers be damned.
16. Watching a PBS documentary is not nerdy – however, sitting on the couch watching it, eating ice cream and knitting might be.
15. Fresh basil really does make a better fagach.
14. Sometimes people don’t always see you, even when they are looking right at you.
13. Hallmark really does make a card for everything and everyone. (Including a Word Up card for Dane! Happy Birthday, Dane! And others that I have missed...Deb - love you and Jason - welcome to the 30 Club!)
12. Never settle.
11. Getting crushed by your crush on your birthday requires late night recovery pub-style – shots and beers.
10. Follow up to #11, the sister who stays and does the shots (even though she hates them) and the friend who keep on pouring them (because it’s how he can make the situation better) are what it is all about.
09. Follow up (again) to #11 – it is always worth the risk. Even if you end up crushed.
08. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. (And usually, that involves It Raining Men)!
07. Sometimes the tough girl needs to be covered in satin and lace.
06. There is something to be said about being a damn good wingman (and about having one).
05. Dr. McGillicuddy’s and Hershey Syrup really do make everything better.
04. A really nice family picture is important, even if it involves a U-Boat.
03. There is nothing better than spending a week with your sister! Well, maybe it is your sister and the 6 pints of Grater’s ice cream she brought with her.
02. Every girl should own a Tiffany Bracelet. (Thanks Mom and Dad for making that dream come true. We’ll call the Mistletoe Bear incident a draw).
01. Turning 30 isn’t bad, as long as you are surrounded by lots of liquor and all of your family and friends. So, though I have not been thoroughly kissed in this, my 30th year, it has all around been a good start. Here’s to family and friends and the feeling that you fit in this crazy world. Here’s to 30 and absurdy!
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