25 and Loving It!

So.. its been awhile, but I have a very valid reason. I got shipped off to Cleveland, OH for three weeks to help with quarter close at a GE plant. Technically I am in staying in Streetsboro, OH... a small town about 30 mins outside of Cleveland. The plant is pretty cool, and the opportunity is pretty slick, but I was kinda of hesistant because March is my favorite month. There are three things in March that make it so..

1. March Madness - perhaps the greatest sporting event yearly. Incredibly exciting, tons of action and a lot of amazing compeition plus my alama mater Marquette was looking like it was going to make the field.

2. St. Patty's Day - Probably my favorite holiday, yes better then Christmas. Always a ton of fun, up and partying from 6 am til close.. who wouldnt like that :)

3. My Birthday - March 16th in case you were wondering, is the day I was born. Now while I haven't spent/did anything to wild my last couple birthdays, I resented the fact that I was being told where I HAD to be for my birthday.. was a little bit upsetting.

Now as it turns out, I was probably mistaken about most of this stuff. The 8 days I have been out here have been a lot of fun. I have learned a ton about complaince, shop ops, what not and to do.. and a lot about the other 7 OMLPs that are down here with me. This will be an experience we will all have that will keep us tight knit. I have learned about wild times, sad times, scary times and especially happy times. It has really opened my eyes as to what amazingly gifted and talented people I work with every day with their ability to amaze me with their understanding of my actions and their ability to catch me off guard with things they had done/said or actions like getting me a birthday cake and making an extreme effort to ensure that my birthday was all about me... Its werid as one of the women I am out here said about me " He'll go along with just about anything, he is very flexible and does his best to allow others to have their way/good time".. but it was the same person that insisted on my birthday that we were doing something that I wanted to do... and she wasnt taking no or maybe for an answer...

Other things that have caught me off guard, is a guy that I think could have been a great friend of mine if we met 4 years ago in college. Down to earth, simple, loves to hangout, and overal cool person. Seeing how living with someone creates a very stong bond both that allows you to make fun of them, but also understand them. Seeing how a person of a different culture sees America... allowing me to see my world through a different lens has really opened my eyes up. Meeting an old friend of a friend who easyily manages to knock me off my feet with surprise with some of the things she does.. and a awesome next door neighbor who I was able to be there for when she needed some help..

Its pretty awesome how this experience has shaped my view of these other 7 people.. some I have known for close to 3 years.. others I really basically met 3 weeks ago. So I guess the month of March was not a complete disappointment..

Fox.. Get with the Times...

With the emergence of cable, pay per view and services like Tivo and DVR, network TV has taken a major hit over the past 10 years. Why watch the show when you can Tivo do what you need to do and watch it with minimal commerical interruption? In fact most besides sports, how much network TV really is watched. I am sure it is becoming less and less.

How do you battle such technological advances you may ask? Streaming Video!!!

Whats streaming video you may ask? Its a complex (way over my head) setup that allows you, the viewer, to view a television show online whenever you want to with limited commericial interruption, I believe on ABC its 20 seconds instead of 2 minutes. What network TV has done is go to uploading their programs on to their website shortly after it airs real time, so that you can catch up on episodes you missed or rewatch episodes after an extended break in new episodes. Its pretty awesome, I can watch an episode whenever I want to rather then having to be stuck in front of my TV to get my fix. Eat that Cable! However, one channel just hasn't figured it out yet.. Guess who --- FOX! Now I don't watch much Fox, but I wish I could get my Prison Break fix with out having to be at my TV on Mondays at 7 pm CST. Its kind of frustrating to be honest. I can watch Grey's Anatomy on Sunday afternoons with out sacrificing my Thursday going out night, and I can watch Black Donnellys and get caught up on the first 2 episodes I missed all without missing a beat and when it is most convenient for me.

Besides streaming video, the release of DVD seasons which has been all the rage has also increased viewership, speaking of which, I need to get caught up on Lost. Also the success of iTunes selling both movies and TV shows has allowed network TV to create revenue out of shows that they have already bought.

Finally network TV is starting to go the route cable, TIVO and DVR having been leading them.. to what is the most convenient to you the viewer!

Now if only Prison Break and Fox would figure this out!

Movies and Dogs

So my last week or so has been one continous run of movies and dogs, which both happen to be a couple of my favorite things in the world.


I recently watched the Departed, which if you aren't familiar with you really need to get in touch with the world. Its a Marty Scorsese film that won him is first Academy Award, which I learned is the same as the Oscars. It also stars Jack Nicholson, Mattttttt Damon, Leo Dicaprio, Marky Mark Wahlberg (one of my favorites), Marty Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and of course Anthony Anderson. Think big black guy from all the funny movies like My Babies Daddy, Romeo Must Die, and Barbershop.

The movie is fricking amazing! The major complaint I heard, was that the ending was kind of forced. But I believe that is the only way you can end a movie in this genere. I am not saying anything more because I don't want to ruin it.


I also watched the Illusionist which stars another two of my favorite actors.. Ed Norton.. come one who doesnt like 25 hours and Fight Club and Death to Smoochy. Also Jessica Biel because she is amazingly hot! I wanted to watch the Prestige because I heard it was a better movie, and all be it kind of predictable only because of one sceen early on, I thought they Illusionist was pretty intriguing, dark, and all around a decent flick.

Also I have been feeling a little stir crazy these past two weeks being back at home. It is not actually from living at home, but now that I live in a place where I could have a dog, it is so hard not to. I have managed to hold back on this issue because I know this living situation is temporary, but at the same point I have found myself scouring Craigslist and pet sites looking at all the adorable puppies available for ownership and friendship. Check it out.. these are some of the best.