December 30 – Gift Prompt: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What’s the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year?
The funny thing is, my most memorable gift that I have been given this year I have not yet experienced. A couple days after the new year, my family and I will be taking a family vacation to Las Vegas. This will be our first time ever to be in Vegas and also our first real family vacation in almost 10 years. Mom and dad were nice enough to book the trip in honor of my graduation and my sisters 21st birthday. We have been talking about this trip since we booked it back in August, and have been growing more and more excited as it gets closer. I have plans to take my sister to a karaoke bar for the first time, actually drink with my parents, and gamble for the first time. I know that this trip will bring us closer together as a family and will be a trip to remember.
...I really guess parents do give their kids the best gifts.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Defining defining moments
December 29 – Defining Moment Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year. (Author: Kathryn Fitzmaurice)
I graduated college. It took long enough, but it feels pretty good.
When I learned that I could actually read Tarot cards. Learning about my intuition has really helped me this year.
I was on the radio and on the local news in one summer. This made me want to get into voice over.
My fraternity received the most improved chapter within our district. This was the first district award that we had ever received.
My best friend left the country to go to school. It was difficult at first, but I have learned a lot about friendship through this experience.
I met some people that I know are going to be a part of my life for a very long time and I am very grateful for that.
There have been some moments during 2010 that I'll never forget. These are the ones that have helped shape who I am.
I graduated college. It took long enough, but it feels pretty good.
When I learned that I could actually read Tarot cards. Learning about my intuition has really helped me this year.
I was on the radio and on the local news in one summer. This made me want to get into voice over.
My fraternity received the most improved chapter within our district. This was the first district award that we had ever received.
My best friend left the country to go to school. It was difficult at first, but I have learned a lot about friendship through this experience.
I met some people that I know are going to be a part of my life for a very long time and I am very grateful for that.
There have been some moments during 2010 that I'll never forget. These are the ones that have helped shape who I am.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
What do I want out of the new year?
December 28 – Achieve
What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.
Goals. We all talk about it. All we want in life is to achieve them. Some of us kind of saunter through for a while a little aimless, until we find what it is that we want to achieve. Since I graduated, everyone wants to know what I want out of life, what I want to do for the rest of my life, or something that sounds similar to the prior two. I know what I want as a career, but not really the time line to get from point A to point B. Whats the ONE thing that I want to do in 2011? Well, here it is:
I want to record my voice over demo and break into the business.
How will I feel once I achieve this? Happy, accomplished, and even more happy. This is something I've wanted since September, and I'm looking to get it done as soon as I get the money to do so. What are 10 things I can do to experience that feeling?
1) Enjoy life a little more, especially now that I've graduated.
2) Start a "voice over demo" fund. This will help me actually get there
3) Get the most out of my trip to vegas ( which is in 6 days!!)
4) Make a To Do List for 2011 and actually do them.
5) Remind myself that people want me to succeed.
6) Practice.
7) Tell myself that this will be done and I will get work.
8) Believing I can actually do this
9) Talk to more people in the voice over industry and hear their feedback
10) Visualize that I recorded my demo.
I will probably make another post for my To Do in 2011 at some point. Hopefully today...but yeah, this is what I want out of the new year. I am excited that I kinda fell into voice over, so hopefully it will serve me well.
What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.
Goals. We all talk about it. All we want in life is to achieve them. Some of us kind of saunter through for a while a little aimless, until we find what it is that we want to achieve. Since I graduated, everyone wants to know what I want out of life, what I want to do for the rest of my life, or something that sounds similar to the prior two. I know what I want as a career, but not really the time line to get from point A to point B. Whats the ONE thing that I want to do in 2011? Well, here it is:
I want to record my voice over demo and break into the business.
How will I feel once I achieve this? Happy, accomplished, and even more happy. This is something I've wanted since September, and I'm looking to get it done as soon as I get the money to do so. What are 10 things I can do to experience that feeling?
1) Enjoy life a little more, especially now that I've graduated.
2) Start a "voice over demo" fund. This will help me actually get there
3) Get the most out of my trip to vegas ( which is in 6 days!!)
4) Make a To Do List for 2011 and actually do them.
5) Remind myself that people want me to succeed.
6) Practice.
7) Tell myself that this will be done and I will get work.
8) Believing I can actually do this
9) Talk to more people in the voice over industry and hear their feedback
10) Visualize that I recorded my demo.
I will probably make another post for my To Do in 2011 at some point. Hopefully today...but yeah, this is what I want out of the new year. I am excited that I kinda fell into voice over, so hopefully it will serve me well.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Not all service is created equal.
So I work in customer service. I have been working in customer service since high school, so I know how flexible (or not flexible) someone can/needs to be. I dont like to complain for the most part, but there are definitely times where I do. It usually happens when I feel that I get treated unfairly or I feel that someone blatantly ignores me.
There have only been 2 major events in which I had complained in the last couple of years.
1) I went to a salon and unknowingly was charged $30 on top of my $15 haircut for simply running a flat iron through my hair. I was almost late for work so I just signed the slip and went off on my merry way. Once I realized that I had just paid over $45 for a haircut that should have cost me $20, I was pretty upset. I called the manager and he was glad to refund part of it.
I go there after work and all over a sudden he refuses. Since flat ironing is a service, there is no way to refund the money, esp if I was okay with the haircut itself. Also the reason I was charged so much was b/c my hair was long. My hair was shoulder length at the time, which is not considered long. They also had expressed that their prices had just increased, but no where in the salon reflected the new prices. It even got to the point where he had the district manager on the phone with me. I also argued that on the back of the receipt it stated that if you were not satisfied you could get a full refund. It did not specify if it was on products or your haircut. I brought that to the manager and all he could do was give me some coupons and a free cut ( just the cut) the next time I came in. It was simply not good enough. I was just so frustrated about it that I called another salon and asked for the number of corporate. I called them, explaining my situation and how I was just so not happy. Long story short, I was mailed a gift card for the amount of the flat ironing.
2) This happened fairly recently. For those who do not know, I ADORE make - up. It has been a fairly recent hobby of mine, and I constantly want the newest and the best make up. I finally became a MAC fan and right after christmas they came out with two new collections. I decided to trek up to the mall after a snowstorm at my parents house to go check it out. I come up to the counter and I was casually greeted. I told her that I wanted to try a bunch of different products. Long story short, all that happened was that I was handed a brush and just told to have at it. There was one product that was not approved for wearing on the eyes (something I learned later that day) but yet I was told to try it out on my eyes and cheeks. She just kind of ignored me and I was fairly irritated when I was told to try something on my eyes that wasn't even meant for them. Nothing happened when I tried it, but what if something did?
I wrote an e-mail just expressing my disappointment about being misinformed, b/c I know it would not have happened if I went to the store I usually go to.
I guess what im trying to ask is this. As people who work in customer service, do we let lousy service slide or do we tell someone about someone who is not working up to par?
There have only been 2 major events in which I had complained in the last couple of years.
1) I went to a salon and unknowingly was charged $30 on top of my $15 haircut for simply running a flat iron through my hair. I was almost late for work so I just signed the slip and went off on my merry way. Once I realized that I had just paid over $45 for a haircut that should have cost me $20, I was pretty upset. I called the manager and he was glad to refund part of it.
I go there after work and all over a sudden he refuses. Since flat ironing is a service, there is no way to refund the money, esp if I was okay with the haircut itself. Also the reason I was charged so much was b/c my hair was long. My hair was shoulder length at the time, which is not considered long. They also had expressed that their prices had just increased, but no where in the salon reflected the new prices. It even got to the point where he had the district manager on the phone with me. I also argued that on the back of the receipt it stated that if you were not satisfied you could get a full refund. It did not specify if it was on products or your haircut. I brought that to the manager and all he could do was give me some coupons and a free cut ( just the cut) the next time I came in. It was simply not good enough. I was just so frustrated about it that I called another salon and asked for the number of corporate. I called them, explaining my situation and how I was just so not happy. Long story short, I was mailed a gift card for the amount of the flat ironing.
2) This happened fairly recently. For those who do not know, I ADORE make - up. It has been a fairly recent hobby of mine, and I constantly want the newest and the best make up. I finally became a MAC fan and right after christmas they came out with two new collections. I decided to trek up to the mall after a snowstorm at my parents house to go check it out. I come up to the counter and I was casually greeted. I told her that I wanted to try a bunch of different products. Long story short, all that happened was that I was handed a brush and just told to have at it. There was one product that was not approved for wearing on the eyes (something I learned later that day) but yet I was told to try it out on my eyes and cheeks. She just kind of ignored me and I was fairly irritated when I was told to try something on my eyes that wasn't even meant for them. Nothing happened when I tried it, but what if something did?
I wrote an e-mail just expressing my disappointment about being misinformed, b/c I know it would not have happened if I went to the store I usually go to.
I guess what im trying to ask is this. As people who work in customer service, do we let lousy service slide or do we tell someone about someone who is not working up to par?
Automatic Joy. Coin Operated Boy.
December 27 – Ordinary Joy Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments.
What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (Author: Brené Brown)
Over the summer, I had gone to the DC area two days in a row from Richmond to see Amanda Palmer. She has been a musician that I have looked up to since I was 17. I even have a tattoo that was inspired by her song Ampersand. I had brought Rickey with me the first night and my friend Chris on the second night. The first night was in Bethesda, MD in an old theater. Rickey and I had gotten up their early, so we grabbed a bite to eat and I decided to write her a letter. I have never been fanatic about anyone, but Amanda is the exception. I just have the utmost respect for everything she does and plus shes an AWESOME person. After she performed on stage, she went out to the lobby to sign things and meet her fans. I handed her the letter and asked her to sign my ukulele.
The next night happened and she remembered me from the night before. This time the show was in DC at the 9:30 club. She was happy to see that I had come back for more. The show went really well and I was stoked that I got to see my favorite artist two days in a row.
We headed back to richmond after the show, but hit a ton of traffic. It took way too long to get home and I was exhausted when I got back to my apartment. I decided to hop on my computer right before bed, just to see if she said anything about the show. She did. I continued to look on here twitterfeed, and I saw something right before I went to bed:
"@socolime367 I just read the letter you gave me @ the ninja gig last night. thank you my darling"
I cried.
What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (Author: Brené Brown)
Over the summer, I had gone to the DC area two days in a row from Richmond to see Amanda Palmer. She has been a musician that I have looked up to since I was 17. I even have a tattoo that was inspired by her song Ampersand. I had brought Rickey with me the first night and my friend Chris on the second night. The first night was in Bethesda, MD in an old theater. Rickey and I had gotten up their early, so we grabbed a bite to eat and I decided to write her a letter. I have never been fanatic about anyone, but Amanda is the exception. I just have the utmost respect for everything she does and plus shes an AWESOME person. After she performed on stage, she went out to the lobby to sign things and meet her fans. I handed her the letter and asked her to sign my ukulele.
The next night happened and she remembered me from the night before. This time the show was in DC at the 9:30 club. She was happy to see that I had come back for more. The show went really well and I was stoked that I got to see my favorite artist two days in a row.
We headed back to richmond after the show, but hit a ton of traffic. It took way too long to get home and I was exhausted when I got back to my apartment. I decided to hop on my computer right before bed, just to see if she said anything about the show. She did. I continued to look on here twitterfeed, and I saw something right before I went to bed:
"@socolime367 I just read the letter you gave me @ the ninja gig last night. thank you my darling"
I cried.
Meals are always opportunities for memories
December 26 – Soul Food
What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?
One meal I won't forget is when my little in the fraternity, Rickey and I had an end - of - the semester meal just to blow off some steam. My friend's fiance is the head chef at a local restaurant and the food is always delicious. It was early May and they had just changed up the menu not too long ago. Some of the highlights that I remember is an edible flower salad, octopus salami, and sausage with asagio and granny smith apple. The one thing just melted my heart was the White Chocolate Mousse with fresh berries. It was just the richest, creamiest thing I had ever put into my mouth. I LOVE chocolate and it was just so good that it is beyond words. Also it was just a good day and we had a good time. That meal just makes me want to go back there again and again. It is just that good.
What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?
One meal I won't forget is when my little in the fraternity, Rickey and I had an end - of - the semester meal just to blow off some steam. My friend's fiance is the head chef at a local restaurant and the food is always delicious. It was early May and they had just changed up the menu not too long ago. Some of the highlights that I remember is an edible flower salad, octopus salami, and sausage with asagio and granny smith apple. The one thing just melted my heart was the White Chocolate Mousse with fresh berries. It was just the richest, creamiest thing I had ever put into my mouth. I LOVE chocolate and it was just so good that it is beyond words. Also it was just a good day and we had a good time. That meal just makes me want to go back there again and again. It is just that good.
Photograph.
December 25 – Photo – a present to yourself
Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.
This photo was taken on Oct. 9, 2010. It was shot by my friend Tim at approximately 10:45 am. He edited it after the convention, but it is hands down my favorite shot of 2010. This is me looking over the out from the second level of the ferry on the way to NYC. I had worked really hard to pull off my makeup that morning and also I love the fact that I am looking out, but you cant see what I'm looking at exactly. I feel its almost symbolic of me looking towards my future (and how awesome my hair and makeup was).
Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.
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