Hil Chill Pill!
So … there was a tornado on the highway that takes you from Austin to Fredericksburg. We did not go camping or wine-ing. Well, I was whin-ing, just not drinking wine.
So, instead of going out on the road, I had an entire free day. Entire free day. Those of you who know me well know that I have two jobs and important family matters up in The OKC. So … I rarely have free day.
The first few hours of the free day were AWESOME. I worked out, watched Ellen, watched Juvies, watched a “Sweet 16,” watched Angelina’s “E! True Hollywood Story,” hit up Sephora and went to see a movie. Life was blissful!
After cooking dinner I got cabin fever. I mean … I was going crazy. It was like a sugar crash x400. I was rolling around, bored to tears. Ryan was a little annoyed at my whining. My cat actually rolled her eyes at my dramatic boredom.
Maybe there is too much of a good thing. Even free time needs to be taken in moderation.
The weather is OK now. Hopefully tomorrow’s tornadic activity will remain at bay so our road trip can happen. :)
Happy Weekend Everyone!
The Orange Mocha Frap can be my friend!
Friday, Ryan and I are headed to Fredericksburg, Texas to tour some wineries.
Drink wine and organize snacks? That I can do! No white feather needed!
Since I will be computerless on the wine trail, I wanted to leave you with a funny blog my friend Morgan (aka “amusebouche”) shared with me.
Turns out baristas
only make conversation because they have to.
"This blog-journalist's blog postings are all about camping!"
In the PR world, when we prepare a spokesperson for an interview, we prepare a “briefing book,” or “backgrounder.” This is a document where the PR person gathers information about the reporter (interviewer) to prepare the company spokesperson (interviewee). It includes recent articles the reporter has written, recent interactions the company has had with the reporter and personality traits about the reporter. Examples of the personality traits:
“His kitten died recently in a tragic accident involving cheese – steer clear of dairy …”
“This reporter is mean and abrasive, good luck.”
"This reporter has a smell about him – sit upwind if you can.”
Etc.... You get the drift.
Look at what one of Microsoft’s PR agency employees did with a recent media backgrounder …Oops!
Here are some highlights from
Tech Crunch.com's coverage of the incident ...
“It takes him a bit to get his point across so try to be patient.”
“We’re pushing Fred to finish reporting and start writing”
“tricky”
“digs for dirt”
“get a final gauge on where his head is at and reinforce one last time that we want to avoid any surprises with this story”
It's Moving Day!
Today, I am moving cubicles. The Amanda Memorial Cubicle was too bare for me to handle, so I am moving to her desk. I will be sitting roughly six feet southeast from my previous desk.
It's a whole different world over here! There is a little more natural light and a lot more people.
I put a sign on my barren cube stating that I have entered the witness protection program. Looks like I won't get any work assignments for a while! Sephora.com, here I come!
In camping news: It's going to rain Friday, so there will be no camping. Now Ryan can't call my bluff ... let the trash talking commence! "What's up, Ryan? Can't handle a little rain? I could camp in a hail storm with my white feather!"
Save the Campsite, Save the World!
So, Ryan called to reserve a campsite. March is the busiest month for camping in Central Texas, so he could only reserve a primitive campsite, 1-3 miles from our car.
Good thing I have earned my white feather.
WHO ARE WE KIDDING? My cover will be blown! Ryan’s going to hand me two sticks and ask me to make fire. I can’t do that.
Maybe if I found my original white feather, I could channel the power like Hiro does with the sword. I wonder what Issac Mendez would paint about our camping trip ...
Editors note: we haven't watched last night's Hereos episode yet so please don't share any details. Thanks! :)
A whirlwind of emotion!
Today, my friend, Weslie, shared
a video of a CUTE polar bear cub named Knut. She shared the video with a group of friends to make us smile.
I will give you a moment to watch the video, but please come back to the blog.
OK, so after I watch the video, a co-worker, Trish, shares
this news story with me.
Animal rights activists want to kill Knut? What? How did I miss this news? I was ready to go on a rampage!
Then I read
other news stories. The zoo won’t kill him. The bear is safe.
Whew! Happy Monday.
Roughin' it!
I wanted to find a way to celebrate the press tour finale. The end of constant phone calls, pressing deadlines and running around in the snow. So I asked myself …"What is the opposite of corporate America?”
THE WOODS!
Ryan and I are going camping this weekend!
We’ll be out in the wilderness of Central Texas. I wonder if we should camp out in our backyard Thursday night to practice?
At Red Rock Girl Scout Camp (16 years ago) I was honored with a white feather. The white feather is a credential earned after tent camping for one weekend and preparing meals in the woods. You could pin the feather to your shoulder as a badge of honor. I often reference my white feather and tell Ryan I am some sort of certified expert when it comes to camping.
I haven’t been camping since that certifiable weekend, and Ryan and I have never been camping together, so this should be interesting. Will Ryan get annoyed with my nature questions? Probably. Is it going to be funny? Definitely.
It's Over!
Hello friends.
Hope all is well. I apologize for my absence from the blogosphere. By business trip to the northeast was lovely (see the B&B in Kennebunkport), but I am ready to have my life back!
Things I can do again now that the Press Tour planning and execution is complete:
1. Post Blog Entries
2. Drink Coffee (geez, people - get off my back! Yes, I started drinking coffee again before Easter. I am sorry. What are you, the Lenten Task Force?)
3. See Ryan
4. Eat Mexican Food
5. Watch television
6. Stamp, stamp, stamp it up
7. Finish The Fountainhead
And one, and two ... feel the burn! Keep it up!
Tomorrow is my good friend Amanda’s last day here at work. If you recall from my entry on her wedding anniversary, she enjoys being fit. She will be working as a personal trainer!
This picture is not of Amanda, but it is a picture of some people who are excited about fitness and fun in the sun.
Amanda, you will be missed. You are talented in many ways, and I am thrilled that you are going to use your hobbies and talents to make a living. That is a dream!
Since you have given me many gifts for my cubicle (African mask, hand-painted sake pitcher, etc) I will always think of you at work.
Don’t be a stranger! Since we are neighbors, I will find you if I need “Amanda time.” You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape my love.
He's a transponster!
Sorry for the lag in posts. Work has been busy. I leave for the North Northeast press tour Sunday, and the Austin appointments are tomorrow. I've been busy wrapping up loose ends. Maine - here I come! Lobster!
This begs the question ... "Hilary, what do you do?"
I do PR - which is easy enough to explain: talk to reporters, prepare people to talk to reporters, decide which reporters to talk to, decide which people should talk to reporters, decide what these people should talk to the reporters about, etc.
But the real question is ... "Hilary, what do you do PR for?"
Ah yes, there is the bigger question. Luckily for you, some engineers have started a blog about my company and what we do. Here are three links if you do so inquire:
Benjamin Franklin!
Today, Ginny and I met Benjamin Franklin – see the pictures to prove it! He told us that he tours all over Texas. He even knew Central Expressway in Dallas and loop 410 in SA.
Also - I had my first cannoli in the North End (Mike’s Pastry)! And ... we visited the churches the way they were in colonial times (also, pictures to prove it). And, we visited many important graves … like Paul Revere’s grave .
I am excited to be home tomorrow. I miss Ryan. I haven't seen him in a few days! He is so sweet, funny and handsome.
I love how old Boston is!
Oh – on a separate note… on this trip, I have had four cups of coffee. I was so stressed out I broke down. I am sorry blog readers and … Lent .. and Jesus. I mean, here in Boston, they THREW TEA INTO THE OCEAN for our freedom. I mean could I have tea ... really? .. really? .. it's anti-American!?!?!?!?!
Okay, sorry - sorry I had coffee. :(
What happens in the northeast stays in the northeast ... unless you have a blog. Darn you! :)
Frosty-Bost!
I am safe in Boston!
The press tour was a whirlwind of meetings all over Manhattan and Long Island (one even in New Jersey!), so I am sleepy. It was cold. We walked around Manhattan with the 75 lb boxes in the snow and it was like 20 degrees. I totally overpacked and my luggage proved to be burdensome for all involved.
The next tour starts in two weeks, when I’ll hit the even further northeast … Kennebunkport, Maine!
On to my vacation! Today, Gin and I walked around her part of town (South End), hit up
H&M, walked through
Trinity Church, honored Harriet Tubman in honor of my mother Harriet (it's her birthday) and ate dinner at the
Union Oyster House (the country's longest continually operating restaurant). We ate lots of yummy seafood.
Tomorrow –
the Freedom Trail!
(A citation - Ginny's friend Karen thought of the name "Frosty-Bost")
I’m off!
Bye team! Tomorrow I leave for NYC on business. I will be lugging 75 lb. boxes (on wheels) all around Manhattan! Yay for working with hardware engineers!
On Thursday night, I will travel to Boston by train where I will visit college-roommate Ginny! She is a travel nurse living in Boston until May. Yay for a little vacation!
I’ll try to send updates from the road … especially if something funny happens.
Pray for safe travels!
Ryan dear- I will miss you very much. I'll bring back something fun for you.
Stop the Press!
Good news for Lisa Nowak, the
diaper-wearing astronaut.
She is not being charged with attempted murder!This is good news for Lisa
and good news for the diaper industry. Now the diaper industry has a credible spokesperson!
Well … she is still being charged with attempted kidnapping, intent to inflict bodily harm, and burglary with a weapon and battery ... so maybe the diaper ad campaign should just stick to commercials with cute babies.
In other news - if you don't have solid weekend plans, there will be a
total lunar eclipse Saturday at 5:44pm ET. Partly visible to the US, but Europe, Africa and the Middle East will have the best view. :)
Friday discussion – how do you feel about the
AP’s Paris Hilton experiment?
Was the AP doing what the American media should have done all along (not covered Paris Hilton because she is not newsworthy) …
Or, was the AP taking an experiment too far by not sharing news with the American people(Paris Hilton
is a celebrity and #5 in the Yahoo! search poll)?
I hope Will responds!
Kids these days!
Yesterday, I attended a career fair at my alma-mater to recruit marketing interns. It was nice to take a little field trip get a break from the world of PR!
There were, of course, the really rich kids who showed up sans resume, wearing cutoff shorts, donning a backwards hat, and smoking a cigarette as if to say, "Dudes - I'm taking over my dad's major corporation someday. I don't need you." But, those frat boys aside, I enjoyed seeing the suit-wearin', resume-holdin', bright-eyed, bushy-tailed students, excited about summer internships!
Speaking of bright-eyed and bushy tailed students … (don’t click unless you are ready to be very, very surprised)*
*Thanks, Ellie. You are a great source for wacky news!
