I guess I’m getting old. Or it’s tech week.

It’s been a really tough week for me: during the day I’m working to meet deadlines at work while [...]]]>

The great John O’Connell once said, “You know you’re getting old when you wake up feeling like you would after a big night but there was no big night.”

I guess I’m getting old. Or it’s tech week.

It’s been a really tough week for me: during the day I’m working to meet deadlines at work while trying to balance all-night rehearsals and it isn’t even tech yet- that starts today. For those that know theatre next week will be absolute hell.

It goes without saying I’m feeling a little burnt out.

So I woke up this morning feeling a little on the brink, and when that happens there’s so many ways one could handle it: let hopelessness set in, get angry and complain, or suffer an emotional breakdown while brushing your teeth.

I did something different today.

I rolled over feeling stressed out, unappreciated, and just wanting to get to the weekend (full of 12 hour rehearsals.) Like any uber-connected blogger the first thing I did was reach for my iPod touch and check out the Twitter feeds. There I learned two things: there was an Earthquake I slept through & my co-worker Laura needed a coffee.

My first thought was, “who cares about this Earthquake.”

My thought after that was I should buy Laura a coffee.

Before heading upstairs to the office I stopped by the local coffee shop and picked up a coffee for Laura and I- with two splenda and skim, just the way she asked for it.

I really don’t know why I did it but it just felt right. Out of all the possible ways to cope with the stresses of my life I decided on an act of generosity for someone else.

I know the cup of coffee was sure to make her day but I didn’t realize how much it made my day as well. My friend Melanie told me when she worked at Banana Republic there were two options when customer treated her badly at work: get mad or use that experience and be super nice to the next customer. The latter made her feel better sooner.

We all want to feel appreciated and loved, especially when we are having a bad day, week, or even month. It’s very empowering to use that negative energy to help someone else rather than spreading it to others.

So that’s my big lesson for today, I hope next time you feel like the way I’ve felt this week you change your natural inclination, and perhaps you’ll feel a little bit better too.

Related posts:

1. Finding The Third Place: Murky Coffee
2. Learning To Say No
3. Why Gen-Y Needs To Learn To Fail (And Why It’s Ok)

We all have dreams.

Become an astronaut, play for the Boston Red Sox, marry Angelina Jolie (or Brad Pitt), write for the Washington Post.

While some dreams are just highly unlikely no matter how much effort you put in (trying to hard to try and get Angelina Jolie to fall in [...]]]>

Photo courtesy of Flickr user acme401

We all have dreams.

Become an astronaut, play for the Boston Red Sox, marry Angelina Jolie (or Brad Pitt), write for the Washington Post.

While some dreams are just highly unlikely no matter how much effort you put in (trying to hard to try and get Angelina Jolie to fall in love with has some steep consequences.) However if you want to be an astronaut you study rocket science and spend years earning the technical background to get into NASA. Anything is possible if you are willing to put in enough effort and initiative.

Two weeks ago I looked at some of the success of others around me and wished I could achieve that same level. I wished that I was noticed and recognized like they were.

After wishing and wishing I decided to stop wishing and start doing. You could wish that you get noticed by happenstance or you can go out and find out what you need to do to get what you want and do it.

Wishing is passive, you put your life in the hands of fate- hoping for a favorable outcome. While that works for some people, why wait for something that may not come? Instead of waiting, act.

Complete this phrase: “I wish…”

Take that statement and replace “I wish” with “I will.” Notice how you now have to change your statement.

Now what are you going to do to make your dreams come true?

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Life has been busy again since I’m working on a new play. For the past few weeks I’ve been stage managing Keegan Theatre’s production of Noises Off!, a show that has a lot of sentimental value for me- it was my [...]]]>

Even when you go professional you sometimes need to rehearse in a church basement.

Life has been busy again since I’m working on a new play. For the past few weeks I’ve been stage managing Keegan Theatre’s production of Noises Off!, a show that has a lot of sentimental value for me- it was my first ever stage production back in high school. This particular production also is a first for me since it is my first professional gig.

It’s weird to thing about being a professional. I mean what does it mean to be a professional?

Is it the money? Two years into my re-entry back into theatre and I’m being paid for to stage manage. However it’s not my first paid gig, I was paid as a production manager for MVP back in the day and MVP was a non-profit community group.

Is it the location? Well we rehearse in church basements just like Ford’s Theatre. It’s not out of the ordinary to see successful entrepreneurs  work from a Starbucks or their home.

Is it the time commitment? Previously my shows rehearsed three-four days a week for a couple of months. This production is rehearsing 6-7 days a week for a month and a half. Talk about sacrificing your life. I know a lot of professional actors and actresses that have day jobs however. Just because you have a 9-5 somewhere else doesn’t mean you aren’t a pro.

Is it the status & accreditation? Keegan Theatre qualifies as a professional theatre according to the Helen Hayes Awards, which is the local equivalent of the Tony’s in DC. However who says that a talented artist isn’t a professional because he/she isn’t paid?

I think in the end it’s how you approach and perform the job that makes you a professional. I am excited to be working with a cast that is not only dedicated but is talented enough to get off book a couple of weeks into rehearsals- unheard of in my previous productions. I can tell with the way they perform and treat the job that these artists are true pros.

Even though this is my first “professional” gig, I haven’t done anything on this show that I haven’t done in my past ones. I’ve taken the time to break down the script, track props, and organize rehearsal information. When I walked into the rehearsal room with my stage manager’s kit the first week of rehearsals I got comments on how prepared I was. I replied that having a kit wasn’t anything special but I guess not every stage manager prepares the same way I do.

Finally working at a professional theatre helps affirm my work as a stage manager- but perhaps I was a pro long before I even reached this level. I hope you look at your hobbies and passions and work to take them to the next level regardless of pay, location, or external recognition.

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You would buy a product because it was advertised to be the best, longest lasting, or a great value. Companies would pit their products against the competitors in ads, hoping that it would win the hearts and minds of the consumers that watched them.

Of course that age is [...]]]>

Remember when advertising was actually a persuasive tool?

You would buy a product because it was advertised to be the best, longest lasting, or a great value. Companies would pit their products against the competitors in ads, hoping that it would win the hearts and minds of the consumers that watched them.

Of course that age is long and gone.

I remember reading about the idea in The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR and years since it hasn’t been more true. We actively work to avoid ads and distrust anything wrapped in advertisement.

However that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful anymore.

Advertising has become more of an art form. As a result effective advertising doesn’t persuade, it infiltrates pop culture.

Take for instance Old Spice’s Isaiah Mustafa. You probably know him best as the Man Your Man Could Smell like.

The ad became a YouTube sensation, landing Mustafa on The Ellen Show so he could recite his memorized lines for the audience’s enjoyment. For Old Spice the ad was not only a hit on broadcast but it quickly went viral online as well.

New Old Spice Ad? The ladies of NMS swoon.

Now that Mustafa has a new ad out the NMS ladies were quick to spread it.

If you were Old Spice- wouldn’t you be excited to see people actually wanting to see your ad?

If you look back to what hits in social media then we can see Old Spice got a hit with something clever and funny.

However sometimes ads are still ads: even though this Wheat Thins online ad got written up in the New York Times, it just doesn’t ring authentic to me no matter how much they insist it is.

When do ads cut through the noise for you?

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I call it Pho Around The Net. Enjoy.

Then sometimes I just talk about people I think  are hot (still on the fence with Lady Gaga.)

This is one of those times.

I can’t really remember how I came to this question but two nights ago I found myself wondering [...]]]>

I write about things in my life,  social media, my Quarterlife Crisis, and other profound things.

Then sometimes I just talk about people I think  are hot (still on the fence with Lady Gaga.)

This is one of those times.

I can’t really remember how I came to this question but two nights ago I found myself wondering who the hell was Flo, the upbeat/annoying pitch woman for Progressive Insurance.

I also found out I’m not the only one to think she’s pretty good lookin’.

Stephanie Courtney, the comedian who plays the spokesperson, is a company member of The Groundlings and has a really low profile online for a performer.

I guess the mystique only makes her that much more interesting.

So am I crazy for thinking a pitch-woman is hot stuff?

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Now I understand the psychology of reality shows.

I spent this Independence Day weekend traveling back to The OBX to celebrate the wedding of my ex-roommate Sarah. With a destination wedding on a holiday I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it but [...]]]>

It's no Queen Anne's Revenge but it'll do.

Now I understand the psychology of reality shows.

I spent this Independence Day weekend traveling back to The OBX to celebrate the wedding of my ex-roommate Sarah. With a destination wedding on a holiday I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it but Sarah’s fiance Mike looped me in on a group of friends that were renting a house that weekend and I decided to opt in as well.

I was unsure of how much fun I was going to have traveling to a wedding alone. In the past I’ve gotten quite emo about the experience. I finally settled on having a goodtime regardless of whether or not I got along with the fellow housemates. I would see Sarah and Mike get married, work on my tan, and catch up on some long overdue blogging.

Luckily I have been welcomed in by a great group of friends. After a long drive from DC to Nags Head, I walked into the house and was immediately greeted by Sarah & Mike’s college friend Lacy, who asks if I’m ready for the hot tub. The rest of the housemates arrive from a post-rehearsal party, exploring the house, excited to have their own place to party for three straight days.

I swear the scene could of been ripped from the first ten minutes of any reality series. Of course the rest of the night was spent drinking, hot-tubbing, and playing lots of NBA Jam on the houses’ Sega Genesis system.

Not only did we find a house for partying- but it hasn’t been updated since 1994.

Thanks to that night of NBA Jam the catch-phrases became the group’s inside joke for the weekend. At the beach-side ceremony I looked to my left and saw Robby V lean over to say, “He’s heating up!”

The phrase was answered with, “He’s on fire!” in the row in front of me.

Yes not only did our maturity level revert to college but so did the weekend’s activities: drinking, playing videos games, and bros icing bros.

The wedding itself was great, and this photo pretty much says it all:

I totally want to high five when I get married.

And also this happened:

You got married- and iced!

I got iced as well.

Even though I lucked out bunking with a great group of friends; having the attitude of making the most of your situation no matter what really helped this weekend. When I was a college tour guide I used to tell perspective students that no matter where you go, college is only what you make of it. Take full advantage of what you are given and you’ll be just fine.

Taking this post’s title to another level, we got lost on the way to the wedding site and ran across another couple trying to find the wedding after they took a cab to the wrong location. We offered them a ride and Lacy and I sat in the trunk in order to make room.

Who needs seats when there's a perfectly good trunk?

Fun times.

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While I was on The OBX I received a very interesting e-mail from Tom at We Love DC:

My condolences on the loss of Metblogs…

Wait a minute. What happened to DC Metblogs? I was busy getting my tan on to notice that something was going on to the place where [...]]]>

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Eole

While I was on The OBX I received a very interesting e-mail from Tom at We Love DC:

My condolences on the loss of Metblogs…

Wait a minute. What happened to DC Metblogs? I was busy getting my tan on to notice that something was going on to the place where I write about DC-centric things. A quick check-in to the mother-ship revealed that something was happening. The media company that owns Metblogs wasn’t doing so good and was in danger of shutting down.

I was a bit bummed to hear that the blog where I wrote my DC-centric things was shutting down and even though things would later look on the up and up for Metblogs, it was really the catalyst for me to start thinking about moving on. I really enjoyed the perks and thrills of being the City Captain but I wanted to find a role on a DC blog that fit my life better. Running Metblogs was just becoming too much for my busy life.

So I did what any good athlete with an expiring contract would do: I hit the market.

It was weird to think of myself as a free agent, a LeBron James of blogging perhaps (you know without the whole being a superstar thing), but I suppose after making the big jump in my career I felt eager to make a career move in blogging as well. So with interest from a couple of blogs I set out to see what my options were in the DC blog scene. I had lunch with TBD, coffee with We Love DC, and phone calls and e-mails with DCist and the Washington Post. It was really cool that after a couple of years of local blogging I was suddenly talking to the blogs I’ve always wanted to write for with a realistic opportunity to join their ranks.

Ultimately I signed on with We Love DC and I am very happy about my decision.

Looking back I think about the bigger point- how all of us should have a sense of free agency in our lives.

Sometime we feel tied down to things we really aren’t. I recently had lunch with my friend P.Q. who was recently laid off at her job. Despite the bad news that comes with her departure, she wasn’t loving her job to start with:

I wasn’t too happy at my job and I was trying to make it work. Or I thought I was. But it’s hard to be passionate about a job you can barely tolerate. I tried. I really did.

So why didn’t she leave? Well trying to find a new job while holding one down is hard to juggle and most people aren’t comfortable with quitting a job without having a new gig lined up and P.Q. felt the same way.

But how about those that get too comfortable in an unhappy situation? Those that want to leave their jobs but have already gotten indoctrinated into the daily grind they constantly complain about? I challenge those people to take a risk into the unknown. Don’t wait til life pushes you into a new direction, grab the reins and take control of your own life.

Of course the majority of Generation-Y already change jobs like it’s their job, so we are already embracing the idea of Free Agency. When it comes to our cell phone plans or toothpaste we’ve become less loyal, but those kind of choices involve less risk. Things like where you live and work has more of your life at stake. I say don’t be afraid to change anything or everything about your life, if in the end you are happier then it was worth all the hurdles and challenges it took to get there.

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4 Sport Boston: Red Sox Road Ahead: Week 13

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