Cleaning Day

I just spent the entire day cleaning my kitchen, laundry room & family room getting ready for a new kitchen floor.  The installers are going to be here from Tuesday through the end of the week.  The house needed to be gutted and cleaned, and this is finally the opportunity and motivation to do it. Ah… deadlines.

For the record, whoever told me pugs don’t shed are lying bastards. My mom and I just sucked up more dog hair from the floor than actually exist on the dogs themselves.  Thank goodness it’s trash pickup today, I threw out about 6 trash bags of garbage.  Oh, and a bonus!  I found two carpet mats in the laundry room - buried under piles of random discarded clothing - that the dogs had peed on that we didn’t know about.  FOUL.

The shame about this project is that my husband and I have been so insanely busy with our business that we weren’t able to utilize last week to do household things that should have been done before the new tile floor goes in.  So, I being a crazy woman, am going to attempt to at least paint my laundry room tomorrow night since the washer and dryer will be moved into the garage.  Tuesday the old floor gets ripped up & appliances moved, so it’s great timing.  Well, except for the fact that we only have one night to get it all done, because Wednesday they put in subflooring, then Thursday/Friday the tile goes in.  Tonight I am rewarding myself with a trip to the movies to see Harry Potter with my husband.

I love my dogs, but when they are gone, there will be no more.  I can’t stand the dog hair anymore!!!

Fangirls & Bucket Lists

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my bucket list, and how I’m now 38 /falls off chair/ and how I am to the point in my life where I can start putting check marks next to things I’ve always wanted to do, or people I’ve always wanted to meet.  I have the usual stuff like ‘go to Europe’ on the list, but for me it’s more of connecting and meeting people as well as going to exotic places. I don’t get tongue tied if I meet a celebrity, I don’t scream and carry on at concerts, and I’m not a crazy groupie.  With exception. Quite a few of them.  Here are some of my more memorable moments…

Eric Rice (Spin Martin/SL) - This was a b-i-g-g-i-e. I first met Eric in Second Life and got to meet him in person for the first time at the 2nd Podcast & New Media Expo.  Of course he’s a legend online and in-person, but I really didn’t know what he looked like in human form. I had only ever known him by his avatar.  Walking around the expo floor with some friends of mine, we stopped to chat with Eric.  I was nice and polite (I hope!) and smiled like an idiot I’m sure, not knowing who it was we were talking to.  My girlfriend Jen was like, “Lynette, don’t you know who this is?”  No.  Then as she introduced him as Spin, I looked at his nametag (and saw his avatar/name). AND. I. SCREAMED. LIKE. A. SCHOOLGIRL.  Geek crush is an understatement. Since that embarrassing first meeting, I’ve gotten to be friends with Eric and have seen him several times at various virtual world & geek outings.  He’s totally adorable, trailblazing brilliant, and we banter like siblings.  A keeper for sure.

Ed Roberts (Ed Radio/SL) - Here’s another Second Life friend I met for the first time at the same conference I met Eric at (notice I’m wearing the same shirt…) It was quite a day for me.  Ed and I had met on Podcast Island in Second Life where we both hung with lots of early adopter podcasters and the rest of the Podcast Pickle crew.  As soon as I saw him on the expo floor I ran up and gave him a big hug, I was just so excited to see him in person.  We were getting a few strange looks, as most people who know both of us assumed we were married (we have the same pseudo last name in Second Life), but we are more like brother/sister!  Ed is a cutting-edge podcaster and social media pioneer as well as an incredible friend.  To this day I count myself lucky to know him!

C.C. Chapman - Again with the Podcast & New Media Expo in 2006.  Funny, silly picture, not at all what it looks like!  I had met C.C. in the PodShow ‘casting room’ as I like to call it.  I was very nervous to go up and introduce myself to him, as he was/is a rock star in the podcasting (and now social media) arena.  All I was really going to do is ask for a picture with him and them leave him on his way.  We knew a lot of the same people, traveled in a lot of the same online circles, and both started early on in the genre.  The entire conference was an eye-opener for me, and I soon came to realize that the celebrities of podcasting etc. were just as normal and down to earth as I am.  Later on C.C. and I worked together at crayon and still cross paths all the time.  It makes me feel old to think how long he and I have both been in “this space” and where we are today from our days of early podcasting.

Lee Coulter - Amazing musician!  C.C. Chapman took this picture and set this whole ‘punked’ thing up, he just knew that I’d freak out and he’d get a good laugh.  We were all at PodCamp NYC, and C.C. was over talking to Lee Coulter (I am totally in love with his music!) and he was like, “hey Lynette, do you know who this is?” No. Like you think I would have learned from the first time someone asked me that question…  When I realized who it was, I jumped up and screamed and hugged poor Lee.  Not sure if you can tell or not, but he looks a little scared, a crazy pregnant woman and all freaking out over him.  Now Lee doesn’t know me or anything, but it was one of those ‘rock star’ moments that I will never forget.  I did get to see him in concert a few months later (when I was good and huge pregnant) in California at the 3rd New Media Expo.  His music has been in near-constant rotation the past few weeks on my iPod and he’s actually what got me thinking about writing this whole thing up.

Matthew Ebel - AMAZING MUSICIAN!!  He goes way back for me.  First started listening to his music when I first started podcasting back in 2004-2005.  He was a favorite on the Podsafe Music Network and somehow I just became a super-fan.  One thing led to another and he wound up in Second Life living in a tree on our island (LONG story…) and next thing I know he’s crashing at our place on his way around the East Coast and going to breakfast with my husband and I (that’s where this picture was taken).  He’s wicked tall, insanely talented, and incredibly driven.  So very glad I have gotten to meet him in person a few times and see him perform.  Just amazing!  Anyone near the Boston area needs to go check him out and get lots of venues to host his gigs!

There are lots of other people along my travels that I completely loved meeting and that have added to much to my memories and life, but I just may have not freaked out like a dork so much when I met them.  Paige from MommyCast, Ewan Spence over at TPN Rock (among a ton of other projects), Whitney from LD Podcast & PodCamp, Chel Pixie, Diva… So many wonderful people make up my bucket list - and too many to even list out for the interwebs to see.  Notice that the majority of the people I value in my life are from online - ‘real life’ in a lot of cases - and come from the blogging / podcasting / social media space?  It’s what I do, the circles I travel in, and some of the *happy* in my life.

What’s left on my list?  Rick Springfield. J.C. Hutchins. Italy (again). UK. Ireland. Vacation to Disney World with my family. Trips to gamer-cons. A vacation with just my husband.  I am okay if I kick it before all this, but it’s always nice to have whimsical aspirations.

Rick Springfield will get checked off my list (not a notch in the bedpost, those days are gone) this fall when I go on my cruise with hundreds of other insane RS fans.  I’ve been to concerts, sang with him, touched his arm and guitar (can you say FANGIRL!!??), but never ever have I gotten my picture taken with him.  Now I am not expecting to develop a friendship or any type of communication with him, but hell, you never know. Back in the day I never thought I’d meet some of the people that I did, let alone become friends.

Not sure if I’ll ever get the opportunity to meet J.C. Hutchins in person, but I will always be a rabid fan of him and his work.  I made this tee shirt in homage of the 7th Son podcast novel and proudly wore it to PodCamp Philly.  He’s an amazing author and storyteller, and I am a forever-fan.  His new book is coming out in a few days, and although I’m sure it took him months and months to write it, it will take me about 3 hours to read it cover to cover as soon as Mr. UPS driver delivers it.

So that’s my braindump on people I’ve been thinking of lately.  I don’t want to collect places and things in my life, I want to collect people and friendships.  These are the things of value in my life, the tangible possessions that I carry with me in my heart.  Friends…memories…past, present & future.  When I look back at my life (hopefully when I’m nice and OLD) I don’t want stamps in a passport, I want friends, online and in person, who made a difference in my life.  I only hope that someday I can do the same for all of them.

Technorati Tags: Eric Rice, Spin Martin, Ed Roberts, Ed Radio, Lee Coulter, CC Chapman, Matthew Ebel, MommyCast, Ewan Spence, Rick Springfield, JC Hutchins

Weekend over. Check.

Long tiring and very productive weekend over. We accomplished so much this weekend (with the exception of actually cleaning the house) I can’t even begin to remember what it all was.  Mostly my husband did the work, he rocks.  He coaches our daugher’s softball team and they won Saturday’s game and finish up the season in first place.  Me, well, I actually went to the food store and purchased items to feed my family.  Craziness is not over yet, I’ve got my brother and his college buddy crashing over tonight so they can get to Philadelphia airport Monday for a week long cruise. Jerks never even thought to invite me.

So what is the point of this rambling post? Nothing. It’s just here to brain dump, to broadcast my brain, and remind all of you my gentle readers how absolutely pointless my writings are. It’s all for your amusement, really.

I’m a bit distracted in general because last week my 90+ year old grandmother wound up in the hospital.  She is out now and seems okay, no battery of tests seemed to indicate any specific issue (well, besides her age in general).  She was released to a ‘rehab center’ to help her learn to walk a bit better (she uses a walker and can barely do that on her own anymore).  I was really nervous that Medicare was dumping her in a nursing home because somehow it was cheaper than providing near-constant in-home care for her.  My mom has been to the rehab center and says my grandmom actually likes it there, a good part because she can press a buzzer and get attention/help right away.  I’m going tomorrow to visit her and see how she’s holding up.  I’m bringing flowers, because a plant makes it seem like she’ll be there a really long time.

On the work front - it’s getting busy. Not my 9-to-5 client, but the really interesting stuff I get to do on my own.  I’ve been keeping eyeball on the converences going on this weekend (TwitterCon & BIZZin3D) as well as a lot of side projects and ideas in the works.  Time to break out the old fashioned pen and paper and get some ideas down in ink!

Random Happiness

The Evil of Allergies

I didn’t have allergies growing up, but I have them now.  I wonder how that happens?  I think it was during my pregnancy with my daughter that I started noticing that every spring and fall my eyes would get watery and itchy.  Now after two kids, I’m destroyed.  Every symptom listed on the marketing literature for every major allergy medication is exactly what I have.

The entire holiday weekend I squandered holed up in the house hiding from all the pretty things outside because it made me feel like garbage.  Gorgeous flowers in bloom, my little veggie  garden growing steadily, a brand new patio, and a busy bird feeder all go unappreciated because I’m inside hiding from it all.  Sleepy even after coffee and naps, I have walked into walls in a haze for days.  Even after getting to sleep in this morning until 10am - which I haven’t done in years - didn’t help.  What a complete waste of a gorgeous weekend with my family!

All hail Zyrtec because so far that’s the only thing that has cleared up 90% of my allergy symptoms.  The only thing I’m left with is a hardcore snuffly nose, which all things considered I’ll take.  It’s the sort of thing where you really want to roll up two tissues and shove them up each side of your nose, even in public.  Small price to pay for the pressure in my head to be gone.  Not sure if my family is thrilled with me making loud nose-sucking-in noises every 32.1 seconds, and strangers look at me like I’ve got some sort of drug problem.  My daughter has been on Zyrtec for awhile now, but it never occured to me I should take it too.

Speaking of which, I should go take my tiny happy pill now and get some more shut-eye.  Maybe I can enjoy *next* weekend outdoors!