3.24.2014

Music Monday: Three Anniversary Songs

Two years.

With this guy.


Dream come true, right?

Last year I was schmoopy. This year, music's doing the talking.

1. Pusher Lover Girl by Justin Timberlake
Not because I like to think of my relationship as a drug addition, but JT (damn you), you rock my world (my body?). This song's been on repeat today - the 8 minute version - and will be a great intro to an anniversary dance party. I love that the intro sounds like the intro for olde time 40's movie and all 8 minutes just sways. Real easy- like being married to Porter. (Oddly enough, the worst part of the song is the bridge, which doesn't match the rest of the slow jam beat)



2. Still Into You by Paramore
I have visions of myself lip-synching this to Porter on our 40th anniversary. Hopefully my hair will also look like a sno-cone.



3. Eyes on the Prize by Maria Burnham (by M Ward)

This song still kind of makes me cry.



Too cute


3.18.2014

3 Things to NOT do at a Networking Event

In my new job, I go to a lot of networking events. Some are schmoozy, some boozy, some make my inner introvert want to cry sit in silence by myself. Most are generally enjoyable with the right attitude and with at least one decent connection coming out of it.

Tonight, I did have a good, productive event. I met good people, I'm one step closer to understanding the bewildering mortgage industry (one step of many, I'm aware), and my organization walked away with a $10,000 check and a foot in the door with the mayor. But, I also have idiot moments, all of which I aim to not repeat.

Lessons from my night tonight, that one should NOT DO:

1. Make small talk that makes you sound poor and poorly connected
You note for no reason that you've never heard of the golf club where the event is hosted, you will regret it later when you realize late it's one of the oldest and well-established golf clubs in the city and that the likes of the Nordstroms (the originals, not the kids) are from there.

2. Ask stupid questions about an industry you are unfamiliar with
Asking a mortgage banker to describe for you the secondary mortgage market is is like asking the grocery produce man what a banana peel is.

3. Leave your keys in your car, with the battery engaged
Not due to safety, but because your car will be dead and you'll have to call up the duo of schmoozers with whom you gratefully exchanged business cards, after they leave in their blue-interior-lit sports car for a battery jump. (If you're lucky, one of those two happens to have gone to your high school [and you may have gone on a date once], so it will be made much less embarrassing. Or more embarrassing, I haven't decided)

Runner up: If your event is at a venue where there's at least a $15,000 membership fee, don't pick the vegetarian dish, the beef will be better.

3.04.2014

The Three Best Things About My Nexus 5

I have an abnormal amount of anxiety when it comes to making large purchases. Large purchases where there are too many options, too many strongly voiced and researched opinions, where, in the end, selection and satisfaction are totally arbitrary and based on self- inflicted barometers of quality value.

Cell phones.

Make me crazy.

Literally- near hyperventilating, uncontrollable irritability, and research exhaustion.

So when I lost my phone in Thailand (an adventure I'm sure to post on eventually), the disappointment was not just the decreased convenience on the trip itself (which was substantial, considering T-Mobile's awesome new 'free internet while abroad' thing they've got going on, and our dependence on it through my phone and not Porter's), but because I knew that when I returned home I'd have to buy a new phone. And I hate buying new phones.

I hate the stores and the displays - phones chained to them with clamps so bulky there's no way you can really tell how the phone will feel in your hand (it's like trying on sunglasses with the massive anti-theft bars on them: imagination required). I hate deciphering specs and reviews. The Apple vs. Android holy war - smug on both sides, and both correct enough in their dogma that I can't side with one or the other. I hate spending money on things that don't bring me a more delightful satisfaction (rather than the practical sort that come from cars, phones, and functional shoes [i.e. running, hiking, flip flops]).

Luckily, I had a backup phone so I didn't have to shop right away. If it had just a few less quirks- really, I think if it has reasonable and consistent battery life (25% battery after 15 minutes of use... 50% battery life after several hours use?), I might have kept it.

So after 3 weeks of chugging along and a cold that should have kept me square away from any real errands, I finally went into a T-Mobile store with the intention to buy. 10 minutes later, I left, depressed and annoyed and put in my place with Porter's observation, "I can't believe how awful you were to that salesman. It's not his fault you hate phones." Not his fault they're all HUGE and don't have keyboards and cost as much as a laptop. BLERGH.

The next day I sucked it up and braved another store, this time the flagship one, by the oddly very purple-of-late T-Mobile headquarters, mostly because they had set up my replacement phone and were totally tolerable about it, and a little because I knew at some point in the process I'd retort about something or other (or several things and others), and I secretly hoped that some execs would be in the store, in hearing range, and wield their actual decision-making authority to make some positive changes.

I breezed through the actual purchase, with a full disclaimer to my guy that the process makes me grumpy and I'd like to speed through it. I was armed with my decision (Scott's recommendation I demanded from him because I am incapable of caring enough to weed through reviews and crunch value numbers on my own). I had hoped for the mid-range, but was swept to the Nexus 5.

"I hate how big it is. My hands cramp up using a 5 inch screen with one hand!"
"I do not care about that feature even a tiny bit. I would never use that."
"Ha! Heaven forbid they give you a clear screen cover. Brand it right in the middle so customers have to purchase screen protectors".

I am the most obnoxious customer ever. But Raython (or something like that) was unnecessarily nice and patient with me, and I made it through the reboot with minimal snarks and lots of apologies for being awful.

And I got a great phone out of it, mental crisis be damned. The three best things about my new phone are:

1. Voice recognition that WORKS! 'Ok Google...' feels conversational and chatty, like asking a friend for a favor. I installed half my apps by voice on my way home from work. And sent texts, made 2 phone calls, and posted to Facebook. Only one error!

2. It feels good in my hands. It's no Blackberry Bold (it's luscious keyboard and smooth trackpad are the gold standard in terms of cell phone-appendage chemistry) but I realize times are a'changin', keyboards are out, screens are in, blah blah. Regardless of its size, I can use it one-handed (read: laying in bed, too lazy too sit up and use both hands), and the non-button home screen buttons (you know, the ones on the bottom) show up when they should and disappear when they should.

3. It functions like a computer. This is the perspective Kelsie gave me after I called her, stricken and complaining about the agony that is spending money I have on something I need (I get it this is First World Problems to the max).

"I just spent four hundred dollars on a phooooooooone). Why do they have to be so DAMN expensive?"

"Because it's a computer that fits in your pocket" she said, in encouraging and understanding voice, not a patronizing one, because that's how Kelsie is. She understands anxiety over things that no one should have anxiety over, and walking through rationale to get over it. "You could get a phone for $80, but it would just be a phone. Maybe you could text". And suddenly it was worth it. Because I do need it. For work, directions, and late night/early morning mind engagement. I will use a bunch of the apps available and cross-functionality and syncing. I use the features they charge so much for and it makes it worth it. So get a grip and enjoy it.

And hopefully it lasts me two years.