I went to Puerto Rico & I can’t wait to go back

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! When you enter the real world, this, along with your ten federal holiday’s, is one of the biggest things to look forward to.

In August 2008, my dad was on the brink of losing thousands of frequent flier miles. So, like any good daughter, I offered to use them before all of his spending and traveling went to waste, and booked a flight for my sister Molly and I to Puerto Rico.

I’ve only visited Puerto Rico once, and it was before and after a Royal Caribbean cruise with my family. We only spend 2 total days on the island, and most of our time was spent in transit or at the hotel beach.

This time, I planned to spend a lot less time in transit and a lot more time on the beach.

Day 1

There’s no question, I was very excited to go on a vacation for 10 days with my friends and lay on the beach. The group of included: me, my sister Molly, her coworker Christine, and our mutual friends Scott and Emily. Our first flight left Washington D.C. around 8am, we hung out in Miami for about an hour and finally landed in Puerto Rico at 2:30pm. Puerto Rico greeted us with warm breezes and sunshine- definitely welcomed after enduring cold rains in D.C. that morning.

Taking a quick stop in Miami. The airport is not exciting.
Emily & Me

Scott & Molly

After a very confusing taxi ride from the airport, we made it to our hotel- El Patio Guest House. I’d describe it as a mix between a hotel and a hostel- definitely budget/young adult friendly. I was skeptical at first, but pleasantly surprised. It was located in a neighborhood off the main strip in Isla Verde in San Juan. This was nice because it only took 5 minutes to walk to the beach, bars, etc., but it was in a quiet and safe location. The guest house had a pool, fully operational kitchen with pots, pans and utensils. Our rooms were about the size of a college dorm room, but not tiny. We had hot water, sinks, our own beds, a phone and cable TV. I believe the facility even had wireless internet. Best part of all? A woman about the age of 75 ran and managed the whole place. She treated us as guests in her house and was nothing but hospitable.

We settled into our rooms and geared up to explore our surroundings. We ventured out to Carolina beach in Isla Verde, San Juan. It was so nice to be on the beach, feel the fresh air and most importantly, relax.

After playing around in the sand for a bit, we went to a beach-side bar and restaurant we named “Karen’s Place” after our waitress who happened to be from Richmond, Virginia. I decided to do as the Puerto Ricans do and eat a traditional island meal of Mango Mojitos and Carne Frita. Molly tried the Mofongo- a traditional dish made up of meat and mashed plantains.

After dinner, we happened upon a dance performance sponsored by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. They featured traditional dances of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. My favorite dance- the bomba- a dance in which the dancers take turns challenging the drums, creating a dialog with their movements that the solo drummers answer.

Bilar!

Though the performance was very captivating, we were all very tired and booked it back to the guest house.
Thankfully, we had a nice sunset to guide us back.

Day 2

Unanimously, everyone decided that today would be a full on beach day. I live life at a rate of 100 miles per hour, 7 days a week, and thankfully one cannot live like that on vacation! As I laid on the beach and let the sun drench my skin, Spending 8 hours in the surf and sand > 8 hours in the office (despite the fact that my job is indeed, rad).

For lunch, we walked further down the beach to the Intercontinental Hotel and ate an overpriced, but delicious lunch at their Ciao Mediterranean cafe.

Drinks on the beach at lunch time

After a few more hours on the beach, we headed back to our guest house, freshened up and headed out for our first time to explore San Juan. For dinner, we stopped at a cafe right down the street from the guest house, Panaderia Espana. We all ordered traditional “Cubano” Sanwiches and were not dissapointed! The cafe had an “Ikea” look and feel to it, and the patrons and employees were nothing but hospitable.

Me & Molly, practicing our Spanish at Panaderia Espana

After dinner, we hopped in a Taxi and headed to Old San Juan to explore the town. Fifteen minutes and twenty dollars later, we were hitting the cobble stone and venturing into the night. When I was in Puerto Rico two years ago, Old San Juan is where I spent the majority of my time. The colors and architecture of the buildings are beautiful, vibrant, and unique.

We spent the evening exploring the town, bar hopping (favorite spots: Tantra Restaurant and Bar, Blend) and people watching.

@ Blend!

Scott enjoying a Medalla

Day 3

All the going and doing made us very tired and we took the morning to sleep in! After waking up, Emily and I walked to the Panaderia Espana for breakfast. I love challanges and being in a Spanish speaking territory was no exception. Between middle school and high school, I took about 4 years of Spanish and switched to Italian in college– BAD IDEA. Most things that came out of my mouth on this trip was a mixture of Spanish and Italian, but I got by. The employees at Panaderia Espana appreciated the effort (I think) and were very eager to share new words with us (I got a 5 minute lesson on forks, spoons, and knives, aka: el tenedor, la cuchara el cuchillo).

Today we decided to investigate the “national” drink of Puerto Rico- Rum. We took the AquaExpreso ferry from Old San Juan to Catano. From there, we took a 5 minute publico ride (essentially, a taxi) to the Bacardi factory- Casa Bacardi.

This was by far the most obnoxious tourist event we participated in, but worth it. The tour provided historical information regarding the Bacardi family and the role Rum plays in the Caribbean culture (yes, it is definitely a part of the culture). After learning about the many types of Rum, we were were given two tokens for free drinks. I decided to try the most feminine rums available: coconut rum with pineapple juice and passion fruit rum with pineapple juice. Delicious.

Tasting room where we learned about different types of Bacardi Rum

We spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling the streets of Old San Juan (this time in daylight) and had a delicious dinner at Mojitos. Once back in Isla Verde, we spent the evening exploring, eating ice cream, and strolling the beach. I also tripped up on some spanish, which proved to be amusing. I walked into a Walgreens in search of a restroom. Instead of asking, “¿Dónde está el baño?” I exclaimed, “¿Tengo el baño?” which translates to: “I have  bathroom?” Awesome.

Day 4

Today was probably the day I was looking forward to the most: visiting El Yunque, the rain forest (which happens to be the only rain forest in the U.S. Parks system). We woke up early, rented a car from Charlie Car Rental ($217 total for five days), and hit the road. Driving in Puerto Rico wasn’t as bad as I had imagined (I do live in the D.C. Metro area, I can’t imagine it being much worse…) and my sister molly served as a GREAT navigtor. We didn’t have a GPS or Google Maps to help us, just a regular paper map. After about a 30 minute drive, we arrived to El Yunque. Literally the moment we parked, it started pouring. Not just raining, but POURING. We met up with Christine and some of her friends who live on the island and started to hike La Mina Falls. As we hiked through the forest, the rain continued and I felt like I was looking at my feet more than the beautiful nature surrounding me. Luckily, just as we approached the falls, the rain died down and we jumped in!

Swimming around in the falls was underscribable. The currents were a bit strong, the water was temperate, and I was completly humbled by the beautiy of the situation. After being in the water for about 15 minutes, I got out and attempted to dry off a bit. As I was rummaging around, two people approached me and asked if I went to JMU (I was wearing a JMU underarmor shirt). It turns out that they had graduated from JMU this year- small world!

We made it!

The water was very strong, but the temperature was nice

We took a quick break for lunch and decided to hike the Mt. Britton trail next. The park map says that this hike is only supposed to take 40 minutes, but in actuality, it’s about an hour long hike. This hike was definitely a work out, but after days of laying on the beach, a little intense physical activity felt nice. At the top of the trail is a small castle-like structure with a marker that read the elevation: 3,051 ft. We were so high that one minute we’d have a clear view of the valley’s and beaches far off in the distance, and the next we’d be engulfed in clouds. At one point we looked down and saw a rainbow below us! Definitely a beautiful experience with wonderful people.

At the top of Mt. Britton with some of our new friends and people we met along the way

Beautiful view

On the way back to Isla Verde, we took the scenic route home and made a pit stop to Luquillo beach to take in the sites.

Wild dogs, enjoying the beach

Scotty B and I on the beach at Luquillo

The sand was more coarse and richer at Luquillo

Sandy toes

Unfortunately this was Scott’s last night so we celebrated his time here with drinks on the roof top of the El San Juan hotel at a place called Brother Jimmy’s BBQ.

A great end to a great day.

Day 5

We checked out of our guest house, dropped Scott off at the airport and started our journey to visit my friend Manuel (aka, Manny), who lives in Guanica. Manny lives in a penthouse beach apartment and it is a true bachelor pad. Once we got to his apartment around 5pm, we explored the beach infront of his apartment, cooked dinner, and settled in- this was our “hotel” for the next 3 days. Manny made delicious ribs, aka costillas and let me be his kitchen helper. He taught me to make BBQ sauce that consisted of ketchup, coca-cola, and spices.

Manny’s place from the beach

Manny cooking dinner for us ladies

Day 6

The beach near Manny’s house is called Playa Santa, and unlike the water in Isla Verde, San Juan, this was the Caribbean ocean, not the Atlantic. The water was as warm as bathwater and it was very still without many waves. I worked on evening out my tan and we played a little bit of volleyball.

Pino’s Boats and Water Fun has a station at Playa Santa and we decided it would be fun to ride the banana boat. At 7 bucks per person, I figured, “why not?!” The boat ride lasted about 30 minutes and we acted like a bunch of hooligans on it- I even fell off! I was at the back of the boat and we were rocking from side to side. Well, due to physics, as everyone was shifting to the other side, I didn’t quite make it. Literally, I was hanging on by one as the boat speed along. Thanfully, I had a life jacked on and I thought the whole incident was hilarious.

Getting pumped for the banana boat!

Get on the boat, the banana boat!

After the boat ride, we headed back to Manny’s apartment just up the street and took a swim in the Mangroves.

Staying at Manny’s house was relaxing and sort of felt like camping. This evening, Manny cooked lasagna and tostones (fried plantains) for us ladies, his brother Andy and friend Franz. I baked a cake. The night continued with good friends, Don Q, and the quintessential college card game, Kings.

The delicious cake I baked with Emily

Manny very proud of his lasagna

Day 7

Day 7 was a LONG day. We drove into Ponce, about 30 minutes from the apartment and it’s where Manny’s parents live. I had envisiond us going around and seeing all the beautiful historic landmarks of the city, but things took a pleasant twist. We parked the car and headed into a busy lunchtime bakery, “Classic Delights.”

Like she does best, Molly started talking to a group of people who happened to be Americans from the states. Long story short, we all had lunch together, strolled around Ponce, grabbed some drinks at a rinky-dinky bar (I had tropical juice, ha) and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. Growing up in a military family, I’ve definitely honed the ability to meet new friends. After some awesome company and conversation, we said our goodbye’s, planned to meet up later that evening and headed back to the apartment.

Our friends from the States, strolling the street

Us ladies in front of Parque de Bombas

With our friends from the states

Since this was our last night with Manny, we decided to go out for dinner and hit the town. We made a pit-stop at Manny’s parents house and for wine and hors d’oeuvres. His parents were absolutely wonderful and more than hospitable. I can’t wait to see them again.

We had dinner at a nice little spot and headed out to La Guancha. La Guancha is a beautiful boardwalk lined with bars and boats. Manny introduced us to his friend Jorge and Franz from the previous day and our American friends from earlier met up with us. The night progressed with great conversation, laughs, and authentic Puertorican rum- Don Q.

Chatting at La Guancha

The festivities continued back at Manny’s apartment with dancing, relaxing, Kings, and good company. Around 5:30am we went for a swim among the mangroves to watch the sunrise. The sunrise was amazing, the events that followed weren’t. Both Molly and Manny ended up stepping on sea urchins! Molly’s didn’t end up bothering her, but Manny’s were quite severe. He managed to get about 20 prickles in his foot. Once we managed to get him up to the apartment, the long journey to remove them began. Oh, did I mention it was now 7:00am? I started the preliminary operations then Christine took over and I went to bed, since we’d be driving back to San Juan in less than 5 hours.

Tackling what the sea urchin left behind. Manny is really enjoying himself, can’t you tell?

Molly “lends a hand”

Day 8

We left Manny’s apartment at noon and ventured back to San Juan, this time to stay at the Hampton Inn. We booked our hotel through Orbitz and got a great rate of $129 per night. The hotel had a hot tub, a pool (with pool bar!), continental breakfast, business suite and was located literally 1 minute away from the airport. Omar, one of the managers, was extremely helpful and offered to get us on the list to any party or club on the street. He was full of dining suggestions and was generally interested in making sure we had a good time.

We were all pretty beat from the night/morning before and the drive up. We took it easy, and ate at Chilis (ugh, SO “American,” though the menu did have a traditional Spanish twist to it).

Day 9

Day 9 was a pretty depressing day. Christine flew back to Philly and the day was plagued by rain, therefore squashing two attempted trips to the beach to finish up our tans. We hung by the pool, hung out in the room and packed. It was a rainy, gloomy day.

Once we were all packed, we headed to Lupi’s Mexican Grill & Sports Cantina for our “last supper” and our last Medalla. After dinner and a quick outfit change, we headed to the El San Juan Hotel to check out the Casino. After spending too much money on slots and being surrounded by Puerto Rican grandma’s and grandpa’s, we decided gambling wasn’t really for us, heh.

Medalla @ Lupi’s

Heading out to El San Juan Hotel Casino

The “Yay, I’m loosing money!” face

Day 10

Got up at 5:00am, hit up the continental breakfast, returned the rental car, flew home.

Checking the map and spending a few last minutes w/our trusty pal, Bullet (which is a very ironic name if you were behind the wheel)

Overall, I had a great time in Puerto Rico. Next time (yes, next time) I want to visit Culebra, Ricon (a famed surf town), see more of historic Ponce, and visit the mountains in the middle of the island.

Any takers for Puerto Rico round two?

Coldplay @ Nissan Pavilion 5/21/09

Last night I saw Coldplay in concert at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia. I interned with Live Nation-DC last summer in their booking office and my former boss is awesome and hooked me up with section 101 seats (read: OMG).

I’ve always wanted to see Coldplay live, it’s been a “something to do before I die,” and I was very happy to experience it with my awesome friend Sarah who enjoys their music just as much as I do (click the link, she blogged about our concert adventure too!).

Despite the fact that Chris Martin (lead singer, Coldplay) loves himself more than he should (read: outrageous ego), I couldn’t help but really like him! He said “Thank you” after every song, and really let the audience know that he appreciated our time, support and money (Ok, he didn’t say money, but lets be honest…).

He kept saying something that was a little odd: “This is our last time in Washington, D.C. for long time” or “I don’t know when we’ll be back here yet.” Are they going on a break? Are they breaking up? Does this mean, “don’t expect an album anytime soon”?

Hum.

Nonetheless, the show was fantastic and I’m currently suffereing “Post Concert Depression- that sad feeling you feel after experiencing a great show, knowing you won’t experience that same moment again. Something I love about concerts is the audience/community aspect- You’re best friends with the stranger sitting next to you and everyone is a family. Ah, it’s a beautiful thing! Seriously, when the concert started EVERYONE was screaming and cheering, it was almost emotional- I literally said to Sarah, “I feel like I’m going to cry!!”

Anyways, the set list is below, the staging was awesome, and I couldn’t have imagined a better night.

-pictures after the jump-

SET LIST:

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic – Will vocals)
I’m A Believer (Neil Diamond Cover – acoustic)
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
——
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
——-
The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

Because our tix were free, we felt as though it was ok to purchase $16 frozen Margaritas:

Definitely delicious:

The moment the show started:

Butterfly confetti:

Sarah and I with the Butterfly confetti:

The stage during Strawberry Swing (my favorite song):

Bouncing yellow balloons filled with confetti during Yellow:
(side note: Sarah’s been waiting to see this happen for 9 years!
She heard about it in 9th grade after someone saw them in concert)

Final view of the stage:

This picture was taken by NDwas and it is awesome:

Around the world in a day- DC Embassy tour, part 1

Last Saturday I ventured into Washington, D.C. with some friends for Passport DC Open House. It’s an annual event where many of the Embassies open their doors and invite the public to come and learn about their country.

The event went from 10am-4pm, but we got a late start and didn’t make it into the city until about 1:30- bad idea! We really didn’t get a lot of time to “take it in” so to speak. Nonetheless, we were still able to enjoy the Embassies of Uzbekistan, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand.

Not only was it fun to explore the embassies, but being in D.C. is always refreshing. I documented our adventure “around the world” and in and around DC, check it out below.

The first stop was Uzbekistan and I have to admit, I wish there was a map so I could pinpoint where exactly this country was located. The last time I was seriously familiar with this country’s location was freshman year of college in my general geography class.

For your situational awareness, here’s a map:

Click image to visit the Uzbekistan Embassy's Web site

Most embassy’s offered a sample of their country’s popular cuisine. Uzbekistan gave out….raisins.

I was a little leery about the raisins, but Sarah was brave and gave them a try. The look says it all.

While there wasn’t anything too particularly engaging, the detail and workmanship of many of the displays were impressive:

Lots of engraved gold

A traditional cradle

A “big kid” bed

That was it for Uzbekistan. Like I said, I’m not packing my bags to go, but I was really happy to learn about a country I didn’t know much about.

The next stop was the Australian embassy. The line to get in was quite long, but who’d expect any less from such a cool country? We waited in line for about 20 minutes and were greeted by this gentleman as we walked through the doors:

First thing that came across my mind: “How long does it take him to get ready in the morning?!”

My blackberry’s camera certainly does not give it any justice, but the ceiling of the embassy emulated the night sky and was simply beautiful. This embassy was certainly a lot bigger and more crowded than Uzbekistan’s.

The Australian’s definitely took it up a notch in the food department as well, they rocked Lamb.

After Australia, we headed to Trinidad and Tobago where it was definitely a party.

Even from blocks away, you could hear the steel drums and feel the energy

Inside, EVERYONE was dancing. People weren’t full on breaking it down, but there was a definite pep in everyone’s step and body language.

After T & T, we took a quick lunch break at Kramer Books & Afterwards Cafe. I’ve been here only once before and was excited to come back. If you haven’t been, this cute “little” joint is a unique bookstore and restaurant. The best thing about this combination is that while you’re waiting to be seated, you’ve got something to do.

Jen, looking smart as usual

Cute little books.

Lunchtime! I had the Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich

Jen had the Tuna

Oh, and if you have to use the restroom, a token is required
[many thanks to Hannah for her hand modeling skills]

After lunch, we decided a little dessert was in order and headed over to Hello Cupcake at 1351 Connecticut Ave.

I decided to go with the Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake [definitely delicious]

The last stop on our journey around the world was the Thai Embassy

We saw lots of carved fruit

and played games for free beer [no, I'm not joking]!

[apologies for the camera quality, I was working with my blackberry pearl]

We left D.C. around 8pm and took the metro back to Old Town, Alexandria where we had parked.
Sarah and I decided to continue the night roaming around down by the water. If you haven’t visited Old Town at night, I highly recommend it.

All in all, it was a great weekend in and around our Nations capitol.

This weekend the European Embassies are doing an open house and I expect to be in attendance.
See full details here: http://europe-in-dc.com/

mmmm cookies.

When I’m stressed, I like to bake. It’s a somewhat mindless task (how hard is following a few directions) and the aroma that fills the room can’t help but put you in a more relaxed mood.

Now, I’ve been told my chocolate chip cookies are legendary, but I won’t say they are because I don’t want to jinx myself. Though, I have been proposed to due to my skills. ;P

If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just need a to take your mind off the failing economy, bake some cookies.

My personal preference is the Nestle Toll House recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

[I actually add the eggs AFTER I mix the flour/baking soda/salt mixture with the sugar/butter/vanilla...this is good if you want to, you know, have a few bites of dough and skip the raw egg part ]

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

In case you can’t read:

#FollowFriday

#FollowFriday is a great way to find new and inspiring people to follow on Twitter. You don’t always get an explanation as to why someone picks their #FollowFriday pick because of character limits on Twitter.

My #FollowFriday picks for Twitter include:

@creativemichael

-he was one of the first people to follow me on Twitter
-he’s probably one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met
-founded this AWESOME site: http://goodness500.org/
-all around good guy

@BrickandClick

-he’s super excited about Social Media
-started Operation Follow on Twitter (#OpFollow) which raised awareness of all the military branches on Twitter
-he’s going to revitalize the way ARMY PAO’s communicate and interact on CORE

@Jennifer_10_25

-she’s one of the most hilarious, sarcastic, and inappropriate people I’ve ever met= NEVER a dull moment around this girl
-we go way back, about 8 years!
-she’s done everything: Wedding planner, DC United Soccer team intern, super involved in high school and college and how she’s rocking
it out at the National Communication Association in DC

@carlastephanie

-this girl is the reason I’m into social media. She introduced me to Twitter!
-she’s going to have a masters degree from Emerson College in just about a month
-shes a creative and fashion savvy girl, always inspiring me

@salemonz

-hes leading the way in Army social media endeavors
-creates diagrams that make you go, “duh”
-helped create some awesome videos

There you have it, just a few people who’ve been inspiring me lately.
Feel free to follow them and follow me on Twitter.

23.

“Oh, life”

When my good friend Jenny and I let this phrase escape our lips, we know what one another is saying:
“I’m completely overwhelmed with the direction of my life.”

Today is my 23rd birthday! Well, it’s my sister’s birthday too, we’re twins. She’ll be quick to point out that she is older by three minutes, but looks at least a year younger than me. When I celebrate my mature appearance, she doesn’t let me forget that, “when we’re 50, I’ll look years younger than you!” Humph.

I distinctly remember my 22nd birthday. I was freaking out about graduating and if you were to tell me that I’d be loving my job as a Social Media strategist for the Army’s official homepage, ARMY.MIL, I’d probably laugh in your face. It’s not that I can’t imagine working for the military (I’m a proud product of a military family) or that I wouldn’t want a job in social media (what could be better?). It’s just that, a year ago I would have never let a position like this enter my radar. I thought I knew what I wanted.

Graduating and transitioning into “the real world” is hard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting here being a whiny, narcissistic millennial who’s asking to be coddled and doesn’t understand the value of a hard days work. Having a student loan, a car payment, and opting to live at home until I pay those off has certainly provided me with a VERY clear understanding of the value of a dollar. Despite these “debts” and “sacrifices,” I still consider myself very fortunate and well off compared to many of my peers.

Whats hardest is the glaring reality that nothing at this age is stable, though we are told we can have it all. We’re somewhat fresh out of college, wide-eyed and ready to take on the world, but trusted companies are failing before our very eyes, people our parents age are getting laid off, people our age are getting laid off, and our brothers and sisters are fighting a war halfway around the world.

…but despite it all, us millennials are excited about the future.

I’m so excited about the future, I’m overwhelmed.  The lives we are living, and are set to live are very different than any generation before us. My friends and I are not experiencing or following in the footsteps of traditional, “boomer-esq” post-college behavior. Unlike generations before us, we won’t have the same job forever. My friends are scattered all over the world, pursuing their passions, giving back and I can assure you, they’re not doing it for the money (that they’re not getting). The millennial’s and I are out searching for our passions, not our careers.

As exciting and empowering as all that sounds, it’s quite daunting and overwhelming too. It might even bring you to say, “Oh, life.”
How can I pursue my passions, pay off my student loan, move out on my own, contribute to my community, and cherish those around me?
That’s a pretty tall order, but I’m learning to force myself to step outside of this vision and remind myself:

I’m young! Despite the fact that 23 sounds old (I know, I know), I am so blessed to remain excited about the future, even if I cannot have the future I want at this very instant.

Yesterday I had coffee with a friend who’s in a very similar situation. We’re both military brats, living in the same town we went to high school in, living with our parents post graduation and we’re both completely restless.

“We’re gunna be alright…we’re going to be better than alright,” she concluded our conversation with.

I’m confident that she’s on to something.

This year, my birthday present to myself is a pledge of perspective. I can have it all (or at least a good chunk of it), but it doesn’t have to happen overnight.

If you’re more seasoned than I am in this game of life, please feel free to leave me some birthday wisdom.
What was 23 like for you? What surprised you? What didn’t? Any advice?

Want a Job? Don’t say this in your next interview

“I don’t even know why I was called about this position”

Recently, I had the opportunity to co-interview a candidate for a position my company was looking to fill.

The candidate showed up 15 minutes early, was well dress and seemed personable. I wish I could say that it was the start of a very great interview, but I can’t. All twenty minutes of the interview were horribly awkward and disastrous.

A few “high-lights” include:

-Her cell phone rang
-She fiddled with her purse on the conference table throughout the interview
-Direct quote: “I don’t even know why I was called about this position”
-She never mentioned how she would actually do the prospective job or why she would be good at it.
-The Web site’s URL listed on her resume was her name, but redirected to something equally as childish as “www.snuggly-carebear.com”
-She generally failed to show any enthusiasm about the position.

Needless to say, she didn’t get the job.

It felt very “full-circle” getting to be on the other side of the table. Having just been hired in late October, my mind was pretty fresh on the “do’s and don’ts” of an interview: dress well, be prepared, know about the company, be excited, show off your skills, etc. I can’t say I’m an expert on how to get a job or how to ace an interview, but I ended up snagging a job in this turbulent economy when more than one person was up for my position.

My biggest strategy was to be over prepared. Before I went in, I made sure that I knew the company’s mission, understood the job description, and more importantly, I was prepared to show off my skills and how they would help the company achieve its goals.

In my interview, I brought my portfolio, showed the team my blog, and described how my work on previous projects had prepared me to take on the position I was interviewing for. I brought crisp resumes and an “about me” page that included a brief description about myself and  links to my blog, twitter, and LinkedIn profile.

For those of you entering your final semester of college I would recommend you start putting together a portfolio of your past and current work. You’ll be surprised to see how much you’ve done and how it actually relates to jobs you might want to pursue.

Don’t confine yourself and only highlight conventional skills, think out of the box. My portfolio includes writing samples, power point presentations, short bio’s about my extracurricular involvement, and  screen shots of the Shop Boysz MySpace Page (Yes, Party Like a Rockstar) and Amy Winehouse’s Facebook Page (Rehab, yes, no, yes, no…yes) that I managed while interning at Universal Music Group. Before I put anything in my portfolio, I made sure I had a clear purpose for it and could describe succinctly how it reflected one of my skills.

I can’t say these are the end all, be all steps one should take, but I know they helped me. If you know yourself and know your skills, you’re ahead of more people than you think.

What tips would you include? Do you value conventional skills more than transferable skills?

2009: No excuses or a 12 Step Plan

I’ve been working on a post for awhile about how hard it was for me to get my social media life into a routine amidst transitioning between an internship, a waitressing job, and finally a “real” job since graduating in May. 

Mainly, I was trying to write about how I haven’t been able to get myself into the swing of blogging regularly and how I was so overwhelmed with social media (despite the fact that I’m now a social media strategist and love my job). 

But I’ve said it already, and so have other people: Social Media can be overwhelming.

Overwhelming, but not crippling, to say the least, but I’m ready to find my rhythm. 

 So, here it is 2009.
All good things come with time, and a habit doesn’t develop overnight.

• I’m going to choose to embrace my social media avenues as they come.
• I’ll make an effort, but I’m not going to loose sleep over a forgotten post.
• I will not feel guilty for not being on top of the latest twitter buzz within 30 seconds of its occurrence. 

No excuses or a 12 step plan.
I’m taking a nod from Nike and I’m going to, “just do it.”

Cheers to 2009!

Did You Know? A Glimpse into Technology’s Evolution.

YouTube – Did You Know?

Fantastic video on the progression of information technology.

When Companies “Get” Social Media

I always get really excited when companies and brands that I’m familiar with have a strong social media presence and utilize it well. Nothing is more aggravating than seeing a company fake their online savviness. Just because your company has a Facebook profile and follow a million people Twitter, does not mean you’re a leader in social media. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m always a little offended when a company decides to follow me on Twitter, regardless if I would actually benefit from their services or product. Shouldn’t a company engage in social media to connect with their key audience, not to the faceless masses?

I’m very passionate about two things: The Music Industry and Social Media. To feed my hunger for the Music Industry, I manage a band, Earthtone. Seeing as the band is pretty young (they’ve been together since April) and they’re the first band I’ve ever managed independently, most of our work is DIY and “grassroots” (as is the general direction of the Music Industry these days). One resource we’ve begun to utilize is Sonicbids, “a Web site that helps bands get gigs, and promoters book the right bands.” Their mission is, “To empower the artistic middle class.”

A few weeks ago, I was setting up Earthtone’s account on Sonicbids and I came across a few obstacles. My first instinct was to go to Twitter (I may or may not be obsessed…). I tweeted and asked if anyone had any experience using Sonicbids. Within the hour, I received direct messages from two Sonicbids employees, at the tune of “Hey Meghan. Saw your tweet about Sonicbids. Is there anything in particular you’re wondering? Feel free to email at ……!”

WOW! I was impressed with their response and eagerness to help. I sent an e-mail to the address, asked for some troubleshooting advice. I was still having problems (on my part, not theirs) and the fine folks at Sonicbids had me e-mail them my files, and they put together the parts of the profile that I was having trouble with. Having spent most of my summer internship on the phone with the Help Desk because I used a computer that ran Windows 98 (really, Live Nation?!), I was expecting a long and tedious process to get my problems solved, but it was fixed almost immediately.

I’m always suspect when I use a site’s anonymous “contact us” e-mail address or submission form. I want to know that my question is important and that my concern will be heard. Thanks to social media, companies and brands are able to engage with their customers, fast and more efficiently.

A Marketing Vox article, “How-To: Using Twitter to Build Brand Integrity” highlights several great strategies for companies and brands (IMO, Sonicbids is right on track). A few key points include:

• Don’t just be casual; be personal. Enterprise blogging works best when a blogger is frank about what’s happening in his company. But it is generally understood that the blogger will not discuss his personal life. On Twitter, people expect to learn about you. Only then will they care about your company. The CEO of Zappos generated a sizable following for taking this philosophy to heart. He addresses Zappos employees and Zappos issues, but he also shares the things he saw while walking to the airport.

• Be responsive. When you address the CEO of Zappos, he replies to you. The sense you “know” him contributes to goodwill surrounding the brand, which many people already have strong positive feelings about. If you don’t have time for Twitter, find an employee or brand advocate who does. It will probably serve you better if people build relationships with your warm and friendly intern, versus with cold and negligent you.

• Ask for help. From time to time, ask followers what they think about a given campaign or product. Consider their advice. Tell them if you incorporate it. This lends the sense your company values them — not merely as users but as friends with sound opinions.

[Visit the link for more points and further detail]

What companies and brands do you engaged with that use social media effectively?

What advice would you give to a company that is breaking into social media?