Hey again... linkspam! Organized linkspam! Fun and formal!
Business/news:
Sheriff to roll out 'total policing' initiative in Washtenaw County
Manchester's Daddy-Daughter Dance renamed Valentine's Sweetheart Dance
Possible $1 million levy for public transportation
Ladies shoot hoops for Pink Zone
Nonsense/Fun/Entertainment:
James Cameron kicks the crap out of himself. Apparently he is the only one who can show himself who is boss.
President Obama makes fun of political climate and tells everyone they aren't doing it right. Always worth a look, plus on YouTube at least you can fast forward through applause.
Keyboard cat knows the secret to true happiness. Works like a charm.
If at first you don't succeed, burn first and ask questions later. Safeguards on radiation treatments are for sissies.
Jon Stewart on the O'Reilly Factor. This is not a new video, but it's a good pick-me-up opportunity.
It's official. Coco is out, Leno is in. I'm with CoCo, and I wouldn't be surprised if Leno stole toys in the sandbox as a child.
Jimmy Kimmel isn't my favorite.. but when he's on, HE IS ON FIRE. Sorry, Leno, you shouldn't have interviewed one of your enemies.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
THE DAY OF RECKONING HAS COME!
That virus that took down my work computer has been DEFEATED! Huzzah! This is very good news, because it means that 1) I don't have the lug my laptop to and from work anymore, 2) I don't have to email my own work to myself over and over again, and 3) I will once again return to a regular schedule of posting to the wonderful world of blogs!
Actually if I'm going to be honest with myself, the virus didn't stop me from posting to the blogosphere. It just kept me from posting to my work-related blogosphere. I have my own blog, and frankly maybe my own burned me out. I was live blogging the Golden Globe awards... which I think amounted to about seven long posts in the span of two hours. It was CRAZY. I had a few slurps of wine while watching/typing/posting/laughing/cheering. I noticed that my spelling got worse as the event went on and I started using all caps way more... sort of like DO YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING? I DO TOO AND WINE MAKES IT BETTER. That sort of thing. There's a link to the other blog on my Twitter account, but I'm not going to link it here. Mostly because I don't want you reading it unless you have to work hard to find the URL. Because that blog is personal, and it is my home beacon for eccentricity. View at your own risk.
On a more serious note, the computer thing really did make me feel guilty. I had an infection several weeks ago that one of our IT professionals fixed, but it was never quite the same after. Then the rest of the office starting dropping like flies, and two weeks later another five people were dealing with the same thing. It was one of those terrifying moments when you put the pieces together and realize you might be at the center of a terrible plot to destroy the office. Anytime anyone mentioned "virus" I would slink back to my chair quietly and discretely, hoping no one would notice my epic fail. If you're reading this, IT, you're the bomb. Don't hate me. It's not my fault. I'm much too pure to visit questionable sites. Also thanks for fixing me. That was cool of you.
I also learned that I needed to revisit computer safety and maintenance. AKA follow these fool-proof steps and maybe (JUST MAYBE!) you won't look like a fool in front of all of your colleagues. Don't click on links ever, don't download photos from noobs ever, don't download PDFs from strangers since they are probably just as poisonous as the candy that was promised to you, don't disable your pop-up blocker. Follow those safety instructions and you'll be a OK for a little while. Virus protection helps too.
Are you ready for some linkspam? Some spamming of links? I bet you are, because it's been a long time. (Also, P.S. I got the word "linkspam" from another blogger that writes hilarious musings on Twilight/Harry Potter/Life and who authored the Movies in Fifteen Minutes... read her at Occupation: Girl)
Anyway, the linkspam will have to wait because I have a work meeting in 10 minutes and it's going to take longer than that to organize my list of important linkies.
To be continued...
Actually if I'm going to be honest with myself, the virus didn't stop me from posting to the blogosphere. It just kept me from posting to my work-related blogosphere. I have my own blog, and frankly maybe my own burned me out. I was live blogging the Golden Globe awards... which I think amounted to about seven long posts in the span of two hours. It was CRAZY. I had a few slurps of wine while watching/typing/posting/laughing/cheering. I noticed that my spelling got worse as the event went on and I started using all caps way more... sort of like DO YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING? I DO TOO AND WINE MAKES IT BETTER. That sort of thing. There's a link to the other blog on my Twitter account, but I'm not going to link it here. Mostly because I don't want you reading it unless you have to work hard to find the URL. Because that blog is personal, and it is my home beacon for eccentricity. View at your own risk.
On a more serious note, the computer thing really did make me feel guilty. I had an infection several weeks ago that one of our IT professionals fixed, but it was never quite the same after. Then the rest of the office starting dropping like flies, and two weeks later another five people were dealing with the same thing. It was one of those terrifying moments when you put the pieces together and realize you might be at the center of a terrible plot to destroy the office. Anytime anyone mentioned "virus" I would slink back to my chair quietly and discretely, hoping no one would notice my epic fail. If you're reading this, IT, you're the bomb. Don't hate me. It's not my fault. I'm much too pure to visit questionable sites. Also thanks for fixing me. That was cool of you.
I also learned that I needed to revisit computer safety and maintenance. AKA follow these fool-proof steps and maybe (JUST MAYBE!) you won't look like a fool in front of all of your colleagues. Don't click on links ever, don't download photos from noobs ever, don't download PDFs from strangers since they are probably just as poisonous as the candy that was promised to you, don't disable your pop-up blocker. Follow those safety instructions and you'll be a OK for a little while. Virus protection helps too.
Are you ready for some linkspam? Some spamming of links? I bet you are, because it's been a long time. (Also, P.S. I got the word "linkspam" from another blogger that writes hilarious musings on Twilight/Harry Potter/Life and who authored the Movies in Fifteen Minutes... read her at Occupation: Girl)
Anyway, the linkspam will have to wait because I have a work meeting in 10 minutes and it's going to take longer than that to organize my list of important linkies.
To be continued...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Bridgewater woman was found dead... showcases web-based news alerts
It is a very sad story, and unfortunately one in which we still don't know a lot of information. What we do know is that Anna-Maria Wheeker was reported missing by her husband since Saturday evening. She was last seen walking on or near her property. She was found Wednesday afternoon on her roughly 20-acre Bridgewater Township property by a team search party. She is a mother of four, and so far no foul play is suspected. The investigation is ongoing and a coroner was scheduled to do an autopsy yesterday afternoon.
It's always sad when someone appreciated by the community goes. Frankly it's sad when anyone dies. But I was encouraged by the effectiveness of the many news sources around the area. All the local newspaper companies had a missing persons report online right away, and even the local Fox 2 News Detroit show aired an amber alert. In the end, this is exactly what our papers are here for. Sure, a majority of the things we cover are features and sports and community events that include government. It isn't that those things aren't important (on the contrary, things like government and community fundraisers and exceedingly important to local towns), but having venues with which to exchange information quickly is important. If there ever is an emergency that requires informing thousands of people simultaneously, I'm glad that most of our local newspapers have survived in order to serve that purpose. It was for this reason that I started blending my personal Twitter account with my professional life. Originally I wasn't a huge fan, but I do enjoy keeping followers up to date very promptly.
This is also why I'm trying to be better about posting to "The Wire." More and more we see news shared in an online way. I encourage everyone to visit www.heritage.com for news updates. We try to keep our publications up to date on the web to make them more like dailies than weeklies. I also link all articles with my Twitter account (@janawritesalot) for easy clicks to stories, and our Heritage West group is creating a Facebook page for all the seven associated regional weeklies. Even if you are uncomfortable with the medium, I would encourage you to experiment. It might not always be necessary for you to have access to these tools. But sometime it will be, and it won't be an event that allows you time to prepare. So make a Twitter account, follow your local breaking news sources, and do what you can to keep our neighbors and friends informed. It doesn't only take a journalist to share an important story.
It's always sad when someone appreciated by the community goes. Frankly it's sad when anyone dies. But I was encouraged by the effectiveness of the many news sources around the area. All the local newspaper companies had a missing persons report online right away, and even the local Fox 2 News Detroit show aired an amber alert. In the end, this is exactly what our papers are here for. Sure, a majority of the things we cover are features and sports and community events that include government. It isn't that those things aren't important (on the contrary, things like government and community fundraisers and exceedingly important to local towns), but having venues with which to exchange information quickly is important. If there ever is an emergency that requires informing thousands of people simultaneously, I'm glad that most of our local newspapers have survived in order to serve that purpose. It was for this reason that I started blending my personal Twitter account with my professional life. Originally I wasn't a huge fan, but I do enjoy keeping followers up to date very promptly.
This is also why I'm trying to be better about posting to "The Wire." More and more we see news shared in an online way. I encourage everyone to visit www.heritage.com for news updates. We try to keep our publications up to date on the web to make them more like dailies than weeklies. I also link all articles with my Twitter account (@janawritesalot) for easy clicks to stories, and our Heritage West group is creating a Facebook page for all the seven associated regional weeklies. Even if you are uncomfortable with the medium, I would encourage you to experiment. It might not always be necessary for you to have access to these tools. But sometime it will be, and it won't be an event that allows you time to prepare. So make a Twitter account, follow your local breaking news sources, and do what you can to keep our neighbors and friends informed. It doesn't only take a journalist to share an important story.
That Script We Won't Mention and the DVD release that we will
So... the New Moon DVD and BluRay for The Twilight Saga: New Moon is coming out March 20. That's the official release date as of today. That pretty much means that there are going to be Borders release parties all over the country with my name on the guest list. Maybe this year I'll pretend to be "working" the event, and I'll run around with a press pass and camera. Or maybe I'll have a few cocktails and go decked out in Twilight gear. Who knows... lots of time to decide. I'm sure the Twihards all over the world will start hyperventilating.
On a related note, the gasp heard round the world occurred recently in connection with a leaked script. It was for That Movie We Won't Mention that continues a saga of vampire love and sucking. Ok, it's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Apparently Jackson Rathbone lost his copy or something, because his name is watermarked all over the pages... uh oh. I might have found it online. I also might have decided to read it. But it's an early draft, and scripts are never set in stone once the actors and directors get their hands on them. Food for thought... aka it's not a big deal. But it sure did become a major trending topic on Twitter.
Also in movie news... Spiderman 4 (which supposedly was going to feature John Malkovich as the main villain) was pulled and the major cast members pulled out, as did the director. Basically they couldn't get a good script that everyone felt good about, and it's been postponed time after time until finally it was pulled. Now the studio says its going to recast all the roles and go back to Spiderman 1... aka back to high school. It's slated to come out in 2012. This is the dumbest idea in the world. Who wants to watch Peter Parker's uncle die all over again? However, I am encouraged that at least the director had the guts to say no when the script was terrible. Maybe someone should have mentioned something like that during the pre-production of Spiderman 3 (which was a waste of my favorite villain ever, Venom).
More movie stuff... because I'm on a roll... the local Sundance screening is fast approaching. I have tickets. It's the Sundance Film Festival's new program that screens premiere films at eight different locations across the country. Ann Arbor is one of them, and the Michigan Theater will world premiere "Cyrus." It's a comedy with Marissa Tomei, John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill. I'm not sure if there are tickets left, but if you're interested you should check out the Michigan Theater website fast. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. I believe it's on Jan. 28, or sometime close to there. The cast might be in attendance (given the whole world premiere thing).
On a related note, the gasp heard round the world occurred recently in connection with a leaked script. It was for That Movie We Won't Mention that continues a saga of vampire love and sucking. Ok, it's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Apparently Jackson Rathbone lost his copy or something, because his name is watermarked all over the pages... uh oh. I might have found it online. I also might have decided to read it. But it's an early draft, and scripts are never set in stone once the actors and directors get their hands on them. Food for thought... aka it's not a big deal. But it sure did become a major trending topic on Twitter.
Also in movie news... Spiderman 4 (which supposedly was going to feature John Malkovich as the main villain) was pulled and the major cast members pulled out, as did the director. Basically they couldn't get a good script that everyone felt good about, and it's been postponed time after time until finally it was pulled. Now the studio says its going to recast all the roles and go back to Spiderman 1... aka back to high school. It's slated to come out in 2012. This is the dumbest idea in the world. Who wants to watch Peter Parker's uncle die all over again? However, I am encouraged that at least the director had the guts to say no when the script was terrible. Maybe someone should have mentioned something like that during the pre-production of Spiderman 3 (which was a waste of my favorite villain ever, Venom).
More movie stuff... because I'm on a roll... the local Sundance screening is fast approaching. I have tickets. It's the Sundance Film Festival's new program that screens premiere films at eight different locations across the country. Ann Arbor is one of them, and the Michigan Theater will world premiere "Cyrus." It's a comedy with Marissa Tomei, John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill. I'm not sure if there are tickets left, but if you're interested you should check out the Michigan Theater website fast. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. I believe it's on Jan. 28, or sometime close to there. The cast might be in attendance (given the whole world premiere thing).
Fundraising partnership opportunity for local groups
Want to partner with us?
In these difficult economic times, many groups are hurting for funds. Thanks to state-wide budget cuts, public school systems across Michigan are in trouble. Many programs that we’ve learned to take for granted over the years – athletics, band, etc. – are under a heavy budget crunch.
So why not partner with The Manchester Enterprise – and help your organization raise needed cash?
We are offering $10 for every NEW one-year subscription to The Manchester Enterprise that your group sells. That means $100 for only ten orders; $500 for 50 orders; and $1,000 for 100 orders! There is no limit to our partnership. Sell 500 orders and we will give your organization $5,000!
We understand how difficult it is to raise money with the same old fund-raisers year after year. After all, families can only use so much wrapping paper and candles. The Manchester Enterprise is the gift that lasts. This is why our fund-raising opportunity has such great value.
The Manchester Enterprise is delivered directly to the homes of our customers 52 times a year, with fresh content and local news and information that is important to the people that live and work and attend the schools in your community. We offer award-winning news coverage, including the areas best and most comprehensive sports sections. In addition, we offer discount coupons, entertainment news, classifieds and more, making a yearly subscription to the Manchester Enterprise a fantastic value.
A one-year subscription to the Manchester Enterprise is only $29. (A new subscriber is anyone who has not taken the Manchester Enterprise in the past 90 days).
All you need to do is sell the order, fill out a provided form, collect payment and turn in the orders to us once a month. That’s all there is to it. We will cut your organization a check!
All we need to set up your group as an official partner is the following information:
A contact name and number from your organization
A W-9 form for payment purposes
A logo (in PDF format) for use in the printed materials, which we will supply your group for your sales effort.
It’s that simple.
To set your organization up as an official partner, please contact Bob Riddell at 734-246-0757 or e-mail briddell@heritage.com.
In these difficult economic times, many groups are hurting for funds. Thanks to state-wide budget cuts, public school systems across Michigan are in trouble. Many programs that we’ve learned to take for granted over the years – athletics, band, etc. – are under a heavy budget crunch.
So why not partner with The Manchester Enterprise – and help your organization raise needed cash?
We are offering $10 for every NEW one-year subscription to The Manchester Enterprise that your group sells. That means $100 for only ten orders; $500 for 50 orders; and $1,000 for 100 orders! There is no limit to our partnership. Sell 500 orders and we will give your organization $5,000!
We understand how difficult it is to raise money with the same old fund-raisers year after year. After all, families can only use so much wrapping paper and candles. The Manchester Enterprise is the gift that lasts. This is why our fund-raising opportunity has such great value.
The Manchester Enterprise is delivered directly to the homes of our customers 52 times a year, with fresh content and local news and information that is important to the people that live and work and attend the schools in your community. We offer award-winning news coverage, including the areas best and most comprehensive sports sections. In addition, we offer discount coupons, entertainment news, classifieds and more, making a yearly subscription to the Manchester Enterprise a fantastic value.
A one-year subscription to the Manchester Enterprise is only $29. (A new subscriber is anyone who has not taken the Manchester Enterprise in the past 90 days).
All you need to do is sell the order, fill out a provided form, collect payment and turn in the orders to us once a month. That’s all there is to it. We will cut your organization a check!
All we need to set up your group as an official partner is the following information:
A contact name and number from your organization
A W-9 form for payment purposes
A logo (in PDF format) for use in the printed materials, which we will supply your group for your sales effort.
It’s that simple.
To set your organization up as an official partner, please contact Bob Riddell at 734-246-0757 or e-mail briddell@heritage.com.
Monday, January 4, 2010
holidays and monday morning melancholies
It's always difficult to get going on a Monday, especially if it follows a holiday weekend. Still, it's probably best to be back. I've actually never been very good at doing nothing. I can handle it in tiny increments, like the occasional day off to not shower and watch "The Office" all day. For the most part though, I keep myself pretty busy.
My holiday was pretty enjoyable. I had a LOT of friends back in town spending the holidays with their families. I get pretty excited when that happens, but this year was a bit overwhelming. I think on one day I had a breakfast with one friend, an early brunch date, and lunch meeting, coffee with two others, dinner with friend #7, 8 and 9, and then drinks with a few more. So I was busy, and my brother was in town from Georgia so I got to see him too. It was a great family holiday.
I also made out pretty well in terms of Christmas gifts. I got a few shirts from J.Crew that I wanted, as well as some loafers and a Michael Stars wrap (love him!). Also my brother bought my entire family color-coordinated Snuggies. Then he made us put them on. Then he made us take pictures. It was mortifying, but a bonding experience nonetheless. I guess that's what older brothers are for.
I also managed to see "Sherlock Holmes" in there somewhere and "Avatar" in 3D Imax. Both were really fun and entertaining. Neither were the type of movie that really make you think too hard, but they were fun to look at and they made me laugh/cry/pout/reach out to touch floating whispies. This time of year is good for that... so many movies come Oscar season. I still want to see "Up in the Air," "The Road," "The Young Victoria," "Precious," and a few upcoming releases like "Daybreakers." I <3 vampires.
But now back to work. It snowed pretty hard last night and now the roads are pretty bad I suppose. I didn't have any trouble getting out of Ann Arbor, but it is taking quite a while for people to filter into the office from their respective districts. Drive safe, everyone.
Linkspam!
Avatar smashes box office records. Glad to see James Cameron only brings out the big guns once every 10 years... still, he has yet to beat his own record. Do better, James. Do better.
Beijing gets record snowfall. It snows in Beijing? I guess we aren't the only ones with flurry problems.
The Big Picture. I bet your New Year's Eve didn't look this awesome. I'm afraid our light-up ball doesn't really compare to a green-lit Big Ben with massive fireworks. What I would have paid to be on that Ferris wheel...
My holiday was pretty enjoyable. I had a LOT of friends back in town spending the holidays with their families. I get pretty excited when that happens, but this year was a bit overwhelming. I think on one day I had a breakfast with one friend, an early brunch date, and lunch meeting, coffee with two others, dinner with friend #7, 8 and 9, and then drinks with a few more. So I was busy, and my brother was in town from Georgia so I got to see him too. It was a great family holiday.
I also made out pretty well in terms of Christmas gifts. I got a few shirts from J.Crew that I wanted, as well as some loafers and a Michael Stars wrap (love him!). Also my brother bought my entire family color-coordinated Snuggies. Then he made us put them on. Then he made us take pictures. It was mortifying, but a bonding experience nonetheless. I guess that's what older brothers are for.
I also managed to see "Sherlock Holmes" in there somewhere and "Avatar" in 3D Imax. Both were really fun and entertaining. Neither were the type of movie that really make you think too hard, but they were fun to look at and they made me laugh/cry/pout/reach out to touch floating whispies. This time of year is good for that... so many movies come Oscar season. I still want to see "Up in the Air," "The Road," "The Young Victoria," "Precious," and a few upcoming releases like "Daybreakers." I <3 vampires.
But now back to work. It snowed pretty hard last night and now the roads are pretty bad I suppose. I didn't have any trouble getting out of Ann Arbor, but it is taking quite a while for people to filter into the office from their respective districts. Drive safe, everyone.
Linkspam!
Avatar smashes box office records. Glad to see James Cameron only brings out the big guns once every 10 years... still, he has yet to beat his own record. Do better, James. Do better.
Beijing gets record snowfall. It snows in Beijing? I guess we aren't the only ones with flurry problems.
The Big Picture. I bet your New Year's Eve didn't look this awesome. I'm afraid our light-up ball doesn't really compare to a green-lit Big Ben with massive fireworks. What I would have paid to be on that Ferris wheel...
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