Oliver’s 8th Name Day

I’m like that chick in the Ally bank commercial making her dog say, “We love our bank!” except Oliver and I are saying “We love our vet!”

May 27th is Oliver’s 8th birthday and this morning I received an email with this e-card. They even have a Chihuahua as the main character!!! I am so tickled and very impressed. Leesburg Vet definitely knows how to make a pet lover smile.

 

Sorry I haven’t posted in a few days. I moved this weekend and have had a busy week at work that included a trip to NYC, so unfortunately, I haven’t had much time.

The Desk of a Happiness Guru

I thought it would be cool to take a picture of my work area, exactly as it is, and share it along with some brief descriptions of what the heck all that shiz is. Why? Why don’t you just shut up and look at it. There’s even a handy little key:

A.) My laptop – where I STAND and work. 

B.) Pillow Cartman. So far Mr. Wide-Eyed has kept watch over the offices of AOL, Mixx and Clearspring. 

C.) Nalgene! And the reason my coworkers see me walking to the restroom every 10 min. Looks like it needs some refilling …

D.) Those lil things are my rings that I always remove when I put on lotion and rarely put back on until it’s time to leave. Not even sure why I still wear them to work.

E.) BEST POSTER EVER.

F.) Abu. (That looked like I said “F Abu” which is NOT THE CASE AT ALL!!!) I’ve had him since 4th grade and I cherish him.

G.) It’s hard to make them out but I have a Dwight bobble head, a Steve Carrell 40-Year-Old Virgin movie-quoting figurine and the George Washington Nats bobble head. They all hang out together and get drunk in the middle of the night. 

H.) Those be mah sunglasses and keys, plus some random napkins just to the right.

I.) World Cup 2010 South Africa hat, a gift from some generous soccer teammates who were lucky enough to attend!

J.) Pirate Mickey Ears hat atop of a shy stuffed Simba. 

K.) Princess Mickey Ears hat! (Noticing a lot of Disney paraphernalia? I may or may not have an old coworker who is now employed by them. But I also am 8 years old inside.) That’s my composition notebook opened just below. I got it because it also made me feel like I was 8 years old, writing in my 3rd grade journal.

L.) You can’t see it but I have a picture of sexy Legolas with a thought bubble that says “I know I should be shooting orcs but I can’t stop thinking about Kori … ” I don’t even … whatever.

M.) It puts the lotion on the skin.

N.) A daily checklist that I never look at. It’s all in the noggin’, folks.

O.) Our conference call number which I look at daily because I still haven’t memorized it. The daily checklist clearly takes up too much space.

P.) IF YOU GOT THIS FAR, CONGRATS!!! YOUR PRIZE IS A PICTURE OF SALAD FINGERS!!!! 

Oliver Terror Dog

Last night while hanging out on the front porch of Big Al’s, Oliver did his best Terror Dog impression. Somehow, I don’t think Zuul the Gatekeeper would approve of his “terrifying” presence.

Reference:

Like I Need More Reasons to See This Movie

A 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes …

And an A from EW.com?

Like I need more reasons to see this movie!

Best Email From a User Ever

You’d be surprised how many people still use clipart signatures these days.

Slowly Dying on my Butt Cheeks

First and foremost, it must be said that I have a love/hate relationship with infographics. I love them because they are perfect for my simple mind – less text and pretty colors! They are like picture books for adults, meant to teach you a short but meaningful lesson (well, that’s debatable).

I hate them because just like the evening news (“WHY SNOW PEAS WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP – COMING UP NEXT!”) they suck me in, making me believe every little under-researched stat they claim to know.

The “meaningful,” under-researched stat of the day? “SITTING IS KILLING YOU! The Truth About Sitting Down.” Complete with scary red and black colors representing murder and death. Behold:

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Mashable posted this inforgraphic put out by Medical Billing and Coding, who clearly have hired a smart little web marketing guru who knows the effectiveness of infographics for traffic. And the effectiveness of using SCARE TACTICS.

Can you guess what I’m doing right now? STANDING. As someone who is pretty conscious of her health (work out regularly, watch what I eat), I feel this is one of the areas where I’m really lacking. I sit ALL day and am very guilty of the whole “leaning forward” no-no. So, it’s time to get serious and stop sitting. It’s time for the STANDING REVOLUTION!

PS – One of my developer co-workers here even shared this contraption:

It’s called the Walk N Code Pair Station. I don’t code, but I WANT IT.

Big News Day

No, this is not about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver breaking up.

Today was a very exciting day for my company, Clearspring Technologies, because we announced a new $20MM round of funding from Institutional Venture Partners (IVP)! 

Here’s a rundown of the coverage: 

• TechCrunch
• The Washington Post
• Louis Gray
• TechCocktail
• ReadWriteWeb

Everyone is super pumped to put this money where our mouths are and continue to deliver some kick ass products!

OH, but before I go, Clearspring is hiring. Just to give you a rundown – catered lunch, beer, no dress code, no vacation policy, AND we fly remote controlled helicopters. Check it:

Monday Funday

Monday really gets shat on. I mean, I doubt Monday ASKED to be the designated day of the week for going back to work or school. I doubt Monday WANTED to be the day that comes after our weekly “vacations.” Poor Monday. What did Monday ever do to you, other than be completely reliable about showing up RIGHT ON TIME, every week?

From here on out, I designate this day as Monday Funday. To celebrate this glorious day, let’s make a list (oh trusty lists, how I love you) of the good things about Monday. Because there is GOOD in everything, sometimes you just have to find it.

• ”DIET STARTS MONDAY!”: This is a phrase I use often on the weekends. Mostly in jest, but there’s also a bit of truth in it. The point here is, Monday gives you a chance to “start over.” New week, new goals, new whatever. I guess you can start over on Tuesday or Friday if you want, but come on, that’s just silly. AND it’s scientifically* proven that holding off on that which you can do today (aka Tuesday-Sunday) until Monday is better for your health and for successful results. (*Maybe sorta not.)

• Holidays: Mondays are our favorite day for holidays. Who doesn’t LOVE a Monday on Memorial Day or Labor Day? It’s really not fair to toy with Monday’s emotions like that — I love you, now I hate you. As a result, Monday is definitely the most insecure day of the week ever.

• Google Reader Holy Grail: I’m quite the fan of Google Reader. Google Reader and I usually take a break over the weekend. (If not, you can bet I was procrastinating on cleaning out my drawers or scrubbing the toilet or some other task full of suckage.) Either way, Google Reader on Monday makes me giggle like a middle schooler girl who can’t wait to catch up on the weekend’s juicy gossip.

• Weekend Recap: Monday is the perfect time to recap your weekend. What is it they say? “Don’t be sad because it’s over, SMILE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED!” Pretty sure that’s a direct quote from Gandhi.

So, cue me telling you what I did this weekend. I went on a bike ride from Georgetown to Mount Vernon (*see map for edited route and notes), which is a MUST DO in DC. It’s a great trail, with lots of beautiful sites. You can even stop near the edge of the Reagan Airport runway and give yourself clammy hands while watching planes take off (or land, depending on the wind, I think?) right over your head!!!

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures (because I suck), except this one post-ride. Corona’s are just so photogenic, I couldn’t resist.

Here is some commentary on the ride:

A Place That Shall Not Be Named

I’ll never get it.

Battle of the Weekend Forecast

I have come to notice that the weather forecasts on Accuweather.com and Weather.com are often differing. I have also come to notice that one site is always a little more … optimistic, shall we say, when it comes to what Mother Nature has in store for us. Let’s see if you can figure out the digital meteorologist I tend to favor:

Accuweather:

Weather.com

Granted, it must be noted that this is a hard time of year to predict extended forecasts so I always give both services a little leeway.

BUT, who will win this weekend in the BATTLE OF THE WEATHER SERVICES?! I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve got some bike riding plans so I’m pullin’ for Accuweather.