Citizens For Civil Discourse - Check it out!

Citizens for Civil Discourse (CCD), a newly formed non partisan non profit (501 c3), is interested in your opinion.

CCD's mission is to elevate and restore civil political discourse in the US.

There are many ways to do so and countless tactics.

CCD is thinking about focusing on giving you, the voter, control over the political conversation, rather than the politician.

To do this, CCD will create content and tools to allow US voters to control the political conversation.

Instead of politicians controlling the conversation by sending us (the voter) messages via phone, email, and direct mail we will control this via:

1. A national do not contact registry for political communications.

This registry would allow the you, the voter to tell politicians:

* Who you want to hear from

-- Example: Hillary or Rudy

* How you would like to hear from them

-- Example: Email but NOT via phone

* When you would like to hear from them

-- Example: Monday at 10 AM

* What you would like to hear about

-- Example: The War; education; energy; gun rights; gun control

Learn more at: http://thinkdodone.typepad.com/ccd/

Have you got the bag?

It's all the rage right now. You've gotta have it to make the latest and greatest fashion statement and save the world. Do you have it? I do!

After waking up yesterday morning at 4:40 AM and arriving at the Greenwich, Connecticut Whole Foods at 6AM I have three "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" totes. I waited in line for two and half hours with two other fellow Tracy Locke employees to get our hands on these bags.

The bags were only released yesterday in the North East tri-state area. By lunch time yesterday the bags were sold out! Gone.

From the New York Times Yesterday.

"If you are reading this anytime after dawn on Wednesday, you are probably too late to make a fashion statement and simultaneously keep the world safe from plastic bags.

At 8 this morning, 15 Whole Foods stores in the New York area were to start selling $15 cotton bags by Anya Hindmarch, a London designer better known for bags that range to $1,500 and beyond. The bags, which read “I’m not a plastic bag,” are intended to be used and reused for groceries, in place of plastic. Whole Foods is selling 20,000, first come first served, limit three to a customer while supplies last. If offerings of the bag in other cities are any guide, the lines will be long."

But the great news is, I'm selling two of them. Prices start at $150 on eBay. Check them out.

You know you want to make a fashion statement but more importantly "keep the world safe from plastic bags."

A Quote.

"The saying "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines."

-Henry J. Tillman

Diet Coke Plus.

This caught my eye the other day in Target.

Why would Diet Coke Plus be packaged in what looks like an energy drink can? They can't be trying to position themselves as an energy drink. Besides it has added vitamins and minerals. I know it contains vitamins that help to create energy but is it really an energy drink? Would it give you as much energy as a can of Monster, or a Starbuck's Double Shot?

Any thoughts?

My cousin.

There are times in life where things aren't easy. This is a time in my life.

On July 1st my cousin and his girlfriend were in a severe car accident. At 75 mph the F250 she was driving began flipping. He was thrown from the truck and was later recovered 30 minutes later in a palmetto bush.

I knew that I needed to be with my family and two days later was flying into the Orlando International Airport.

He is still in critical condition.

The point of this post is to ask you to think of him. You may not know him but know that he's a 24 year old who has a lot of living left to do. Please put him in your thoughts and prayers.

Remember that life is short. Wake up every morning and know that you will live it to the fullest. God Bless!

Weird Connecticut 101

I bought this book today, Connecticut Curiosities by Susan Campbell and Bill Heald.

This is what I've been looking for, finally! A book that tells me all the fun, wacky, funky places to go to while in Connecticut.

Look for some of my trips on the blog.

Oh yeah, did you know that Silly Putty was invented in New Haven, Connecticut? How fun!

A slight feeling of insignifance.

Lately I've been having a funny feeling. Haven't really been able to pin down exactly what it was. But after talking to one of my friends in Chicago he put it best. You step out of your relm and realize that there is a enormous world around you. It is a feeling of insignifance as you lose yourself in your surroundings. Whether it be the buildings, the sky, the highway, or your newly claimed office.

I have been experiencing this feeling. At first it scared me. I couldn't believe that what I thought was the world, so to speak, was bigger than I had ever imagined.

I believe that this feeling comes from the use of technology. How easy is it to pick up a phone and call home? How easy is it to send a friend in Chicago an email? How easy is it to send someone an IM? EASY!

Technology has begun to play a huge role in the shaping of us as human beings. We now take for granted the little things. The friendly letter in the mail, the car ride you took to see family, or even the way the clouds start to form in the sky.

We have turned on auto-pilot. We are set on cruise control. We are cruising and flying through life.

What I've started doing is taking a break. Breath. Enjoy the little moments like the wind blowing through the trees. Slow down on your way home after work, your house will still be there.

Step back and you will begin to feel this feeling of insignifance as well as the feeling of fulfillment. Try it. It won't hurt!

North vs. South

Is there a difference? How do the people differ? Are the people in the south more hospitable? What is the weather like?

I'm going to try and take a stab at things but remember these are based on my own opinions. You may feel differently one way or another but these are my experiences so far. Also remember these are the feelings of a girl raised in the south.

Is there a difference? Yes. Not one of huge proportions but there is one. The following will help you to understand why I feel this way.

But first a little back history. As a girl raised in the south I'd already assumed there would be one. One of my friends back home but it best, "When I was growing up anything north of I4 was considered yankee in my family."

How do the people differ? I'm finding them to be a little stuffy. Not as friendly as the people I'm used to back home. It may be because I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone. I don't know. I am finding that southern people are more hospitable. Two stories.

I was grocery shopping the other day in Super Stop & Shop here in Stamford, Connecticut. I was cruising through the aisle when I came across an older lady. I was trying to squeeze by and politely told her excuse me. Her response was a huff and then she rolled her eyes. A seventy year old lady rolled her eyes at me. This is when I became confused.

Yesterday, I decided to do a little exploring on my own. I went into Greenwich, Connecticut. I had heard there was fabulous shopping down on Greenwich Avenue and wanted to see for myself. I strolled down the street occassionally stopping into stores and finding out I couldn't afford anything in there. Then as I walked closer to the end I noticed a statue in a church garden. I stopped and began reading it. It was a statue of a soldier and carved in the stone were the names of all the fallen soldiers from WWII who lived in Greenwich. I then heard a man say hello. He was a friendly older man who was sitting on a bench with his pet maltese. He told me I had a nice smile. His next statement threw me. "You aren't from around here are you?" We continued on and he explained that people from up here don't smile and that possessions are what mattered. He thanked me for making his day and that is was refreshing to see a young girl smile.

Moving on to the weather.

The weather is totally different. My roommate and I have only turned the AC on once. The nights dip into the fifties and the past two weeks haven't got out of the seventies. According to the meterologist we should be seeing the eighties this week.

So is there a difference? You've read my feelings and experiences but you decide.

Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery lists lost and found

So I found this really cool book last week called, Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery lists lost and found by Bill Keaggy.

Basically the author has been collecting shopping lists for years. Once he finds them he seeS what insights he can find. Below is a snip-it of the book.

“Milk Eggs Vodka” features more than 200 real grocery lists recovered from shopping carts and parking lots across America and other corners of the globe. Keaggy dissects each list with his acerbic wit and offers intriguing insights about what we eat and why.

“True, lists are trash,” said Keaggy, who found his first list ten years ago. “But they also reveal clues about who we really are. Plus, it’s fun to ridicule the weird things people buy and the fact no one can spell bananas.”

Check out the grocery list website at, www.grocerylists.org

My favorite list.....

"Prozac, kid hair de-tangler, Ibuprofen, Fiber-All, Sensodyne."

As Keaggy notes in his unfailingly wonderful marginalia, "Wow, your life sucks, my friend. Constipation, headaches, aching gums, kids with knotted hair. No wonder you're depressed."

My first day.

It didn't start of to well. I thought I was being smart by leaving my apartment 45 minutes before I had to be at Tracy Locke. I had everything planned out. I knew what roads to take and where the office was located. To my surprise traffic was a whole different story. I panicked. I called Tracy Locke but no answer. All I could think of was, "It's my first day and I'm going to be that girl. That girl that runs late on her first day." But my luck prevailed. I pulled into the parking lot five minutes before 9:00. SUCCESS!

Things got off to a slow start like most first days. There's the typical paper work, the tour of the building, phone procedures, you know the whole drill.

Lunch went well. My supervisor and his boss took me to a little Italian shop in Wilton. We discussed the industry and where things looked to be heading. I told them about the Adcenter and the track that I was in. It was then that I realized the day was quickly becoming better.

After lunch I had my first assignment. I had to look up movies and documentaries that featured chocolate, coffee or both. Needless to say by 5 o'clock I wanted a heavy dose of caffeine. Thinking my day was coming to an end I realized I was wrong.

My supervisor wanted me to accompany him to a creative meeting. A real creative meeting? Fantastic! I didn't have any place to be and what a cool opportunity to see how a commercial was coming together.

I arrived home at 7:07. What a day. What a good first day. I finally felt like I was in a "real" internship. I was no longer filing copies, organizing media kits, or making the dreadful coffee run, I was valued.

My day has yet to end.

Mi Casa.

As of yesterday this is my new home for the next two months.

My roommate is really nice. She is 22 and works for GE in Norwalk.

I haven't had a chance to go out yet and explore but look forward to it. I start my internship at Tracy Locke on Monday. So I have a couple more days to relax. :)

On the road again.....

Departed Richmond at 10:00AM.

My journey started with an accident on I95 South in Virginia. Three tractor trailers had crashed in the early morning hours and had yet to be towed. A quick picture of the semi that had caught on fire and burned.

Traveling through a tunnel in Baltimore.

The bridge into New Jersey.

The George Washington Bridge. I some how lucked out going over this bridge. With an estimated total travel time of 10 minutes at 4:53 in the afternoon. Wow, perfect timing!

My arrival into Connecticut.

So a quick snipet of my journey into the beautiful state of Connecticut. Apartment pictures to follow.

It isn't my time to go!

After yesterday I've decided I'm not quite ready to leave. Hopefully, you understand what I'm saying.

A flight from hell on Delta. At 30,000 feet in the air the plane takes a nose dive. My heart drops. The pilot comes over the sound system to inform us they are having problems with the wings and the lights which are no longer functioning. "We will be descending to 17,000 feet, dropping the wheels back down, slowing down, and leveling the plane back out." Basically I'm thinking, "Great, we are going to fall out of the sky."

Wait, it gets better. As I arrive in Richmond at the baggage claim I'm missing a bag. To find out, one of my bags is still in Orlando. At this point in time I've been traveling for 6 hours and my bag is still in Orlando. You've got to be kidding me right? My bag finally arrived yesterday afternoon with all contents safely placed.

I'm now safe and sound and comfortablly sitting in my Richmond apartment for the time being.

As for my internship, I'm starting to pack today. I'm hoping to leave by Wednesday but have to wait until I hear back from my broker.

Hope all things go as planned.

"Life with you isn't normal." - Megan Hailey

Everyone is starting their internships. They are arriving in the big cities. Unpacking their things and setting up the place they will call home for the next three months.

I sit in my mother's kitchen in Florida with my feet crossed searching the internet. Wondering, will I ever find a place to live in Connecticut?

Life is testing me right now. But I've kept my head up and kept a positive attitude -for the most part- throughout this time. I continue to cross my fingers and toes and hope that today is the day that I find a small hole in the wall that I can call home.

I'm on a count down. Tick-tock-tick-tock. Twelve full days until I start my internship.

I've learned to love craigslist but hate my computer as my fingers make a clicking sound with each button I hit.

Believe me, when I find a place you will know it.

I'm excited to head off to Connecticut this summer and look forward to all the adventures I will have. I'll take pictures. Promise.