deep thoughts » happyinCLE

Strongsville = Strangeville

This is my hell.

After reviewing my tweets since this past Friday, the majority of the content includes ripping on the suburbs and those who reside in them. I should probably take some of my own advice from my previous post, “you should probably watch what you say“, and do just that.

Part of my problem is that I am such a loyal advocate of the city of CLE and urban living in general, that I get defensive and territorial while not realizing how crass I can be. So to those who I may have offended, please accept this as an apology. However, I must provide you with some observations why suburban folk get on my nerves.

You think I live in the ghetto
You take up my parking spaces in Tremont
You look at me like I am crazy for wearing something somewhat fashionable
You have never been anywhere else in CLE except for a sporting or concert venue
You cannot drive downtown even though it’s incredibly easy
You take over my favorite places on the weekend and then look at me like I don’t belong there
You say how nice things are developing in the city and don’t have the guts to move here
You think you live a “better” life in that subdivision
You keep your children from the city, depriving them from culture and local history
You think using a bicycle to get to places is crazy talk

Whether you live in the city or a suburb, I guess the snobbery goes both ways. I just have a difficult time understanding why suburban life is so much better. But one day things will change. People will sprawl once again, but this time it will be back to our urban cores — mark my words.

*Disclaimer – I do not believe ALL suburbanites agree with all of the above statements. I have family and friends who call suburbia home and I love them with all my heart (but they should consider being my neighbor).

you should probably watch what you say

I am not one to pick a fight. I get along with most everyone. I express my excitement and happiness for our great city through verbal and written words. However, sometimes one must share his thoughts and opinions on matters in which they feel important. Which is what I am going to do right now.

If you are active in any social media platform, you have created a personal brand. You divulge your thoughts, opinions, passions and views onto the world for all to see (or at least those individuals who follow you). Which brings me to my main point of this post: WATCH WHAT YOU SAY.

Last week I was scrolling through random tweets and came across this…

S*eC**e11“@C_Wardo: I want to yell from the top of a mountain!! ” You are gayer than the HIV virus…

The only reason why I started following this Shane fellow was due to his “marketing account manager” status listed in his profile and our affiliation as Kent State alumni. I immediately was disgusted by this statement, so I immediately responded with this…

seanski82 If you follow @S*eC**e11, you may find it amusing. Pretty blunt and ignorant tweets for a “marketing consultant”.

And then his final response…

S*eC**e11 Just lost a random follower over that HIV comment.. $5 says he is HIV positive.. Another $5 says I’m not sry about it… #AIDSface

REALLY!?! Now I don’t know Shane, but judging by his many words of wisdom, he is not a young marketing professional. What kind of marketing or advertising company does this ignorant “bro” work for? And if you consider passing out coupons for Jimmy Johns on the streets of Kent “marketing”, than you are clearly mistaken.

The Cleveland and Akron marketing communications industry is a small community. We basically all know each other or at least recognize the names and faces tied to our agencies and clients. And we all know as marketing professionals, that one must be very careful when expressing themselves via social media platforms. Your social media actions and statements are a reflection of your personality — you’re personal brand.

I could continue judging this young man, but I am a bigger person than that. However, if you want to investigate a little more and happen to find Mr. Shane’s Facebook profile, you can judge for yourself. And if the person at large happens to read this, you may want to watch what you say. Especially if you plan on getting a job anytime soon in the marketing communications industry. Just sayin’.

boom boom boom

it was quite the holiday weekend. It was everything I could have imagined and more, filled with loved ones, laughter, sun and spirits. One of those long weekends when you think about what life would be like if your job consisted of relaxation, socializing and consuming large amounts of food and alcohol. Wait, that lifestyle is attainable. However, I believe one might call that retirement. Can I retire once I hit the big 3-0?

Naturally, I did not take as many photos as I should have, specifically shots of myself lounging in a kiddie pool floating around the waters of Put-in-Bay. I must recreate that scene ASAP.

Last week I mentioned it was a packed weekend of P’s (parties and Perry’s) via Twitter and Facebook. Please see my evidence below.

: Justin grills some ribs at BZone’s.

: W. 61 St. display.

: The Perry Monument.

: A little Katy Perry.

And this little clip was taken at plum’s bash — yet another P! The more I think about it, the more I realize how I have become more ridiculous with age. Here’s to never taking myself too seriously.

trololo time

i could discuss more important topics. i could describe my excitement for the cleveland museum of art summer solstice party this weekend. i also could recap how enjoyable my first dinner in the dark experience was this past week.

but i just had one of those days. one of those days that knocked me down. a day that i look at life and say, wuuut!?! (insert lil’ john voice)

and when i have less than adequate moments, i watch or listen to something enjoyable and/or funny. many times it involves a little trololo sing along.

i would be surprised if most of you have not seen this YouTube hit, but if you have not, you’re welcome.

last friday night

so i tried something new this past friday night. it’s called yoga. i’m sure you’ve heard of it.

you might say i was not 100% excited about the idea, provided that i do not work out on a regular basis, nor have i ever been able to touch my toes. however, statistics say that acts of this kind are known to reduce stress levels, increase muscle tone and improve posture.

the particular session that i went to is dubbed as “punk rock” yoga, which didn’t really exude either punk nor rock in my opinion, but they did play some subtle punk rock tracks. i guess i was expecting the instructor to come out in a mohawk and eye liner. that would have been something to see.

all in all, my trip to the studio was pretty successful. i kept up with the rest of the group for the most part, not counting the three times i almost fell over. and in true sean fashion, i sweat my asski off. at one point, i thought about asking for a clean mat so i would keep from slipping on mine.

i am pretty sure i will be back to The Studio – Cleveland for some more downward dog action. i can definitely see how practicing yoga could improve your overall mind, body and spirit. i mean, who doesn’t need some oms.

and speaking of last friday night, have you seen the new katy perry video? it is a HOOT. while there may be one too many 80s references, i found myself smiling all the way though the video. the endless celebrity cameos are hilarious, the wardrobe department must have had a field day and katy perry is just too darn funny. watch “last friday night” all the way through the credits. even if you aren’t into top 40 pop hits, i think you will LOL at least once.

the start to summa time

between patio prep, west 6th and cruising the waters of lake erie, my memorial day weekend was basically a repeat from last year. but the difference between last year and this year is a few new found realizations…

purchasing an electric power washer at a PSI of 1400 is not strong enough for your average concrete patio. if you want power, you need a gas powered behemoth with at least 2800 PSI.
when in a certain mindset (and/or intoxicated stage), clubs like Liquid/Suite Sixx/Ultra can be fun. but i would still prefer my d-sho, ohio city and tremont go-to’s.
boat maintenance and general upkeep is wicked annoying. it’s like having a a big wet baby. but the bathtub is 60 sextillion times larger (yes, i looked that statistic up).

i hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. here’s to the first week of june!

i like my pumped up kicks

where did this week go?

my newly contracted allergies are hella annoying.

this weather has been excrutiating.

but ya know what? it’s all good. i have some left over potato gnocchi from Luxe by my side and i can actually see sunlight and blue sky out my window.

i also must share a song i first heard on sirius radio that immediately peeked my interest. it’s smooth, refreshing and incredibly uplifting. i want this song to play on repeat and magically fill the humid summer air as i ride my bike down the streets of CLE.

take a listen to ‘pumped up kicks’ by Foster The People. if you like it, you should mark your calendars for june 13th because they will be performing at the Grog Shop in cleveland heights.

disclaimer: pay no attention to the lyrics. i would like to think of this tune as a light-hearted, playful story of long lost friends reuniting at a beach party in the pacific northwest. unfortunately, this song is about a homicidal teenager (cue debbie downer).

what day is it?

don’t you ever wonder how all of these unconventional, non-traditional days just ended up on our calendar? who exactly originated these colloquial expressions? why am i using words like colloquial?

this particular subject arose the other night while having dinner at happy dog. we obviously had dogs for dinner and it just so happened to be wednesday, so naturally i deemed the night ‘weiner wednesday’. do restaurants, bars or hot dog shops ever use this as a promotional tactic?

let’s explore the other days of the week, shall we?

monday – manic monday (thank you, bangles)

tuesday – taco tuesday (yum)

wednesday – hump day (need i explain?)

thursday – thirsty thursday (happy hour time)

friday – freaky friday (not sure people even use this)

saturday – super saturday (think retail/big sales)

sunday – sunday funday (an enjoyably intoxicating way to end the weekend)

what else can we come up with? currently i am thinking we need a ‘macaroni monday’ and a ‘falafel friday’…

word of the day – colloquial (duh)

CLE+ SUCKS sucks

dear mr. nemeth,

yes, CLE can suck. sometimes it can suck real bad. however, every city has potential to suck. it doesn’t matter if you live in new york, seattle, denver or miami — residents can always find reasons to complain and criticize local politics, weather, sports, and economics.

i could easily list 100 reasons why CLE does not suck and 100 reasons why it does suck, but i am not going to waste my time. and you should not waste your time ridiculing our fair city for a reason unbeknownst to us. while CLE+ SUCKS is quite amusing, why not spend your extracurricular time focusing on your career or getting involved in charity work?

you can bash us cleveland cheerleaders and “cupcakes” all you want. while many of us may be wearing rose-colored glasses, we know our city has much to accomplish. but we are a community of people who want to be part of the civic resurgence that is slowly but surely taking place. it will take us a while to get there, but we will get there. and unfortunately you will not be part of it.

say what you want. i am still happy in CLE.

love,
seanski

(rain)drop it like it’s hot

after a swell easter weekend with family and friends, i decided to take monday off for a little spring cleaning. for those of you that know me, i take cleaning seriously. i am a little obsessive and i have been known to wipe down a counter or vacuum a rug within 10 minutes of doing it the first time. it’s not healthy.

and while i reeeaaallly want to invest in a cleaning service, a certain someone won’t let me and i have an idea that i would be cleaning up after the maid service left the building. but i am pretty sure i am going to do it because there simply is not enough time in the day and i think the money will be well worth it. but i digress…

so when i woke up on monday morning, it was yet again a dreary erie shore day and i hit the snooze button ~~once twice three four~~ five times. i am a sucker when it comes to dark, stormy mornings and i simply have to take advantage of the cozy factor. so rather than get up at a decent hour and actually clean and organize a closet or two, i chose to stay in the sack and listen to raindrops on the windows.

i think our nation needs to establish at least 2-3 days during the year which citizens can use as a floating rainy day holiday. who’s with me!?!

Strongsville = Strangeville

boom boom boom

trololo time

last friday night

the start to summa time

i like my pumped up kicks

what day is it?

CLE+ SUCKS sucks

(rain)drop it like it’s hot

Tweets, yo

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Cleveland on Twitter

S***eC****e11“@C_Wardo: I want to yell from the top of a mountain!! ” You are gayer than the HIV virus…

seanski82 If you follow @S***eC****e11, you may find it amusing. Pretty blunt and ignorant tweets for a “marketing consultant”.

S***eC****e11 Just lost a random follower over that HIV comment.. $5 says he is HIV positive.. Another $5 says I’m not sry about it… #AIDSface