deep thoughts » happyinCLE

the final countdown

It’s happening. Youth as I know it, will soon be a past memory in approximately 5 hours, 35 minutes and 42 seconds. I am now experiencing the final hours of my 20′s.

I don’t feel 30. I don’t think I look 30. But the world we live in is very appearance-driven and youth indulgent. We strive to be people we aren’t, with significant focus on physical appearance. It’s not good.

But you can’t change time. The Earth continues to spin on its axis and we can’t stop it. So I guess I will take this whole birthday thing with a grain of salt and just continue living the same exact way I do now.

I will always be a kid at heart. I will always laugh. I will always dance. I will always love. I will always be me.

And in the celebration of my birth (and recently posted by many on Facebook), I provide you with the hit song on January 12, 1982. Now let’s get physical.

i would do anything…

Can I just get a few more weeks of summer? I mean, the current weather conditions are beyond glorious, but I need to get in a couple more trips to the marina and/or beach. And after a fantastic little vacation during the holiday weekend, it’s hard to say goodbye to the sweet, sweet summa.

During my ventures to Roaming Shores and Milwaukee, I experienced some interesting firsts. All of which I will recap in a later post, but in the meantime I would like to share my current obsession with Foster the People. I know I posted the video for ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ this past spring, but I am not sure all of you have listened to the entire album. Well, it’s awesome with a capital A.

For the past couple weeks, I have had this little jam on repeat. It’s one of those songs that make you go “oo laa laa.”

more MIA for me

After a fantastic weekend filled with perfect weather and loved ones, I realize I have much to be thankful for. I am in love with just about everything around me and things are looking smashing. Except for the fact that my birthday is just over four months away (and it’s a milestone bday).

I will once again be MIA for the next few days. Tomorrow is my very last day of work as I start a new chapter of my career. But before I get into the new work groove, I will be spending a little time at a lake house and taking a road trip to Milwaukee for my cousin Jenny’s wedding. Labor Day weekend is looking G-double-O-D-good.

Change is good. Life is good. It’s all good.

P.S. If you frequent Little Italy and have not yet taken a trip to Michaelangelo’s, you are missing out. I can safely say that I consumed the best pasta I have ever had in my life. Try the black truffle stuffed Sacchetti with black truffle cream sauce. You will not be disappointed.

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’.

(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!?!

seanski’s first giveaway!

i need some love.

last week i was thinking about ways to attract some additional readers/followers/stalkers/lovers/frenemies. one obvi way to do just this is by having some form of a contest or giveaway. most bloggers do this, so why wouldn’t i? doesn’t everyone want something for free!?!

so for everyone that comments on this post, you will receive one free HUG! yes, that’s right — one giant, heart-warming, cozy hug. and if things go well, you may be eligible for a prolonged hug, also known as a cuddle.

why a hug? because i need them this week. it is my birthday this wednesday and i am one year closer to the horrid age of 30. i know, i know. everyone i talk to says your 30s are the greatest decade of your life, but i am in complete disagreement.

so there will be no parties or elaborate gatherings for me this week. all i need is hugs. so everyone can reassure to me that everything will be alright.

word of the day – kanoodle

it’s cold outside. so what, who cares!

i'm not sure who this is, but i like her.

it seems to happen every single year. around the great lakes region, millions of people take valuable time away from their lives to moan and groan about the winter weather. what is your deal!?!

let’s face the hard facts. you were birthed or transplanted here in the wonderful land of cle. we are located in a region of the planet that experiences four seasons. we are also placed right alongside a giant body of water, which often adds to the severity of our harsh winters. if you don’t like these facts, then move.

i am sorry to be blunt, but we deal with the same weather patterns year in and year out. it will never change. but you can change all this by moving to the fantastic state of florida (hurricanes, mutated insects and unlimited hospice care options included).

rather than complain, why not enjoy it! snow can be beautiful, ya know. ya know what else can be quite fun? sipping hot cocoa and playing board games by the fireplace. maybe i am just too much of an optimistic individual, but we could have it a lot worse. like living in arizona. or a third world country verging on the brink of human apocalypse.

word of the day – frosty

later gator

5-hour energy shots, red bull and amp energy drinks are by my side. in a few hours we will be in route to pittsburgh and then off to mexico. no time for sleep. its go time!

while i will not be blogging for a week, i don’t think i will be able to put all social media aside. as much as i would like to try to leave all technology behind, i cannot bring myself to it. plus, i would like the extra foursquare points.

it’s getting colder in cle and i believe we may even have snow in the next couple days. good thing i will be on the beach! see ya next week, peeps!

word of the day – stellar

o holy sheets

does anyone wear socks to bed?

you know when you wake up in the morning to a shiver as you rub your bare feet on the cold sheets. then you grin a little and roll back over into your warm blankets and pillows. you curl up tighter with every cool breeze that hits your exposed skin. and then you grin some more because you realize how cozy the bed can be.

today i had one of those mornings. i love those mornings.

i just realized this post totally has a ‘deep thoughts’ by jack handy vibe.

word of the day – thread

the final countdown

i would do anything…

more MIA for me

Strongsville = Strangeville

(rain)drop it like it’s hot

seanski’s first giveaway!

it’s cold outside. so what, who cares!

later gator

o holy sheets

Tweets, yo

Blogroll

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