I just finished reading “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer. I had seen the film directed by Sean Penn, but as usual, the book was much better. The book is the true story about Christopher McCandless (AKA Alexander Supertramp), a recent college graduate that disappeared the summer after graduation to pursue his dreams of traveling the West. McCandless travels for about 2 years before he finally makes it up north to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. Spoiler alert: he never leaves the wild and is found in an abandoned bus in the middle of the trail 2 weeks too late. The various probable causes of his death are discussed, and the book is mainly based off of people that he touched on his journey into the wild and the various journals and belongings he left behind.

I feel a strange connection to McCandless. It was not long ago that I graduated from college, and I remember being overwhelmed with the “real world.” Instead of pursuing a boring desk job or law school like his parents wanted him to do, Christ pursued LIFE. A follower of London, Tolstoy, and Thoreau, McCandless was a believer in living a simple life and beauty found in nature.  Consumed by wanderlust, Chris searched for a purpose through personal relationships, the wilderness, and eventually, within himself as he dies alone. Some criticize him for being ill-prepared and naive, but I was so inspired by his passion to find independent happiness by exploring his curiosities and traveling the world.

Although I did feel compelled to grab my non-existent tent and traveling backpack and head into the bush, I don’t think that’s the point of this story. One doesn’t need to be an outdoorsman to appreciate the character and desires of McCandless. I think we all have our own “wild.” For Chris, it was literally that, but maybe the “wild” is something different for everyone. Maybe it’s med school, maybe it’s a boring desk job, or maybe it’s just making a difference in the world. I think we all have innate desires and goals that we know we have to and can accomplish. Reading “Into the Wild” was a reminder to me that I must pursue my passions daily, to never take a day for granted, and to remember:

Happiness Only Real When Shared.

Whats your “wild?”

Found this sick wall decall on Nouvelles Images today. Kinda eerie and yet kinda RAD! I will always remember seeing the Mona Lisa in person at the Louvre in Paris and being blown away by her tiny size. These wall stickers give her the respect she deserves! Check out more stickers for walls and doors here.

I’ve watched this Malcolm Gladwell video about spaghetti sauce countless times, and it keeps getting better! I originally saw this video over a year ago, and every time I watch it, I’m inspired and learn something new. Gladwell is the author of 3 favorite books of mine: The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. He is also one of my favorite thinkers. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Can’t stop rockin’ out to these tunes lately!! Do yourself a favor and check out the latest from these 2 badass experimental bands.

http://www.myspace.com/dirtyprojectors

http://www.passionpitmusic.com

My favorite Coldplay song…

In a haze, a stormy haze,

I’ll be round, I’ll be loving you always, always,

Here I am and I’ll take my time,

Here I am and I’ll wait in line always, always

I switched to an Apple laptop in October of 2006. Up until then, I had been a PC gal, with various HP and Dell products. I mostly switched because my boyfriend at the time worked for Apple and got me a sweeeet discount.  Over time, I’ve accumulated 3 iPod’s, an amazing wireless router, and most importantly, the iPhone. I’ve since reached the point of no return, and here’s why.

User Experience: Using any Apple product is simple. Plug something in, and my Mac recognizes the device. Want to do something you’ve never done before? Think of the simplest way, and it’s probably the right way. Still having problems? Search the help or spotlight, and your solution will pop up quickly. After using 3 different wireless routers, I finally switched to the Apple Airport Express (why it took me so long, I’ll never know). Within 5 minutes of plugging it in, I was connected and surfing the web. The router updates itself constantly, and even allows for wireless speaker and printer setup. So neat. Apple makes using an electronic painless.

Clean Design: Everything looks gorgeous and effortless on an Apple product; aesthetically pleasing is an understatement. Aside from groovy and hip ad campaigns, Apple products exhibit the best of the best. Of course, their website follows suit and makes it simple to search for new products, news, and support. I don’t know much about site design, but I’ve read that Apple does it well:  no tables, ajax libraries, class separated style sheets, elaborate code organization, divs, interesting varying layouts, and simplicity at it’s best.

Customer Service: I’ve had to take my laptop and iPhone into the genius bar a couple times, and have received great diagnoses each time. The staff has been really supportive and willing to help. Calling the customer support line is easy and they are great at solving issues quickly. After my sister heard a weird funky noise at the start-up of her iMac, she called the support line for help. They gave her a few steps over the phone that involved holding various keys down simultaneously and unplugging stuff. They even gave her instructions to make sure her hard drive wasn’t harmed! She was good to go in 10 minutes or less. Impressive stuff. It’s nice to know as a customer you have 24/7 support.

Software Updates: Apple recognizes that updates are necessary. I’m constantly notified of firmware and software updates. This is key, as I feel like I will never be left behind when new products are released or new bugs are found in the software. Thank you Apple, you really DO care.

Seamless Integration: Nothing makes me happier than syncing up all of my apple products. My contacts, calendar, photos, and music, on all 3 of my products? AWESOME. Having an iPhone has made this 10x easier. I used to have a day planner, an iPod, and a phone, but now it’s all in one product. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest benefits of the iPhone. I’m stoked to know that adding a person to my phone will automatically add them to my laptop, and vice versa. I never feel like I’ll miss an appointment or important event again, as pop up reminders show up in more than one place.

So there you have it. I’m pretty much an Apple girl for life! I couldn’t be happier with the quality and craftsmanship of Apple products. In my opinion, it’s well worth the extra buck for the reasons mentioned above. If you don’t agree, I don’t like you! Just kidding, I use a PC at work, and it works perfectly fine, I just prefer Apple 10 to 1.

I’m going to stop apologizing for my lack of blogging, since I’m pretty sure only 3 other people (if that!) besides me actually read this thing. Work is keeping me pretty busy, but I’ve had some great opportunities to check out some marvelous events in California in the past few weeks. Here is a summary of April and May: San Jose Visit, LA & Venice Beach for my sister’s bday, The Elemental Experience, Karl Strauss Beach to Brewery Festival, Greg Laswell, Vision of a Dying World, Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s, Paramore and Graduation Weekend with old friends. I took some cool photos, and will share them with corresponding info below.

In April, I visited my best friends from College, Tanya and Dustin, in San Jose. Not only did we wrap things in bacon (see below!) but we also went to this rad flea market/festival, Vintage San Jose: Rocks & Rolls. There were classic cars and craft beer. What could be better?! We visited Santa Cruz beach, went out in downtown Campbell, and I also got a chance to visit the Silicon Valley and Mountain View.

Next, Chliana and I went to LA to celebrate my sister Jackie’s birthday. We dined at Baja Cantina, a delicious Mexican restaurant in Marina del Ray, and then headed out to Lucha Libre inspired bar, The Cha Cha Lounge in Silver Lake to get our celebration on. It was a great time, and we drank too much!! A few of my friends came to her party of sorts, which was a fantastic plus. The next day, we headed to Venice Beach, since Chliana had never been. We paid too much for parking, took a long stroll along the boardwalk, shopped for some cool souvenirs, and even saw the weenie mobile! It snuck away before I could get a good pic though. Damn you WEENIE MOBILE, DAMN YOU!

Check out more Photos and Recaps after the jump…

Next, we headed to the Elemental Experience on Mission Bay in San Diego to check out some sweet bands including Pete & J, Dirty Sweet, Mason Jennings, Pinback, Bassnectar, and Matisyahu. We came for Pinback and Mason, we left loving Bassnectar and Dirty Sweet! Each band brought their own crowd, and it was superb to check out some new tunes in the sunshine. The event was excellent, the weather was GORGEOUS, and the cause was fantastic. The event was held to raise money for a homeless shelter for young adults past the age of 18 that have been kicked out of the “system.” 91x was there to show some support, as well as Vavi and other local artists.

Are you tired yet?! Yes, me too. Still a bunch more left!!! And just think, I only selected my FAVORITES! Arrrrrrgggh. Next up was the Karl Strauss Beach to Brewery Festival. I have always wanted to attend this annual event, and finally got a chance to check it out! One of my favorite local reggae bands, Stranger, was playing, and the beer was pouring left and right! For $20, you got 5 samplers, and full beers were just $5 after that. All of the money raised went to surfrider foundation, which made me feel good as I downed 91X Belgian IPA, Endless Summer, & even a Pineapple IPA. They even had a petition to drastically cut the use of plastic grocery bags in SD, which I was eager to sign. I got to catch up with some old girlfriends too, which is always delightful. In addition, I spotted Mat Diablo from afar, and was too shy to say hello. FML!

May continued to bless me with wondrous shows! I saw Greg Laswell at the Casbah which was spectacular. He was very charming and his tunes and rustic voice moved my soul. His sweatshirt had a glorious purple horse on it. He said he got it on the road in Texas. He played a lot of older songs, which was a nice surprise. Some of the highlights included Amazed, High and Low, What a Day, and his wonderful rendition of Cindy Lauper’s “Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun.”

I then saw Vision of a Dying World at the Soda Bar, which is also one of my favorite local bands. One of my favorite songs by them is “The Time and the Place for Everything” and I’m disappointed to explain the following story. Chliana and I approached one of the lead singers/guitar players and bought him a drink (Maker’s Mark, on the Rocks) and chatted with him for a few. I explained I had been going to their shows for a couple of years, and was wondering when they were going to play my FAVORITE song from one of their oldest albums. He proclaimed “oh gosh, Jackson wrote that when he was 17, we’ll probably never play that again. That song is like the girlfriend you break up with and never want to see again.” I was super bummed! I mean, couldn’t he just amuse me and tell me they’d play it some day?! Or just lie?? I mean, I can’t imagine being in a band and a fan requesting an old favorite, and shutting them down like that. I lost a lot of respect for them that night, and it was a major bummer. I’ll probably still go to some of their shows, but I wont spread the good news about their music anymore.

I also saw Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s in Costa Mesa with Anne. We snuck up to the front, and got some great photos as well as candy from the hilarious pinata Richard smashed with his guitar towards the end.

Finally, I won a Twitter contest from 91x by responding to a tweet: “Paramore is coming to 91X tomorrow! Wanna meet the band and see a performance? First 10 fans to reply @91X their fav Paramore song get in.” I responded with “Pressure” and was the first to win!! I got to bring a guest to the 91x studios where we got passes, a tour of the studio (or shall I say cubicles), and an acoustic performance in a tiny room with couches. I have never been a HUGE Paramore fan, but I think they are pretty cool. I loved their song on the Twilight soundtrack, and Hayley Williams has a gorgeous voice! Still can’t believe she is only 20 years old! After performing Misery Business, CrushCrushCrush and Decode (acoustically for the first time!), the band signed an 8×10 glossy and took group photos with fans. They were really cool! Check out the pics and video of Paramore performing decode below!!

A few friends also graduated from SDSU this weekend, so Tanya and Dustin came to visit. I also had an awesome photo shoot with D Photo Photography with my office for our new website launch (details to come soon!). Check out a few favs below.

Thanks for sticking it out (if you made it this far) and let me know what you think! I hope June and July are equally as fun, as I’m sure they will be since I have another Greg Laswell show, Art Around Adams Festival, Coldplay, a trip to Portland and Seattle, and more! Stay tuned, and I’ll try to post more frequently.

Peace&Love

Not at single Blog Post since JANUARY?! That is re-dunk-ulous. Horrible. Against the Blogging Code of Ethics or something! Truth be told, I’ve been busier than a mad woman…no, busier than a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest!

Life has been running pretty smoothly for me. After working internships and part-time jobs for 6 months after graduation, I finally secured a full-time position at Thunder Internet Marketing as the SEO and SEM Manager in January. Working in the online marketing world has been truly fascinating, and I’m constantly challenged by the powerful lessons I learn daily. I couldn’t ask for more from an employer either, as my boss Max is an incredible businessman, mentor, and friend. Managing others has been very cool too, and I’m finally getting to participate in things I dreamed of in Business School like attending client meetings, building strategic marketing campaigns, and learning from my peers.

Events in San Diego have been kick-ass too! Monthly gatherings such as the SDTweetUp, the Thursday Night Thing, and the City Beat Beer Club have added immensely to the wonderful life that is mine, and I am meeting new techies, hipsters, and beer connoisseurs  in SD continuously. I’ve really started to see the power of Twitter for networking within the community, and I’ve made new co-working friends like @downtownrob, @mymelodie and @sdtips. I’ve attended some great events for causes like The Thirsty For Change Benefit and the upcoming Cause for Drinks at the Starlite. The more I discover, the better San Diego gets, and I am eternally reminded why I have chosen to make the “dirty waffle” my home.

So this post is short and sweet, and I’m sick, but just remember to STAY CLASSY!

Today I was reading some of my favorite blogs, and came across this super cool promotional product from ePromos for the Chiquita brand. They were hired by Chiquita to come up with a unique corporate gift that rewarded their employees for downloading their Facebook application. Here’s a quote directly from the post:

“…Account manager Lonni Ornstein… recommended several new items that would match Chiquita’s criteria: they were seeking a fresh, funky, new product that would appeal to younger generations. And Lonni was not at all surprised by the team’s choice: a silicone, banana-shaped USB. Making the giveaway even more clever, the “banana” would be imprinted with a blue Miss Chiquita “sticker” on one side, and with the campaign Web address on the other.”

The Promo:

Chiquita USB Drive

An AMAZZZZING USB Flash Drive! I can only imagine what a great conversation starter this would be and I know anyone would be lucky to have such a rad USB stick.

The Results:

“Both the incentive and the campaign were complete successes. Fifty employees downloaded the application within the first few days, and the overall Facebook campaign met its numbers within the first four weeks. But that’s not all the Miss Chiquita banana-shaped USB campaign wrote: when sales representatives saw the uniquely Chiquita-branded product, they immediately clamored for their own to use as giveaways at the upcoming Produce Marketing Association Tradeshow, where, we also learned, the USBs drove suppliers “bananas” as well. The USBs ultimately made their way to Chiquita’s Cincinnati headquarters, where the word in the office was, “We love these! Where can we get more?” Due to the overwhelming response, team Chiquita plans to use the unique USB’s in many future campaigns, including campaigns in which audience-relevant content is preloaded into the USB drives.”

I can’t imagine a better-matched promo for a company that needed something fresh. I’m already going “bananas” for these and hopefully they give them out again in the future! I’ll be first in line to “peel” over the others to get one. Thanks for enlightening me, ePromos!

Hilarious!

Saw this while blogging today, and laughed out loud for a few minutes! Thought I would share a lovely bench ad with you. Creative, don’t you think??

HAHAHAHAHA!