SYTYCD

There is a t.v. show that I'm obsessed with called So You Think You Can Dance. It's the dance version of American Idol. This year there are some very strong contenders and already there are some memorable performances. Below are some of my favorites from this season so far.

Melanie & Marko's Statue Routine

Melanie & Marko Hip Hop Routine

Melanie and Marko Jazz Routine

Melanie and Marko Jazz

Sasha and Alexander Contemp

Tadd and Jordan Hip Hop

Tadd and Jordan Waltz

Tadd and Jordan Volture Routine

Clarice and Jess Contemp

Jess and Clarice Cathedrals Routine

Clarice and Jess Lyrical Hip Hop

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What you wish you could say.

A friend of mine posted on facebook some of these bluntcard.com cards. They are hilarious. Here are some I liked.

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Confusion and Annoyance

On Saturday my mom and I were supposed to meet with our trainer to do our evals and measurements. However, the trainer we signed up with, Alberto, was out sick. At that time, another trainer, Tyler, who was coming in on his off day to do a little workout of his own got roped into working. Now I know all too well about going to your work on your off day and being asked to work, it's happened to me in the past. Though you're annoyed, you do your job anyway and try not to let the customer know of your irritation. However, Tyler didn't understand this concept. No only were we painfully aware of him having to work on his only day off, but he just wasn't putting much effort into anything and making us feel comfortable. Throughout the entire hour we were reminded how he isn't supposed to be working, him flirting with other gym goers, how amazing his body is, how his goal is to have every girl have the perfect body and did I mention how amazing he was. His customer service was definitely lacking, especially for a customer service that we are paying a lot for. Also, while doing some of the evals (leg presses, cardio, etc), I felt as though he had no faith in me. He was surprised when I finished out the 3 min step ups after my mother who is thinner than me bailed at 2 min, we was shocked when I could leg press 110lbs for 30 some reps. I'm sorry but though I may not look it, I am sort of athletic. It comes from years (close to 25 years) of playing sports and trying to be active. I need a trainer who would have faith in me and push me to my very limit. Thankfully tonight we have a different trainer working with us. Hopefully Andy is better or else we may have to cancel our personal trainer package and push ourselves.
That was the annoyance part of this post. The confusion comes from the weigh in. At home I have a scale that we've had for a few years now, It has been stored in closest, dropped, kicked, etc. for those years. It's not electric and you have to make sure the line is on 0 before you start. Since I started weight watchers I have gone by this as calculating my weight. On Saturday I weighed myself and as usual it said I was at 265lbs. When we went to LA Fitness and weight ourselves it said I was at 245lbs. Tyler told me to go by my home one because apparently this new gym couldn't invest money in a brand new scale and had a non-electric scale to weigh on. Now that is a 20lb difference. Of course I need to find out which one is right. Hence the confusion. I could be in a lot better shape then I thought OR still need to be in the mentality of being what I've thought I've been. Hopefully I can find out soon.

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Day 1

So today marks 1 year until one of my best friends gets married. My goal is to have a 37.74% weight loss. I was going to use the Paleo diet as a way to help, however after talking with a cousin of mine and looking at it more realistically, I have opted not to be that extreme. I would have been setting myself up for failure. So instead I will still use WW as my guide and be a little more diligent with picking good foods over the bad foods and be a little more careful when it comes to alcohol. I also signed up at a new gym last night. Including with the package that we (my mom and I) chose, we have the help of a personal trainer. Within 6 months of having a personal trainer last time, I lost 50lbs in 6 months. I believe I can do this again as well as meeting my 100lb mark and maintaining. Let's do this!

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Challenge Accepted

Last night my friend Cheryl posted a link on my website: 60 Pounds Over Weight to 6-pack Abs: A Success Story. To sum it up, a guy placed a bet with his friends that he would cut his body percentage in half and get in the single digits before his wedding in June 2011. Did I mention he made this bet Dec 2010 and started it in Jan 2011. Grant it he has for the past 2 years worked on his weight but he plateaued after that and that's what motivated him.
This being said, one of my best friends is getting married in June 2012. So starting one year from the wedding, June 16, 2011, my friend Cheryl, her sister Jill, and I will begin this crazy bet. However, since $500 scared me just to type out, we're going with rewarding ourselves with a trip to AC and of course looking good for Meg T's wedding.
Now in the blog post above, Saint (the guy) was told by his friend who writes the blogs to do the Paleo Diet. It's basically a no carb diet. No carbs or processed food. Just having fruits, veg (good carbs), chicken, fish, nuts. This will be the hardest thing for me since carbs are my weakness but I am determined to do it. Plus having the support of family and friends AND also being very competitive. I know I can do this! Here's to the rest of my life!

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Visualize

The other night I was watching Jerseylicious (don't judge). In the episode, Olivia made a visual board that has her dreams on it. Of course her dreams were about owning a certain cat, living in an apartment of her dreams, and having certain make up brushes. She was talking about putting out positive energy and having the visual board somewhere near so she always sees it (at home or at work). I need more positive energy while I'm at work so I figured I would make my own so I can look at it everyday and understand why I go through the hell I do from day to day: To one day have my dreams. I encourage everyone (if anyone reads this) to create their own visual board so their dreams don't seem that far away.

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Exercising for prizes

I know exercising can be dull and sometimes you're not motivated enough to get off your couch. Well I found this cool pedometer watch that keeps track of how long you exercise. Every 60 minutes you work out, you will get a code to redeem for gift cards to places like Best Buy, Sears, etc. The watches only cost $19.95. I need to get one asap, maybe it will help motivate me to get out there and get moving.

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Mary Kay Head to Toe Beauty Bash

Do you want to know what the latest trends for Spring/Summer are? Our Mary Kay unit is having a Head to Toe Beauty Bash. There will be four business attending. One for hair - to give you the new trend in hairstyles. One for clothes - hot new looks for spring/summer. One for shoes - what woman doesn't want to know about shoes. One for make-up - Our very own Michaela Parlett giving you the "in" look for make-up. Want to attend? Let me know! They are looking to have it on May 26, 2011 in Exton, PA!

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7 tips for handling a mean manager

Now how do I get my boss' to read this? Hmm....

Michelle Ward has worked for a slew of mean managers in her career. One of the most notable, she says, was a bully. "The better you did your work, the more he'd verbally abuse you," she recalls. The second was when she was an assistant to an executive who made her unpack five boxes -- which she had spent all day packing -- so he could have diet orange soda when he came into the office that night.

But Ward, now a career coach, says that dealing with these types of managers came down to one thing: standing up for herself.

"By standing up for myself and/or not engaging, it allowed me to keep my self-confidence up, regardless. It didn't make it an unemotional situation and it didn't make me enjoy working there, but it felt better for me than taking his [abuse]," she says.

When it comes to managers, there are many personality types to deal with -- demanding,  micromanaging, hands-off or even relaxed. But perhaps the worst kind of manager to deal with is one who is downright evil.

Bosses are mean to their employees for many reasons. Don Hurzeler, author of "The Way Up: How to Keep Your Career Moving in the Right Direction," says one is reason is that people imitate the behaviors they experienced early on in their own careers. 

"If someone is new in the business, impressionable and sees their boss manage by intimidation and by being a bully, they may think that is the way to be when they become a boss," he says.

Some mean managers may not be confident in their own abilities to manage, he adds.

"To cover up the fact that they have a poor self-image and poor management communication skills, they become that mean dictator that no one dare question," he says.

Some mean bosses will tell you that they're nasty because they have high standards, but that's just an excuse, says Kathi Elster, president of K Squared Enterprises, an executive coaching firm, and author of "Working With You Is Killing Me" and "Working for You Isn't Working for Me."

"The real reason that a boss feels they can be mean to their employees is because they are unhappy with their own situation at work. Let's face it, being the boss means that you are in a power position and have control over those who report to you, and it can be tempting to take out your own disappointment on those in a weaker position."

It's important to note, however, that there's a difference between a boss who is perceived as mean because he is tough and a boss who is mean because he is a bully, says Treivor Branch, author of "The Drama-Free Workweek" and CEO of The Branch Solution LLC, a workplace issues and conflict resolution consultancy.

"A bully enjoys belittling and berating employees to cover up their own insecurities. The bully may scream, yell or humiliate employees to make them feel incompetent and fails to recognize or reward good work," he says. "A boss who is simply tough has high standards of excellence, but at the same time recognizes and rewards employees for good work."

Doing good work might be hard in a toxic work environment. While some employees may be able to perform effectively under a mean boss, more will crumble under the consistent pressure of trying to meet the demands of mean, unreasonable boss, Branch says. And that makes for less productivity, which is not good in today's work climate.

"Employees perform best in a happy, healthy work environment. Fewer workers taking on greater responsibilities is already a recipe for disaster. Now, add mean or spiteful bosses; employee stress shoots through the roof, thus impacting their ability to effectively complete even mundane tasks," he says. "Bosses who are mean will eventually experience a decrease in employee commitment, a rise in errors and poor work quality, as well as increased interpersonal conflicts and team dysfunction."

If you have an evil boss, here are seven tips from Branch and Hurzeler:

1. Make the distinction.

"Make sure you have not confused 'demanding" with 'mean.' There are lots of demanding bosses out there, who demand you do the job you are paid to do. If you are not qualified to do that job or cannot do the job for some reason, the problem is actually yours. What might sound mean to you is probably just the facts being placed before you. Suspect yourself and do all you can to deliver as required on your job," Hurzeler says. "If you have delivered on time and as promised, and the boss is still mean to you, sit down and talk to the boss. Maybe you have missed the point of his or her ineffective behavior, or maybe you do have room for improvement. The boss will learn of the negative effect that they are having on you and may work to change his or her ways. If you don't bring up your grievances in a clear and constructive way, nothing will ever change."

2. Take a break.

"Working for a mean or bully boss can be one of the top stressors in the workplace and can cause severe stress-related health problems. In view of this, it is essential for employees to take a stress break when they are confronted with a mean or bully boss. Take time off from work for at least a week and be sure to visit your doctor during this time," Branch says.

3. Don't shut down.

"If you fold up under the pressure of a mean boss, the boss is then given the sword to take you out of the game. The mean boss wins and you lose," Hurzeler says. "Bring your best game to work every single day and you will outlast or win over the mean boss. You win.  Mean loses."

4. Document

"Employees should begin to document the mean boss's behavior. Make note of negative actions taken by the boss and how they are impacting employee productivity. Include details such as dates, times, specifics of the mean boss behavior and employees targeted. Include what attempts, if any, were made by you or other employees to address the situation and the outcome of such interventions," Branch says.

5. Constructively confront

"Meet with the mean boss to address your concerns. Keep your emotions intact. Do not scream, yell or become aggressive. Keep your tone calm and even. Be careful not to point the finger or focus on the individual, but rather seek to understand and resolve any concerns the boss may have which lead to the mean behavior. Ask open-ended questions. Ask how you can better support the boss," Branch says.

6. Report the boss

"Make your human resources department aware of the situation, especially if the situation escalates following your discussion with the boss. Be sure to present your documentation. In addition, you may want to contact an attorney as some of the boss's actions may violate laws regarding hostile work environments and may be eligible for legal action," Branch says.

7. Plan your exit

"The negative impact of working with a mean boss is too great. If you are in a situation where you work for a mean or spiteful boss, plan your exit. Update your résumé and begin circulating it internally and externally," Branch says. "Work your network to learn about unadvertised opportunities in other areas of the company or at another company. No employee should have to work in a mentally, emotionally and, in some instances, physically debilitating environment."

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Monty Python Status Day

Today, besides being the day of my birth, is International Monty Python Status Day '11. Since Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of my favorite movies. I couldn't pick just one quote. Therefore, below are video clips of my favorite parts/quotes from the movie.

Black Knight

Bridge of Death

Rabbit/ Holy Hand Grenade

Witch

Bring Out Your Dead

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4 down

On Easter I started my new adventure for weight loss. This time trying to find something that I will stick with and knowing that this is something I will have to stick with until the day I die. This in mind, I thought Weight Watchers would be an excellent choice for me. It allows me to eat the foods I want so therefore I won't be falling off any wagon and it's a more realistic weight loss/diet method than I have seen. Since Easter (April 24, 2011) I have lost 4 lbs. That's 2 lbs a week. And what makes this more exciting is that not only have I not worked out yet (which will help with more lbs. per week lost in the beginning stages) but I don't feel like I'm dieting. This past Saturday for dinner I had a pizza steak, curly cheese fries, a milkshake, and creme brulee. Of course that was the only thing I really ate all day (which isn't good) but I still lost 2 lbs still with eating that junk. As long as I pay attention to what I'm having during the day and week I can splurge on alcohol and "bad" foods when I'm with family and friends on the weekends. I can definitely see myself doing this for the long haul which I guess is all part of that lifestyle change. I've not only increased the amount of water I'm having but I'm eating more salads and "good" foods than I have in the past. Here's to another 4 lbs... or eventually 100lbs!

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USA!

To pass the time and smile a little, I recorded some of the funny status' I've found regarding Osama Bin Laden's Death. It's amazing how quickly the jokes had started.

Carmen Sandiago your next

“England, your wedding was nice, and Imma let you finish, but USA has the best news of all time.” Even the hipsters are rejoicing
           -that’s because osama is like, soooo underground

Dear England, we see your royal wedding and raise you one Bin Laden’s Death. Love America In his last act of terrorism, Osama Bin Laden is blowing up my facebook newsfeed So they finally killed Bin Laden!
           -Amazing what the Americans can do when the playstation network is down

 

World Hide and Seek Champion

 

Yo, Osama bin Laden: "I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let you finish, but Waldo played the best game of hide and seek of all time.

WHERE IS? 1̶.̶ ̶O̶s̶a̶m̶a̶ ̶B̶i̶n̶ ̶L̶a̶d̶e̶n̶ 2. Waldo 3. Carmen Sandieg

Ok we found Osama bin Laden. Now the real challenge begins, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”

No matter what Obama says, bin Laden's not dead until Donald Trump see's his death certificate

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100 Workout

Going to the gym is one of the things that I'm going to be doing again. But until I find out if I still belong and figuring out finances, I figured I would try this. Of course the running for me might end up being a jog/fast walk but I need to work out in baby steps since it's been almost a year since I've been to the gym.

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Day 2 of the rest of my life

I recently started Weight Watchers. Recently being yesterday, yes, on Easter. Probably the worst day to start and seeing my point count for that day tells me it was a bad day to start. So today I tried to be a little better. Too bad I spent half of my points for the day just this morning. This point counting is definitely make me rethink what I'm eating (which I guess is the whole point of this). I'm still a bit confused on some things and trying to make more conscience decisions but I'm sure time with help with that. I've only heard good things with WW so I'm hoping that a yo-yo dieter like myself will finally have a longtime/lifetime success. So here's to the rest of my life.

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Calling all Bia's!

Calling all my friends from RC that graduated 2006. I know we have walked away from Rosemont with many memories from the 4 years we went there plus another 5 after graduation. But what are those memories. I want a running list of what you remember. You favorite memory, a song that reminds you of something, a quote, etc. What do you remember. Below is a list of things we already have. Can you remember anything else?

Songs:
Shake Ya Tail Feather - Nelly
I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Get Low - Lil' Jon
Like a Prayer - Madonna
Ironic - Alanis
Riding Dirty - Flo Rider
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Africa - Toto
Your Love - The Outfiled
Scotty Doesn't Know - Lustra
Miss Mayberry - Rascal Flatts
Walking in Memphis - Marc Cohn
Tiny Dancer - Elton John
Mmmbop - Hanson
Motown Philly - Boyz II Men
All By Myself - Celine Dion
It's All Coming Back To Me Now - Celine Dion
To Love You More - Celine Dion
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Boom Boom Boom - Venga Boys
Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
American Pie - Don McLean
I'm A Barbie Girl - Aqua

Quotes:
UnSex
Boop!
"call me...Stalk you..."
Flame Broiled Happiness
Safety
Earmuffs!
Behold boozebags 1, 2, and 3... The classiest thing in this picture is the BUD!
PH U MAM
ROSMONT FUCK YEA!
Adding McGee
Yea! O.K.! WHAT! You're mom!
WTF Mate!
Caroline, I do believe you broke my leg
Gurl, you're so fly, I want to take you home with me
J. E. T. S. JETS JETS JETS
GET HAIRAPY!
LUCY! You have some 'splaining to do!
"Whit-tay, I would hit accept and accept you for who you are"

First Year
Cabin Fever
Gertrude
Halloween Parties especially the one where Er and Melissa took the case of beer
Daisy's nickname being fabulous
Bday Dance
Campus Corner - Nachos with a vat
Dawson Creek viewing parties
Melissa and Jen's prank on Daze and Ky
MOOSE!
Nubbins
Tiny Dancer/Tony Danza

Soph Year
Hurrican Izzy and Mud sliding
Casey's bday on the roof and wiffle ball tourny/ FREE MARTHA
Stoopid Ro-mont Gurl
Sex and the City
Daze and Kait's nose rings
Shark Bait
Desk flipping incident
From the Belly of the Beast - Foamy
Glam Squad

Junior Year
St. Joes parties - G-Money & Rollin Squad Deep
Spooky's Death
MLG
Scoopity Scoop
Hiding the case of beer in the basement
Wooooosa
The Fasi Boo
Prof. Gracias. "Maureen, Where is Erin?"
Violet
Er's Hat

Senior Year
Pink Lounge
Scavenger hunt
Trees falling on cars
Whitty and her Thesis
Kelly's
Da Pub
Vampire Porn
Steph's Pranks
Whit's Starbucks Man
Taking the Rosemont van out on unauthorized trips
Steph passing out at bars
Daisy stealing Christian from Steph at the formal
Waddles - the huge penguin Care won from six flags
Wifes
Mrs. and Mrs. J-Ked



After College and Random Memories:
Spooning
Tacky Christmas
Red Truck Wine
Whitty's multiple nicknames through the years
Founder's Day
Beer Pong
Minella's
Wiiiild Horses! - Jolly Roger
The Torbik Look
Mo's 21
Eve
Tupac
Mo D time aka late for everything
Making Love - unce, unce, unce, unce
The nook
Jet Skis
White Heat - the discoteque on the cruise with the grillz guy
H2H
One Tower Bridge 4 Life
Prof Gubins ehhh.......
Always Judging
Slutty Boots
walk before you schlep - Jewcy
When Whitty yelled at Erin
Snaking the bed
Dairy Land!
I love Daisy T-Shirt
Box O Wine
Er and Santa (Mo)
Er's Little Miss Sunshine impression
Conversion van in Scranton
Creeper McGee
Brandy's Piano Bar
Legend......dairy.
Slap Olympics/Tyler Hilton
Superlatives!
Vacation Kait
American Psycho

Hair styles:
Jersey Tunnel
Daisy's rat tail
Jersey Poof

Dance Moves:
Mo D's Fish Face
Shoulder Shocker
Steph's Robot
The Shopping cart
Sprinkler
Booty Drop
Fist Pump


Daisy's Speech: There is just something about Rosemont. I think it is in the water, or maybe it is in the food...yeah probably the food. Well, whatever it is in, it got to me and made me accept Rosemont not only as a place to attend college, but as a place where the next part of my life is staged to perform. There is a reason for everything, for the ...choices we make, the things we do and the things we don't do, for the places we go, the dreams we dream, and the reason I am here is because, here, at Rosemont, the place that in the beginning made me sad and lonely, has now helped me to grow in ways I never thought possible. But I know it is not really Rosemont that has made me better. IT is not really in the water that runs through our sink faucets or sprinkles out of our shower heads, it's in the people, it's found in all of you. I want to say thanks for being here even when it felt like I was somewhere else. I want to say thanks because it is finally working, and this stage, this stage is just right, because of all of you. I should have known something this good couldn't ever have come out of the food here at Rosemont.

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Something Better Than This

Everyday I wake up, get dressed, and go to a job that I loathe. It's not necessarily the job it's self that I don't like. I actually like that part. It's the people. There are only a select few that I like working with....3 to be exact in a 7 person office space. Everyone knows everything (because people spy and listen in on conversations), praising some one's work is non-existent, belittling someone is the norm, and hygiene is just not thought of. Of course the people I have problems with are the managers so bringing my concerns up with them gets me know where. I am told I am disrespectful or ungrateful when I voice my opinions/stand up for myself. They live/work in this little box and have no idea what they outside world is like. Their bigoted mindset and/or basically their way of life is so trying that I have come to the point of complete and utter exhaustion and I just don't give a crap anymore. How can a person work in such an environment. Not to mention to be paid so little for a job others in the this area are getting paid twice, if not 3 times as much. But I'm taking my work here as a learning experience, a stepping stone to what I hope is something better. Hopefully the experience I'm gaining from this will help me find a job where the company values it's employees, listens to ideas, and basically is a place I would be proud of saying I work for. One day this will happen, I believe it will. I can almost see that light at the end of the tunnel. But until then, I'm stuck in this small office with a cloud over my head waiting for my day to finally come.

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8 year old mind set

A friend on facebook posted a video of "Pool Party" by the Olsen twins. Of course this made me think of the numerous videos they did. I'm not just talking about To Grandmother's House We Go. I mean Passport to Paris, Winning London, Our Lips are Sealed, Holiday in the Sun, When in Rome, Billboard Dad, etc. Man I miss those movies. So of course I had to youtube them. For my, and maybe your, viewing pleasure, here are the youtube links for these fabulous movies.

Passport to Paris

Winning London

Holiday in the Sun

When in Rome

Our Lips are Sealed

Billboard Dad

Getting There

It Takes Two

Switching Goals

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Fred and Friends

StumbleUpon has become my new outlet for when I'm bored and have exhausted my other forms of entertainment. While on StumbleUpon I cam across the company of Fred and Friends. The StumbleUpon site showed me "82 Clever and Creative Fred and Friends Products". I'm in love with a lot, if not all of the products. Below are just a few that I love. Definitely unique products to spice up your home and office!

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Toon IRL

Ever wonder what a cartoon would look like in real life? Well below are some that a 3D artist, Raoni Nery, did. You can see what Buzz Lightyear, Jessica Rabbit, Mario, and Homer Simpson would look like if they were real people.

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Street Art Utopia

Around the world, there are incredibly talented people bringing a little joy to the ordinary lives of others. Below are just a few of the art pieces I like. To see more, "Like" Street Art Utopia.

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