Snuggies = a new fashion statement

I was in Raleigh last night having drinks with friends at a restaurant downtown. While sitting at a table a group of about 30-40 people all walked in wearing snuggies. But these weren’t just ordinary snuggies. One was a leopard print, another guy was sporting an ECU Pirate print, and a couple of girls had tied belts around their snuggies to make them more form fitting. One participant even had a sword attached to the back of his (I couldn't figure that one out).

Of course I had to ask, what’s this snuggie thing all about?

It turns out they were all part of the same kickball league and were participating in a snuggie bar-crawl…it doesn’t get better than that.

Lesson Learned: Always check your bed for spiders

I got into bed around 2pm and was back up around 5am to go to the bathroom, at that time I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. However, when I woke back up at 10am I realized I had been attacked.

I felt it first and then freaked out when I actually saw it. My lower right leg was covered in huge bites. So either the mac daddy of all spiders feasted on me or a smaller but powerful spider brought his entire family along for dinner.

I tore off all my sheets and didn't find a thing, my attacker was gone but not forgotten, those bites are itching like crazy. To take a look watch the video below...

This is worth watching

You’re about to meet 24 year old Kseniya Simonova, she was the winner of Ukraine’s Got Talent.

To nab the title she drew a series of pictures on a sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War 2. Her more then 8 minute performance is captivating and moving.

Enjoy!

Lesson Learned: There's no way to avoid splurging on suber bowl

I woke up Sunday morning with one goal in mind; do not overeat at my super bowl party. I limited consumption the entire day and I even ran a mile after my 60-minute kickboxing class.

The bash was a potluck dinner. I made barbecue chicken drumsticks and whipped up a blue cheese dressing dip from scratch (thanks mom for that recipe, it was perfect).

I walked in with a game plan: assess the buffet table, pick out my favorites, and grab a smaller plate. Well, that strategy bombed in a matter of minutes. After checking out my options I literally put a scoop of every dish on my plate, plus I had a side bowl of delicious turkey chili, and of course chocolate chip cookies (notice the plural) for dessert.

There’s something about bean dips and mini hot dogs wrapped in puff pastries that I can’t resist. 4 quarters later I was lying on the couch in a food coma feeling pretty satisfied. So next year instead of bending over backwards to try and control myself I’m just going to succumb to the inevitable because at least for me there’s absolutely no way to avoid splurging on super bowl…lesson learned.

Lesson Learned: The White House In Winter, A Beautiful Thing

Lesson Learned: Feb. 1, 2010 = The 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in

50 years ago four African American students walked into a Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina and sat down at a segregated lunch counter. The counter was for whites only while blacks had to stand and eat. These four students demanded to be served. On February 1, 1960 there were only four students, the next day about 15 showed up, and by the third day a reported 300 protesters were inside the Woolworth's. Sit-ins like the one in Greensboro spread to lunch counters across the country having a huge impact on the Civil Rights Movement.

The sit-in in Greensboro lasted for about four months before Woolworth’s management decided to desegregate.

I was in Washington, DC over the weekend and visited the National Museum of American History. I was treated to a short musical about this very sit-in. Today was the 50^Th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in…lesson learned.

Below is a short video of a segment of the performance at the museum, I apologize for the foggy picture.

Lesson Learned: It's OK to freak out with joy!

Sometimes my job has its perks. Tuesday, Betsy Myers was in town. Myers was one of President Barack Obama's top advisers during the presidential campaign. Her title was literally Chair of Women. Myers was in Greenville to speak at a leadership series at East Carolina University.

Since my story completely fell through for the day all I had to do was go to the speech and get an interview with her. I was supposed to show up early and get the interview before Myers spoke so I could sneak out in the middle but I ended up having to wait until afterwards. It's a rare opportunity for me to actually get to sit down and listen to a speech like this in its entirety, so I was excited.

Myers told this one story about her 3 year old daughter and I'll try to summarize it up as best I can. Basically Myers was with her daughter buying her a leotard, tutu, and ballet flats in preparation for her first dance class. Apparently her 3 year old daughter was standing in front of the mirror in the dressing room outfitted in all of her new stuff and turned to Betsy and said, "Mom I'm freaking out with joy."

Betsy said, a kid can so easily express emotions like that, it's adults that have a more difficult time, but sometimes us adults are exactly the ones that need to freak out with joy...lesson learned

I know this entry had absolutely nothing to do with what Myers had to say about being a good leader so here's two of her points I found most interesting:

1. Employees do better work when they feel appreciated and valued. Sometimes all an employee needs to hear is thank you.

2. Make sure you get feedback from your co-workers, family, and friends about the job you are doing. Sometimes your perception of what's going on at work is not what your peers perception is.