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OMG - why the F#@% are you still coming here?

Okay, so I do suck - I didn't put up an RSS doohickey. So here you go. 

Subscribe in a reader

There's one on my new blog too. SEE HERE to visit and get me back into your readers. I'll love you forever!

Cheers!

-A

Still?

Why are you still coming here?!?!

I live HERE now, remember.

Http://www.ravesandreviews.com. Add it to your Google Reader NOW. You'll be happy you did.

Cheers!

-A

New Post @ New Blog

Remember - I moved. http://www.ravesandreviews.com

Haven't updated your Reader yet? Shame on you!

Head on over to read my latest post on the best Chinese food in town! Click here now.

Cheers!

-A

Don't forget!

I'm over here now.

http://www.ravesandreviews.com.

If you haven't changed it up in your reader yet, please do so soon! Reminders will stop soon.

I posted a little ditty today that includes a bar review and a run in with one of our favorite Cleveland bloggers. Check it out to see who and where.

Cheers!

-A

Switching it up

Well my little blogger friends, as you know I'm constantly dying for change, so I've decided to put my money where my mouth is - or rather, my blog.

That's right, kiddos, there's about be a change up in hizzle. 

You may have noticed that my bio at the right has changed recently. 

No? Okay, well now you know.

Starting next week, Encounters of the Human Kind will no longer exist as we know it. But don't get too upset yet, I'm not gone for good.

What's actually happening is that the name will be changing, and we'll all be heading over to a new domain name. One I actually own.

See, I am putting my money where my mouth is!

So, here it is - my new blog name: Raves and Reviews

http://www.ravesandreviews.com

This move is highly appropriate as I've already been providing rants, raves, and reviews on a regular basis (yes, of course rants are included. check the tagline). So the switch is less about changing focus and more about building a site around what I've already been doing.

Because really, when was the last time I actually posted about someone that I met - especially someone that doesn't skydive. Besides, that's what Skydive Chick is for (my uuber cool blog about skydiving).

In essence, this doesn't affect y'all as much as you might think. Blogger will continue to be my platform. It'll still be me and my smart mouth, everyday, providing the same opinionated crap as always. But hopefully now, you'll be able to take away some good, bad and ugly of everything I consume and encounter on a daily basis.

See, I'm doing this for you. My dearest readers!

And of course, if there's something you're curious about but don't have the guts to try or buy, let me know. Odds are, I'll do it and give you the rundown.

Now, in theory, given that I'll be exporting the contents of EHK to the new site, Blogger is supposed to continue directing y'all who visit recentencounters.blogspot.com to that domain, but I'm not all that trusting of how the interwebs might actually function with this change. So...if you have me bookmarked, or I'm in your Google Reader, now is the time to add the new domain.

Please and thank you!

Of course, until that time comes I'll be banging this into your head, a la LiLu and her recent move.

Hope y'all are as excited for this change as I am. It's bound to be an enlightening experience for us all.

So keep coming back for my raves and reviews, and of course, some rants in my typical cynical fashion, as a 20-something consumer.

Cheers!

-A

You don't want my shoes

Late last night the SO and I were talking about our day. Thankfully, mine was rather uneventful, as his was fairly high-stress.

In the recap he was discussing a conversation with a man on his team that was so intense it got me worked up just listening to it.

Here's a little background for you: apparently in his prime this man used to be an executive of sorts, making "six figs" as he puts it, but given the economic decline and the near disappearance of his line of work, he's stuck working with the 20-somethings, doing work that he believes to be beneath him.

Editor's note: I don't understand half of what the SO does for a living, it's so complex. But of course, this is coming from a communications professional, what do I know?

So while arguing with the SO about leaving early, regardless if his work is done, Mr. Executive says, "try walking a day in my shoes."

Now, this brings me to my point.

No one, no matter what they've been through in their life, has the right to say that to someone else. Ever.

You just don't know what the person you're saying that to has gone through. You have no idea.

Giving this guy the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure he looks at the SO and thinks to himself that a 20-something kid has no idea what it's like to work his way to the top only to be smacked back down by elements that are out of your control, all the while trying to support a family - and so on and so forth.

But the fact of the matter is, he really doesn't know. Just because someone looks like they've lived a charmed life, it doesn't mean they have - nor does it mean they don't understand stress.

Oh, did I mention that he said "you don't know what stress is." Yeah, right. That too.

And truthfully, what this guy was complaining about is nothing in the grand scheme of the kinds of stress life can bring. Really, anyone who's ever endured true stress and life hardships, only to be left standing tall on the other side, doesn't go around rubbing it in others faces. They just don't.

So take a lesson from this douche - don't be one - and never assume you know how someone else leads their life. They could be two, or twenty, or ninety, you just don't know what kind of life experiences they've live through. No one has the right to assume their life is more difficult than others around them.

Seriously, you just don't know.

Cheers!

-A

4th recap

Okay, so as y'all are probably aware, I'm not a huge fan of weekend recaps. However, this weekend was especially eventful, and honestly I don't have much else to talk about. So here goes.

Like most people in the corporate world, I had Friday off. Even better, our office closed at 3 p.m. on Thursday. So I had a couple more hours of weekend to enjoy.

Of course, I spent it cleaning and working out*, but that's just what a girl's gotta do. 

Then I had a 9 p.m. appointment for an airbrush tan with Lisa from Optima Sun Labs. Which by the way, I have to say was fantastic. She was quick and super personable. And I even recruited her for skydiving! It was a little pricey, but definitely worth it for the occasional tan.

On Friday the SO and I headed to Cedar Point for our first trip of the year. It was rather nostalgic for us as this is where he first kissed me - in line for Top Thrill Dragster actually (awww).

We hit up all the big rides - Raptor, Millennium Force, Maverick, and of course Dragster. By that time we'd had it. Our feet were tired, our heads hurt, and we were sunburned. Being stuck in an office day in and day out has really made us soft, yeesh!

So we headed home for a nap, woke up absolutely ravenous, and headed to the Winking Lizard in Lakewood to feed my craving for nachos. Mmmm...

We followed this up with a trip to visit some friends who recently got a puppy - a 3 month old coonhound-ridgeback mix. Other than the constant digging and attempts to dominate the SO, he was adorable. Corona's and cornhole ensued.

The night closed with an at-home viewing of Gran Torino. If you haven't seen this movie, it's a MUST. Clint Eastwood is beyond phenomenal in this role.

Saturday was a sleep in day. And boy did that feel great. The day actually started out pretty slow - leisurely breakfast, got in another workout and then I had to bite the bullet and get some groceries (given that breakfast included my scraping the sides of the peanut butter jar with a butter knife in hopes of getting a little more sustenance). 

So off I headed to the cluster-f**k that was Giant Eagle. A minor panic attack rose to the surface as I tried to figure out the logistics of how to maneuver the last-minute picnic shoppers and their carts full of hot dogs, but then I realized I had no choice. I literally ran around the store to get the basics, found the shortest checkout line and peaced out as quickly as possible.

With fridge fully stocked, it was off to the East side with the SO for a cookout and cornhole - again. Now I have to stop and say this was a big step for the SO as he's one of those West-siders that doesn't cross the Cuyahoga. EVER. In fact, this may have been the first time we'd been to the East side together.

Anywhosits, it was a great time. I tend to get a little squirmy when I'm around a group of 10+ people I've never met before, but everyone was so nice and so laid back, it was easy to relax. I felt like I fit right in.

The food was great and the SO and I even beat the old guys in cornhole. The night was capped off with a walk down to Lakewood park for fireworks and then back home where we both passed out on the couch.

Grandma and Grandpa were tired!

Sunday was another early start to head to the drop zone for a couple jumps. It'd been two weeks so I was definitely nervous, but of course I fell right back in (no pun intended) like I'd never missed a day.

(All smiles in my new gear!)

I got to fly my new jumpsuit and altimeter and even got Lonnie to come up with me for jump #13 and get some new solo pics. You can find some here. Or on my Facebook or Flickr pages.

So tell me dear readers, how was your 4th of July weekend?

Cheers!

-A

*I'm keeping up with my EA Sports Active challenge. Entering a successful 3rd week on the program. What's up!?

Morning person

I've always prided myself on being a morning person. My brain seems to work so much better in the early mornings. And the fact that the office is dead until 8:30 really helps my concentration too.

But what I'm not that best at in the mornings is talking to people. At least not until I have my coffee.

I've found that on the days where I decided to get a little extra shut eye and get into the office after my cube neighbors that, until I've had time to caffeinate and settle in, I'm rather annoyed by the pure existence of others.

In fact, I find anyone who has already consumed caffeine to be highly irritating first thing in the morning.

I need a sign that says: BEWARE! Use caution when speaking to the Bitch before 9 a.m.

Even on those days when the SO sleeps over it's not usually a problem because he's just as mute as I in the mornings.

That is, until today. Given that we both have so much work to do before the holiday weekend, we decided to set the alarm earlier and get into the office for a productive morning.

Groggy, I pull myself from the warmth of my bed and stumble toward the bathroom, only to be met by the SOs foot swinging through the air - you know, as if he were attempting to kick me in the face.

He was chipper and had energy like I'd never seen before 10 a.m. What gives, SO?

Thing was, with only 6 hours of sleep under my belt I didn't have the energy to do more than grumble a "you're hyper this morning" in his general direction.

Hindsight, if he would have kicked me in the face maybe I could have called off today. Only kidding...unless he broke my nose.

Ha. J/K again! He couldn't get his foot up that high anyhow.

Just kidding, Just kidding. SO, you're the best.

Really, his chipperness was a refreshing change from our typical silent mornings. But when it comes to anyone else, if I have to see you before my coffee, I prefer a silent interaction.

Though I'd love to not see you at all!

So tell me dear readers, what does your routine look like prior to coffee consumption?

On another note, it's a long weekend! YAY!!  I'm excited to report that I'll be spending tomorrow at Cedar Point riding roller coasters and Sunday falling through the air at 120 mph (skydiving, naturally). I'll get to put my new jumpsuit and altimeter to good use. And I'm hoping to have some solo skydiver pics to share with y'all next week!

Any big plans for the 4th?

Cheers!

-A