Changes...

Once again I've taken a hiatus from writing...this time i was mulling over the ever changing environment around me.  I've been trying to accept all the changes, embrace them and even grow from them...a task that has been both dizzying and enlightening...if that makes any sense...

The changes are all around me.  There have been big changes at work.  I know the PR world is ever-changing.  Business can be up and down and  then down-right insane. But between our ever changing client base, our ever changing staff and my ever changing location, I'm getting a little dazed just keeping it all straight.  I have faith that once the dust settles, all the changes will be the right ones...in the meantime I am focusing on trying to perfect my imperfections and strengthen my weaknesses.  I figure the best way to get through anything is to do your best no matter what and know that you gave 110 percent to the task at hand.  I'll admit I've never been an overachiever...not by any measure, but I've recently come to appreciate and admire the work ethic of those intense, work-a-holic types that I always swore I'd never become.   If this sounds nothing like me, you could blame in part my new "friend" who has instilled some of his upstate, football coach values in me...slowly... 

This leads me to change number 2.  Adjusting to being "in a relationship." The status change.  The subtle shift in behavior and change in weekend plans.  Staying in and going to bed early is suddenly not a bad choice for a Saturday night.  And a night out no longer means "mingling" with new people.  It's nice to not be looking.  Nice to have someone to do things with.  I'm content.  But I have recently noticed that most people have a "grass is greener" attitude when it comes to coupledom and singlehood and even marital bliss.  Recently a married friend  visited me in my admittedly party town of Long Beach, NY.  After a few shots of Cafe Patron (sidenote: this might be the best alcoholic beverage since Kettle One)  she turned to me and had a momentary longing for the single life (In case her husband is reading this, it really was just a moment!)  In a town like Long Beach it is easy to get engulfed in the single life.  My first summer in town I was swayed by the warm breeze, the new friends and the surfside bars.  But to me, the scene gets old, the breeze turns cool and the friendships dwindle down to just a few that are for real.  Things right now seem right as I try to balance my hectic job, my new relationship, my friendships, my social life, my family and all the little day-to days that get thrown my way.  On this Sunday evening, with my fresh tan and my fresh outlook, I am feeling ok with the changes (cue music, "In every season, turn turn...)

PR 101

So lately it seems like a lot of our clients don't really grasp what PR is, and how it works. They know they need it, and they may understand the basic "I want to be on the front page of the NY Times" mentality, but beyond that, they just don't seem to get it.

Sometimes even when I tell people what I do, I can tell they have no clue what it really means. "Oh you're in PR, does that mean you get to go to a lot of cool parties?" Emm sometimes...but not nearly enough :)

So here's what I wish the general public and ideally, all our clients would understand, about what we do as a publicists. It's not always about getting on the front page of the paper or on the 5 o'clock news (sometimes it is, and those times are great too!). But other times, it's about patience and finding the right target market. And that's our jobs, so trust us, and let us find your niche for you. Let us get your name out there and get you known for the right things. But please, have a little faith, and give us a little time!

Old Friends, Bookends...

Last weekend I went to Boston to catch up with some old college friends. We were quite the crazy bunch back in the day (OK I'm not that old, it was like the early 00's) but like most circles of friends we have all moved around and grown apart--at least by distance.

The crew that got together now reside in Arizona, parts of Boston, and NY. Besides the slightly altered ancients (my NY one has apparently gotten worse, while one former Masshole who now lives in AZ seemed to have acquired a slight western drawl) the moment we got together things were right back to the way they used to be. I think the truest friendships can be measured by the ease in which you can get back into them, no matter how much time has gone by. One friend now has a child and recently bought a house. Another, who was unexpectedly at the same Red Sox game as us (editor's note: I didn't root for them!) has become a Nurse at a prestigious Woman's hospital. When we were roommates about 5 years ago, she happily waited tables at the local sports bar and laughed when customers asked her, "what do you plan to do with your life?"

We spent the weekend enjoying some cocktails and reminiscing about the past. I looked around at one point and thought about the different paths that we all took, and where I thought we'd all be 5 years ago. Sometimes it's funny how things work out. I think we all turned out pretty good and are living the dreams that we made for ourselves...more or less! When the weekend drew to a close I was sad to say my goodbyes, knowing that it may be a while before we are all together again, but I took comfort in the fact that time and distance has had little effect on our friendships.

Where have I been?

So I guess I have a few fans because more than one person has asked about my lack of blogging lately. Sorry fans, I won't let you down again :)

What have I been doing you ask? Well as much as I like to write and divulge interesting tidbits about my life to the world...I am trying to keep from making one of those "blogging blunders" and saying too much about my personal or professional life...there's a fine line between a good blog and TMI don't you all agree?

Anyway, so lately I have been thinking a lot about change and whether it is a necessary part of life. I have come to the conclusion that it is, and strangely, as much as I think I am the risk-taker, free spirited type, I think I have a problem with significant change. Or at least I need a little adjustment time anyway. I recently went up to Newport, RI to visit my old friends and relive the wonder that is summertime in the port. I had a great time and saw many old friends. A few people had moved on from waitressing, bartending or bouncing (the professions of choice for most year-round Newport residents...) but most were still at it, perhaps they had changed locations but they were still immersed in the lifestyle for the most part. I got to thinking on my drive back to NY, had I made the right choice, did I leave at the right time? Am I really cut out for the fast-paced NY rat race? Reflecting back on my weekend, I ran into so many old friends, old summer romances, and old enemies but everyone I saw thought my new life sounded fabulous. I guess the grass is always greener because as much as I'm career-minded now, I still think that raking in the cash working at a seaside bar and spending your afternoons on the beach sounds pretty fabulous sometimes...

So here I am, back in NY, commuting from Long Beach (which is about as close to Newport as you can get in these parts) to NYC, working, writing, living and changing. Things are always changing and I am trying to learn to roll with the punches and embrace the change. People who are very important to me may not be around everyday anymore but the best of friends will always stay that way no matter where they may be. New people will come into my life and become just as important and they will add a little color to the vibrant palette I've grown accustomed to. I think everyone I have met along the way has impacted me and added something to my character and every new change will continue to do so...

Wow, was that abnormally philosophical for me??

Tourist for a day...

So even though I grew up on LI, live there now, and have been going to NYC since I was in the womb, I am still a sucker for many of the cliche tourist attractions.

Last Friday, I took part in the tourist ritual of arriving at Rockefeller Center at the wee hours of the morning in hopes to catch a good view of the live concert outside the Today Show. Kenny Chesney, one of my all-time favorite performers was there and I just had to go. We arrived pretty early (at least by my standards) at around 6:15 and already the line was like 3 blocks long. "Ugghh" I thought as we got in line behind a bunch of southerners with cowboy hats and "I love NY" t-shirts. "Will we get in?" I asked the people in front of us. "No clue, this is our first time in NY," they replied in HEAVY southern drawl. Hmm....

It's good to know the right people. A certain "spin doctor" really helped my out by letting me have his VIP tickets. We got to leave the tourist-filled line behind and waltz right up to the stage area, literally within spitting distance to Kenny, Matt Lauer and the rest of the show. It was great...I owe someone a few beers at Third and Long soon!

On my list of other touristy things I want to take part in....Shakespeare in the Park, attending a live taping of SNL or Conan O'Brien, and yes, I still like to go see the Tree and go Ice Skating in Central Park come Christmas time...does this make me "not a real NYer" or is it ok to enjoy the touristy activities along with the secret local hangouts every now and then?

Rachel Ray--Nuf Said

Oh my--so one of my top five least favorite people in the universe is getting way too much attention these days!

So the latest about my arch nemesis (and I'll get into why in a minute) is that she was wearing some sort of Muslim garb in a Dunkin Donuts commercial, bloggers caused a commotion and now the ad is gone. And NOW bloggers are stil causing a buzz, condemning DD for backing down to the crazy people who think her scarf was some sort of hidden terorrist symbol. My take? It wasn't terrorism related, it was just an ugly scarf! Read my previous posts if you don't already know how I feel about scarfs as a fashion accessory...this whole mess could have been avoided if the DD stylist had only chosen a cool choker instead of a lame scarf...

The best part of this story for me is that this morning, Ron Corning's replacement (who just became my new favorite person of the moment) totally dissed on Rachel Ray this morning not realizing that DD was one of their sponsors. It was hilarious, check it out on Gawker!

So why do I hate her? Well for starters, why is she famous??? I mean really, she's not even a real chef, and her perkiness is more than a litte irritating. Ok so that sounds petty, let me explain my legit reason...well you may recall a little show she had/maybe still has on the Food Network called $40 a Day. Basically she goes to a new town, and shares with viewers the "secret" to eating great on $40 a day. The show's title should have been, "$40 a Day NOT including tips" or perhaps "$40 a day for cheap, evil people who don't believe in 20% tips" (sorry that was my former waitress side talking!). Ms. Ray seems to think that $2 is pretty much the standard tip for any meal...and she conveniently calculates "tax and tip" together sending a message to all the cheapies watching her show that leaving a couple bucks no matter what your bill was it totally ok. I think that everyone should spend at least 6 months in the service industry. You really learn some valuable life skills. Besides how to tip properly, you learn social skills, creative cooking skills (you'd be surprised how many meals you can make out of bread, condiments and left over ingredients...) and tolerance. Tolerance for all the ignorant people out there that are rude (snapping your finger at your server is NEVER ok), dumb (I'm allergic to nuts, can I still eat the Peanut butter Puff Pie..) or just plain crazy (Can I order a Pepsi with one splash Dr. Pepper, two splashes Orange and a floater of Gingerale...).

So to sum up...Dunkin Donuts should really get rid of A) the stylist who chose the stupid scarf to begin and B) Rachel Ray as a spokesperson because I believe that honest, hardworking people typically drink DD over say Starbucks and probably feel similarly about the fake-chef and would be turned off seeing her face all over their favorite coffee place...

Coffee and Margaritas (But not together...)

We all have our vices. The things that give us that extra kick in the morning or help us relax after a long day. The above noted are mine...well at least the ones I can mention here ;)

When my boss and I discovered the latest trend in blogging, "beta testing," we were pyched. When we found out we were going to get free coffee and all we had to do was drink it and write about it, we were beyond pyched. So here it is, my first review...and if any Tequila companies are reading this (especially Patron or Sauza Hornitos) I would be honored to drink lots of free samples from you and write wonderful things about you. Everyday. Thanks.

Ok so Joffrey's Coffee...

The flavor they sent me was called Jamaican me Crazy which instantly reminded me of this tasty dish that we used to serve at my old establishment called the Jamaican Me Crazy Mon, which was actually a Jamaican Jerk porkchop. Tourists used to get such a kick out of saying the full name when they ordered it, but I digress...

My roommate is very set in her ways. Every morning we make Maxwell House coffee and she flavors hers with French Vanilla creamer only. She does not stray from this so I knew I'd be on my own sampling my new fun flavor. I made it after she had safely left for work and was instantly drawn in by the smell. It smelled like syrup, or better yet, a full homemade waffle, syrup and coffee breakfast. It was a very welcoming and soothing smell as I was rushing to pour the coffee in my travel mug and run out the door, late as usual...

As I drank the coffee on my ride to work, it definitely made me feel invigorated and pumped for my day. The smell, the sweet and strong taste and the smoothness all contributed to its charm. The actual flavor is described as caramel, vanilla and coffee liquer. I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint the exact flavors that were melting in my mouth but they definitely made for a lovely combo. I sipped it all the way to my office and still had a little left as I got to my desk. A few minutes after I settled in, my office roomie asked "what's that smell, it smells like maple syrup in here!" I informed him it was Joffrey's coffee, a new flavor and he responded that it smelled awesome. It did indeed!

I still have a little Joffrey's left and I am now rationing it and saving it for a special morning or a special someone to share it with. Want to drink some with me? Let me know!