The Luckiest

#273; #lifeofaneventsplanner

atlimbo — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:40:20 +0000

“It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

I make my living by making plans. I plan for emergencies, for mistakes, for funds, for students. My natural inclination toward OCD-like behavior and the love of a good party make me a good fit for a career in events planning, but I’ll admit I ended up here by total accident. And to call it my ‘career’, I suppose, is a misnomer at this point, as I’m not sure I’ll be doing it all my life (we all know my true passion lay in communications, but that’s a post for another evening). Nonetheless, I currently find myself – my mind, all of my waking hours, and my office – consumed with the largest event I’ve ever had the privilege of planning. This event – a 3-day, globally recognized, big-wig entertaining conference – is happening in one week, and I’m incredibly proud.

We’ll see if I say the same thing two weeks from now, right? Check out some of my current enthusiasm after the jump.

In the mean time, I’ve been documenting – a bit – the daily life of an events planner at the twitter hashtag #lifeofaneventsplanner and driving my interns up the wall with photos. And so, here you go, photographic evidence that event planning isn’t as glamorous as chick flicks would make you think. An inside look at what goes in to all of your rubber chicken luncheons and those swag bags you immediately throw away once you’ve flown home.

Our newly arrived - not yet filled - swag bags!

An events coordinator's best friends!

Stickies. Gift from the gods.

Our lovely back board display (it's folded in half, but was my first project with the Institute when I started here last year!) and some of our information folders.

The rest of our folders (nearly 300 of them - all stuffed and ready to go!)

We have frisbees, magnets, whistles, sticky pads, notepads, pens, t-shirts, and swag bags, oh my!

Yours truly. Sort of.

#272; let’s go

atlimbo — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:07:01 +0000

It’s been too long (nearly two months!) since I last highlighted a random musical obsession via youtube videos and pithy remarks, so here we go again, welcome back to Good Tunes. Calvin Harris was the first DJ I was told to check out when I started getting into EDM down in the 757. He’s still one of my all time favorites, especially with hits like Rhianna’s We Found Love and Neyo’s new Let’s Go. Plus, this video of his makes me want to move to Texas or New Mexico, somewhere warm and hipster-friendly. And his voice is to die for, it’s like the vocal form of sex, which is essentially reason enough to go listen to everything he’s ever done.

#271; Spring in Boston

atlimbo — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:38:34 +0000

In pictures! I’ve made an effort to take a lot more pictures this year, as my first year in Boston was sadly lacking in photographic evidence.

And so, because it’s been too long since I’ve written and I’m feeling rusty, a visual representation of my second Spring in Boston.

So far spring has meant my first afternoon at Fenway (care of Chef), two elections (not only am I Chair of GBYD but I’m also proud to be part of the LGBT Caucus – as the female Bisexual Add-On Seat – on the State Democratic Committee!), the ticking time clock of my office’s Global Conference on Oceans, Climate, & Security, two visits from my favorite girl friend in all of Washington, DC, trips to Maine and Connecticut for family outings, a wedding shower, the births of my niece and my long distance “little sister’s” twins, and nights out for birthdays, celebrations, and catching up. Needless to say, I’m certainly feeling the luckiest lately!

There is still so much to look forward to, though, as we move into summer. Concerts with Chef and friends throughout the state, my birthday in July, the Conference (#fourmoreweeks!), picnics in the Public Gardens, a ton of awesome Greater Boston Young Democrat social events, the Mass Dems State Convention (where I’ll be a Youth Add-On Delegate!), and of course the summer rush for the 2012 Presidential race. So tell me, Lucky Ones, how’s summer shaping up for you?

#270; YAY! Let’s be informed!

atlimbo — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:23:35 +0000

Life has been a little insane lately. For those of you who don’t run in my circles on facebook, last week I was honored to be elected Chair of the Greater Boston Young Democrats (facebook), our chapter of the Young Democrats of Massachusetts. It’s been an amazing year being involved with their Board (as Secretary and a member of the Organizational Committee) and I can’t say enough about how welcoming and wonderful everyone in YDM and GBYD have been to me. Especially considering my political history!

But, because of this transition, I’ve found myself having less time for some hobbies (blogging, writing, coding…) and inundated with new ones (I’m feeling more informed than ever). Thus I bring you some of the cool things I’ve been inundated with this week. This isn’t a Friday, I’m in Love, rather some things that have caught my eye and made me go “huh, interesting.” I hope they’ll do at least that for you, too!

The Drying Rack Trick at Team Chest Hair

Then it dawned on me: How did I become a guy who needs two drying racks to do laundry?

What I Learned About To-Do Lists from My Eight-Year-Old Son from Michael Hyatt

…In order to be more intentional with developing habits that remind me that I am not simply a collection of my accomplishments and my to-do’s, I have started thinking about not only my to-do list but my to-be list.

Why Going Green Can Mean Big Money for Fast-Food Chains @ TIMEWorld

In late 2008, a fast-food burger restaurant in Sweden received an odd complaint letter. It was from a mother of two, asking the chain to get rid of the boxes that its kids’ meals were packaged in. Her children only wanted the fries and toys, she said, and she was annoyed at having to throw the boxes straight into the recycling bin. It was an unusual request with an unusual outcome.

Ashley Judd Slaps Media in the Face for Speculation Over Her ‘Puffy’ Appearance by Ashley Judd | The Daily Beast

We are described and detailed, our faces and bodies analyzed and picked apart, our worth ascertained and ascribed based on the reduction of personhood to simple physical objectification. Our voices, our personhood, our potential, and our accomplishments are regularly minimized and muted.

#269; friday I’m in love

atlimbo — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:56:07 +0000

It’s Friday, folks! Favorite day of the week for nearly everyone who has a 9-5. It’s been a seriously loved-filled week around Boston, and so I bring you all the hearts & starry eyes you can handle! More easily digestible than Valentine’s Day and with warmer weather, too, who could complain!

→ Starting things off, those beautiful flowers to the right. This past Tuesday, March 27th, Piece and I celebrated one year. He had flowers sent to my office and caused the girls to either totally adore him and want to give him hugs or totally loathe him. One threatened to kick him if she saw him! But the love was obvious and the arrangement beautiful and the note perfect. I spent all of Tuesday floating on cloud 9 and then we had a wonderful wine dinner at Legal’s downtown. Really, just getting to the spend the evening with Piece, and knowing what the last year has been and what the next is going to be, was more than I could have asked for. This Sunday it’s my turn and I’m taking him to brunch!

→ This absolutely adorable storyline on QuestionableContent as had me in giggles for weeks now! And Ship’s crush on Hanners is just the right kind of sappy.

→ Also this week, we celebrated my first year in Boston! It’s official, I’m sticking around! Over a year ago, now, I said my goodbyes to the Virginia coast, the warmth and beauty of the South, and hit the road for New England. It’s been a year of ups and downs, adjusting to state politics vs city, new personalities, new friendships and relationships. I’ve been burnt a few times, had to face some hard truths about my own happiness and what I need to make it a reality, as well as consider the sort of people and connections I want in my life. It has been the hardest geographic transition I’ve ever made in my life. But it’s been amazing. I wrote at the beginning of this journey:

I saw myself as eternally jaded and confused and 24. I dated musicians and drank too much and threw what few rules I had lived by out the window. I wore leggings and headbands and chain-smoked menthols in my knock-off Ray Bans.

I’m not that child anymore, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I feel more settled, more satisfied, more capable, and more excited than I ever have in my life. I wondered, back then, what life might look like post-Limbo, and I think I nailed it. I’m glad to say the things I thought might be in my future are what I get to live everyday now. It’s been a year, but the time can’t be truly measured in it’s impact. So I’ll leave you with this:

It’s about growth. Limbo is an infinite space. It’s shitty deals and hard work and learning lessons you wish you never had to. It’s long roads and longer nights and you feel like nothing can even lift you up out of it or bring you down off your natural high. But as you grow, as Limbo does its job, you might not need it anymore. You might not need to move every couple of months just because you’re feeling claustrophobic and twitchy. You might find you really do believe things you’ve always rebelled against. You might figure out that you’re okay with all of that and that Chick Corea was right and “that truth is basically simple and feels good, clear and right.”

#268; local flair

atlimbo — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:39:00 +0000

I’m trying to get more into the Boston blogging scene as a motivation to write more often (my writing over the last few months – fiction & blogging – has sadly come to almost a stand still) and would love to know what Boston blogs you all ready that I should check out. I’m also slowly but surely getting to know the city better (starting with trying to get off the redline every so often – this has resulted in many a great restaurant & wine bar discoveries, which I’m hoping to write more about soon). Besides, I’ve been here a year now, I’d better start at some point, right? And so, I’ll start us off with two such sites:

Chef on a Diet (she’s my best friend, and we all want her to write more often, so obviously she gets a shout out) and Deep Dish & Democrats, a former Bostonian now exploring Chicago and national politics. Both good reads with a lot of potential so check them out, let me know what you think, and leave your favorites in my comments!

#267; Characters of the Ws

atlimbo — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:51:35 +0000

I was given a challenge the other day to come up with five characters that I love, all to do with the letter ‘W’. And so, here you go. If you’d like to try it, let me know!

The Rules:
1. Leave a comment to this post!
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows.

William van der Woodsen | Gossip Girl | Yes, believe it or not I completely love him. I mean, first of all, he’s BILLY BALDWIN. But mostly – he’s a total failure as a father, a son in law, and a husband. But he’s an awesome sketchy doctor, will executor, illegitimate father, and ex-husband.

Admiral William Adama | BSG | THE BEST DADDY ‘STACHE IN THE GALAXY. Ok, but more seriously, he’s Bill Fucking Adama. He’s the Admiral and protector of the entire human race. And he loves his family and his friends (and his President!). He’s incredibly complex, beautifully acted (by Olmos, who by the way is a huge water/environmental activist IRL which makes me love him EVEN MORE) and is the HEART AND SOUL OF BSG.

Winky | Harry Potter | The house elves in Harry Potter are freakin’ awesome, and Winky is so sad! She’s so heartbreaking and Dobby’s adoration of her is such a wonderful side story in the series. I just love her and always wish her well.

Winona Kirk | Star Trek | Talk about a mother’s love! I know that later in Kirk’s life it’s generally accepted that she sucked, but Jennifer Morrison’s portrayal in the first ten minutes of Star Trek (2009) has me sobbing every single time. And plus, she’s Kirk’s mom, that’s automatic awesome points.

Wiress | The Hunger Games | Better known as “Nuts” in Catching Fire, this crazy old lady is awesome. She speaks her own language, sees the world in her own way, and is a certifiable genius. I love the clock scene with her and the wire…

#266; be my honeypie

atlimbo — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:02:07 +0000

I’ll be honest, I’m feeling a bit sappy lately. Piece and I celebrate a year next week (a year this go around, at least!) and while I’ve been sick and grouchy lately, he’s been incredible. Plus, how adorable are The Weepies? Totally loving this gorgeous video – an homage to both love and NYC, I like to think – from their 2010 album Be My Thrill.

#265; family reunion fun times

atlimbo — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:41:22 +0000

It’s truly amazing to me how the time passes; how people you considered your annoyances, your best friends, and biggest rivals – somehow, over the years – become your family. I’m lucky to have a huge family. On my dad’s side, there are five of us in our generation and now we’ve nearly doubled thanks to marriages, plus they all have little baseball teams of babies. On my mom’s side, there are over a dozen in our generation, now nearly twice that thanks to people partnering off, and I got together with a few of those cousins this weekend in Maine. My cousins even invited aunts and uncles I haven’t seen in years, with nearly 30 of us all in one house for cook outs, photos, and dirt biking (including my boyfriend Piece in his first Maine reunion with us, my parents up from Myrtle Beach, and my aunt who moved to Ohio a few years ago). Check out how the years have changed us…

#264; women as targets

atlimbo — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:41:08 +0000

“Why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me, but they all seem to. It doesn’t matter what country they’re in or what religion they claim, they all want to control women. They want to control how we dress, they want to control how we act, they even want to control the decisions we make about our own health and our own bodies. Yes, it is hard to believe. But even here at home, we have to stand up for women’s rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us because America needs to set an example for the entire world.” ~ Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton