PieHole's on Facebook!

The following Facebook mock-up is for entertainment purposes only and captures the true nature of it's subject purely because it is fun. Craeting and posting allows me to keep my vengeful fantasies from coming to fruition, so basically it's my form of expressive therapy. ENJOY! Click to enlarge:

Monday Madness!

Had a great weekend with my brother and a awesome trip to Letchworth State Park with my nephew Saturday. It was beautiful weather, and amazing surroundings. I would like to go back and get lost on some of the many hiking trails and perhaps do a little white water rafting as well! I hope my Nephew enjoyed it as much as I did! I will have pics and possibly video up hopefully at the end of the week if I get a chance to upload and edit some highlights.

For now, I will post the following picture of the restaurant Kevin and I ate at Saturday night. Loved the name (can you guess why?)and the food was really good, but proved to be elusive at first due to unmarked roads.:)

Something interesting to mention. Kevin had gotten a "people you may know" alert on Facebook...it was PIEHOLE! So Piehole is on FB, and the funny thing is that she only has 2 friends, one lady who looks much like she does if you catch my drift and only one of her daughters. I was tempted to make a fake one up...perhaps Alysa and Erin would like to partake in that little game? Aha hee hee! Aha ho! Tell you what, tomorrow I will post a demo of what that profile may look like, so stay tuned

Sunday was a nice relaxing day at Jim's, a little yard work, some good eatin' and Home Run Derby. I proved to be more coordinated at it than I remembered being. Never hit a home run but did manage to squeak out a few triples. Not too bad for the girl who thought she couldn't play anything using a bat and ball!

That said, I couldn't resist posting the action shot of Jasper...

Name the Stealth Mobile and Sundry Silly Things

It's black, it's stealthy and it needs a cool name. I have gotten a lot of great names for my new car. Here are the suggestions so far:

Pinky says: "How about Onyx...the black gem stone? or Black Pearl? Of course if it's a girl it could be Olive!" and then "How about Darth Vader! or Serius Black from Harry Potter....or Blackberry?"

Henlib came up with: "Black Widow"

Lamby says: "Pitch" or "Gaston"

Sparkles enjoys the name "Jasper"

Kevin suggested "Serenity"

CC says: How about "Max"? Or perhaps "Chuck" or "Carmichael" after the tv series 'Chuck' because the car is just a regular Ford Focus with some extra cool features...intersect optional!

Speaking of Chuck, check out this video...I think I see another use for my new video camera!(Make sure you scroll down and push the mute button the upper left of the Munchausen by Proxy Player)

Speaking of short movies, if you haven't seen "Be Kind Rewind", please do so. The movie is pretty crazy, but I love Mos Def and Jack Black. If you have ever tried to make a movie with whatever you had available around the house, you will appreciate the creativity of this movie. My film crew (Tom, Nate and Kevin) of the past 5 years or more is focused on original scripts and ideas, (I need to get ours edited and posted!), but these remakes are a riot.

Read about the film HERE and then go here and here to see how other people got into "Sweding Films".

Methinks Today is...

Talk Like Shakespeare Day!

We have celebrated "Talk Like A Pirate Day" on September 19th each year here at cclifeblog, and it has come to my attention that there is a Shakespeare day as well thanks to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater! Love this! Here is the website.

Be not a canker-blossom! Give it a try by following a few simple rules below:(click to enlarge image)

Baseball with The Cullins and My New Wheels

OK, So I bashed twilight a bunch of times on here. I stand by my reviews, but the movie crackhead I am is officially obsessed. Big Geek has the last laugh because I have actually made two Mii's on my Wii named Jasper and Emmett just so that I can play baseball with them. If I don't come out of this soon Carlisle, Edward, Alice, Rosalie and Esme will be joining us soon in Wii-land...




In other news, I bought a new car this past weekend. It's a 2009 Ford Focus SES, moonroof, 6 cd changer and great speaker system, Sirius Radio, SYNC technology for my cell (sooo cool), ambient lighting and alloy wheels for a great deal and I love it! Check out the pics I took on my cell yesterday after work before heading home:


I am tempted to name my new car Jasper... but seriously, I need a cool name for him and since my last car was named Lancelot, many have said Black Knight or as I have said Dark Knight. I would like a actual name though. Any suggestions?

Micromanagement and the Dissatisifed Employee

My boss is really being a complete ass this week, and not only to me apparently. The pressure is on from continually slumping sales and Micromanagement rears it's ugly head more and more. There I was, being the Marketing Manager, implementing plans through designers and copywriters and getting stuff done in concert with all parties involved and now my boss suddenly has his hands in the marketing pie and I am a glorified middle man. Once this happened the harmony stopped and it's been a comedy of errors.

I worked my ass off coming into this job 21 months ago with no guidance and I have pulled through with flying colors. In the last 4months I feel like I am in a strangle hold since he now feels he needs to play butcher, baker AND candlestick maker. Today, when I had to call and cancel the photo shoot was definitely the last straw. I felt embarrassed and unprofessional and all because of micromanagement from someone who has no idea what the creative process is, how long it takes and won't listen to me when I explain the timeline I will need to not be rushed and why.

The flame has burst into a raging fire under my cute little patootey and the job hunt is in FULL THROTTLE Mode.

I have heard that micromanagement is rampant in many companies of late due to the economic pressures. I had emailed Lamby about this today and this is what she had to say:

"Yeah, I have heard many similar stories of management people losing it b/c the economy is bad. I’m convinced that is because things were so easy for so long, that people who do not have the skills have risen to positions of power…and they are not equipped to manage in the difficult times."

I think she hit the nail on the head. After losing 1/3 of the workforce in 8 months, a team environment and communication would be their best bet, but apparently they feel they can do/solve everything from Upper Management. Give me a few months and you can do all the marketing you want...without me!

Silly Vampires...

Yes Man! It's Munchausen by Proxy!

In keeping with my movie obsessions, I purchased "Yes Man" this week. I found the dvd cover to show here as well as the German one which made me giggle. Lamby will appreciate! Ja! I loved this movie when I saw it in the theater and knew I would purchase it because I not only could relate to Jim Carrey's character, but I love Zooey Deschanel in everything she does.

Carl (Carrey) is a closed off guy who misses out on opportunities because he is always saying "No". Once he attends a "Yes Man" Seminar, he makes a covenant to say "Yes" to every opportunity that arises and meets Allison (Zooey). She is a free spirit who lives her life to the fullest, even being in a super strange yet cool sci-fi rock band called "Munchausen By Proxy" .

If you have not seen this movie, I recommend you see it immediately, as it's message is motivating and it will make you laugh until your stomach hurts. Even if you are not a fan of Jim Carrey, Zooey is a riot and Murray from FOTC is hysterical!

Munchausen by Proxy

Munchausen by Proxy is: Zooey Deschanel and the ladies of Von Iva

"Movie Crack" Addict

Hi. My name is CC and I am addicted to "Movie Crack".

Unfortunately I have been addicted to "Movie Crack" my entire life. It started at at early age with movies like "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Goonies", "Mannequin" and "The Lost Boys". Addictions can happen at any time, and are not necessarily due to the admiration of good cinema since many dreadful movies have become cult classics because of movie crack addicts.

It has been proven that portions of the population are more susceptable than others. This addiction has not been proven to be genetically transferable, although studies have found that it is most common in the youngest child of a large family.
The symptoms of the addiction are powerful, and some are embarrassing. It could for instance, take the form of a movie you have busted on, but are now obsessed with like "Twilight". More common is the addiction to a movie that you identify with on some level.

Inevitably, with extreme cases, once an addiction to a particlar film has run it's course, another film will take it's place. Sometimes, if the individual is lucky, they can have dry spells where no movies are striking a chord. These dry spells do not last for long and if you are not careful, you could relapse into another long addictive state.

Sometimes individuals will become addicted to a movie simply because there is nothing else to obsess over. This is expecially dangerous since you could easily find yourself developing a case of Repetitious Dialogue Syndrome revolving around "Alert the Amphibious Squadron!" from "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow"

Side effects include eye strain, hysterical bouts of laughter, Repetitious Dialogue Syndrome, lack of concentration at work, changes in speech patterns such as including movie quotes in conversations, headache, sleeplessness, upset stomache and manic episodes. Serious side effects include anti-social behavior and ridiculously high standards when it comes to dating.

I am told that admitting you have an addiction is the first step to recovery...

In Need of a Chill Pill

Quiz Day

You Color Your Life With Intense Warmth

You are a down to earth, stable person. You can be relied on. You enjoy the outdoors. There's something about being in nature that makes you feel really blissful. While you are responsible, you aren't boring. You have a lot of flair and style. You enjoy creative projects of all sorts. You're a very visual person.

How Do You Color Your Life?

Your Supervillain Name is Red Falcon

Muhahahaha!

What's Your Supervillain Name?

You Are a White Tiger

You have a strong individualistic streak. You are unique and outspoken. You have firm ideas of right and wrong. You will stand up for your unpopular beliefs with pride. You believe that learning the truth is important. Even if it's ugly, uncomfortable, or awkward. You give it to people straight, and you expect them to do the same. You can't stand ambiguity of any kind.

What Big Cat Are You?

You Crave a Blissful Life

Your dream is to live a light hearted, carefree life. You don't want to be bogged down by stress. You'd like to recapture some of the playfulness and innocence you had as a child. You believe that life should be about celebrations and fun. The world needs more happiness. You want to focus on the positive and stay optimistic. It's too easy to get depressed.

The Sunset Test

Music Makes the World Go Round

In honor of me joining the Britney Circus Tour, I decided to throw together a crazy mix of music and list the player (it is a little schmooshed, but I tried!) on my sidebar under Music. You can mute it or crank it, and I will try to switch it up depending on events/posts. Be aware, you will hear a lot of wonky mixes on my playlist, so enjoy!

Ginormous Math Monster!

We can add money wasters to the already large list of time wasters here at my place of employment.

Today we had our quarterly Saftey Awards. These are mostly for the factory workers since office workers rarely have "accidents", but we all participate. Everyone who did not have an "accident" during the quarter is given a reward. Usually it is something you would most likely get as a free gift from a magazine subscription (cheap Chinese made junk) along with a pen and a sticky pad. They also recognize anniversary dates as well and give out gifts for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years with the company.

I get it, it's a morale booster and brings the factory and offices together for one common cause. However, when people are getting laid off, the sister of the owner's is still employed to play office and everyone's hours have been cut, these "rewards" seem a bit out of place. Most people grumble during these meetings that they would rather get their hours back than take home the junk that is given out. Ah, the power of Market Research...But I digress.

The purpose of this post was to show you all what we got today as our quarterly safety award. I am sure you will join the rest of this company in wondering what the hell Human Resources was thinking?


I kid you not. This calculator measures 8 x 11 1/2 inches! It is seriously the same footprint as my adding machine and does much less.

This would be great for small children or older people who need larger buttons.

Or perhaps a circus clown would enjoy typing in certain numbers that make words when you turn it upside down. Come on, you all did this in elementary school and know what I am talking about.

Maybe Henlib is right. Now that I have this amazingly Ginormous Calculator, I can finally join Britney's Circus Tour! Here's what the Poster should look like:

Dead Before Deadline

What would you do if your Boss brought you a project at 9:35am that is due at 10am? You came in early, handed the project to your Boss for final changes at 8:25am and urged him that it is due at 10am. He hands it back at 9:35am. Visualize a Chicken, head cut off, running.

You are annoyed that in only 25 minutes you are expected to contact your designer, have him make the changes, save it and send it back to you so you can send it along for publication. 9:55am. Keep in mind you will obviously have to proofread again and get it back to the designer for a few other tweaks. Once you proofread and send it back to him you find he is unavailable to make said tweaks because he is already in another meeting. 10:15am. The deadline has passed. That Chicken with it's head cut off is still running in circles in your cubicle. Time ticks away, it is now 10:45am. 11:00am. 11:20am...

[Here I am, doing all the work and trying my best to make things work and get stuff done and everyone around you is making it soooo difficult. Why is that? It's one of those WTF? moments that just boggles the mind. It happens to everyone, I know, nothing new here, but it's more common place here than the exception to the rule. Does anyone even understand how insufficient they are at their jobs and how their inefficiency affects other peoples jobs? Oh and most importantly how it affects the business which is already faltering? I believe that is a wonderful example of "The Trickle -Down Effect"

The funny thing is that I came up with a great idea that actually bought us another day of time on that deadline and we got two things published instead of one and they still couldn't get their shit together on time. Do they care? Nope. Who looks bad when the deadline is missed whether it is her fault or not? Ah, yea...]

...Finally at 11:31am, you get the final version, it looks good and you send it along to be published claiming email probems for the delay. Pet Peeve #275: lying to save your reputation when it wasn't your fault. Then you tuck that away and remember not to use that excuse next time everyone F's you over on your deadline.

Keira Knightly PSA for Domestic Violence

Thursday Thoughts

Well, there was only one successful prank played on me yesterday. It just happens that it was my Wii that played it on me...Yes, you read correctly, my Wii game system. Actually the Wii Fit portion. I get home and get ready to do a little workout and I turn on my Wii Fit balance board and it tells me that the balance board doesn't seem to be working properly. I am thinking "No way! I just bought this thing!!". Then the screen says "April Fool's!" Very funny! Way to use that internal clock and calendar to your advantage Wii Fit! I like that.

I was 20 minutes late for work today. Just couldn't get out of bed. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be the dread of going to work? Of being at work and thinking how much MORE productive I could be at home? Or someplace that's else? Yea...I am enjoying pushing the envelope here and there. A funny note: As I write this I am listening to "Dead End Job" by The Police! Ha! Perfect!

Watching REAPER last night that I had DVR'd. LOVE that show, so glad it came back, even though way late! Last night Sam had to catch a soul who was a vampire and the vessel was...you guessed it...a stake. the best part was when Sam grabbed the stake from the box the Devil was holding the Devil said "Looking sharp Buffy! Looking sharp!" Any show that can make a Buffy Reference and still hold it's own and not be a copy cat is awesome. Ben and Sock are a riot as usual. I hope this show was renewed for next season and will start on time.

Exciting things coming up at two local and beautiful historic Theaters!

GHOST HUNT, PRESENTATION, and GALLERY READING
Featuring Chip Coffey from A&E’s “Paranormal State”; John Zaffis, the Nation’s leading demonologist; and our own Stacey Jones, featured on Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting”.
Friday, May 1, 2009
8:00 PM to 4:00 AM


Chris Botti
Saturday, May 16, 2009-8PM

I am excited that my spring is coming together with some new things to do. Chip Coffee from Paranormal State will be really neat, I am just doing the presentation because there are WAY too many people there to do a ghost hunt. Who knows, maybe I will be able to get a picture with "Uncle Chip"! Then Chris Botti. I had first heard of him when he played with Sting. Since then he has played with many amazing artitsts and has several solo albums out. He will be amazing I am sure and Henlib, Kevin and Tom and I will have fun since we have planned the weekend around the concert.

I leave you all with a great song that is currently playing on my MP3 player. A fun little ditty called "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite. I think I should play this song every time I get blue...how can you be unhappy listening to this...or sit still?

April Fool's Day

Why is it that ever time April Fool's Day come around, I can't punk anyone? I usually come up with horribly wicked jokes to play on people, you know the type, where their heart sinks into their stomachs for a split second? Every year I realize that I cannot mess with my friends and family like that, so I never play any pranks. Do unto others I guess, and I would hate to have my heart in my stomach...Ok well I did play a little joke on two people. I texted tham and told them that I quit my job. I am sure by the end of writing this post, I will know if they fell for it or not.

Yep, both of them fell for it. haha. That's crazy!

I actually texted some people that I bought a Wii and Wii Fit this past weekend as well, but that is no joke. I actually did and I LOVE it. Boxing is my favorite, and I love the fact that you can jog in place and your Mii follows a path thru a park as you jog! The exercising is awesome, but another big selling point was the Indiana Jones game that's coming out for Wii where you can punch bad guys and use your whip! Watch the preview of the game here: Staff of Kings game

The April Fool's joke is still going. They are asking me when and how and I am keeping up the charade...just a bit longer!!

I am sooo not into working today. I have a couple of projects to move along, but I am so disenchanted with the process that I hate to put any time and effort into it. I did have the chance to air my concerns and frustrations with my boss yesterday though. He asked me so I told him. My issue is that I also spoke to him about similar things in January and nothing changed, actually things got worse, so why should I be optimistic about this? I am glad I got to say what was on my mind though, or at least one part. I could have thrown TAP uner the bus a few times, but I was professional and didn't. :)

As for the April Fool's joke, one out of the two bought it. The second texted me back about 6 times asking for details etc. That was great! I will now go eat my lunch which consists of chicken sauted in Marsala Wine and green onions, leftovers from a meal I experimented with on Monday night. Yumm!

One more thing. A sad day for Buffy/Angel Fans. I loved you Andy/Lorne!