Dream Chasers Media Group, LLC is a mixed-media publishing company with four divisions: books & dramatic scripts, music, fine art, film & video (to include screenplays).
I used to work at a bakery here in town, and one day a camera crew from Rosetta Stone came through and photographed a cake in different stages of being decorated. They got shots of me with the cake as well as some models they brought along and staged a variety of situations. As it turned out, they offered my boss a copy of the software if she was interested. I found out a few days ago that a copy of the Rosetta Stone Spanish course – the Latin America version was waiting at the bakery to be picked up. I just dropped by there today after the farmer’s market and picked up the box. This is level one and retails at $219. There is also an online option for immersion language training. Shane has got the box out and is already into the software and I guess I’m waiting my turn. But so far we are both very impressed with the gift! So a huge “THANK YOU!” to Boss Lady at the Bakery for my brand new copy of Rosetta Stone software! And thank you Rosetta Stone! We are very grateful and I’m looking forward to learning the language that my children speak.
What's the closest thing you have to a time machine?
Submitted by Verisimilitude.
Two things, both fueled by imagination and memory:
Music. Always. Listening to a song or an artist can take me back to where I was when it meant something to me, or when I first heard it. Who I was with, what I was feeling, what I was doing, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. It transports me, and there's too many examples to even share. Music is such an important part of my life that I can't even begin to describe how fundamentally and primally it affects me.
Smells. especially plants and food. I often tell the story of the boxwoods that lined the back steps to my Aunt Kay and Uncle Bill's house. Personally, boxwoods smell like cat pee to me, but as soon as I smell them (and, interestingly, not cat pee), I'm transported back to those steps and that backyard. Other smells that can do that - the mixture of creosote and fried foods takes me back to the Ocean City, NJ Boardwalk, back bay takes me to Crisfield, MD. Pine takes me to the Cascades. Cooked crab also takes me to Crisfield. A specific chocolate mousse smell takes me to the Tuckahoe Inn. Grilled flank steak takes me to Judy & Carl's house. So many smells, instant transport.
Oh, you WISH you had Lawrence Welk serving trays as wall art... you know you that you do! These are on the walls of my "dining room" (which will, some day, be a bar).
They were an ebay find, about 7 yrs ago, which cost nearly nothing but caused quite a ruckus when I refused to give one to my BFFN of the time. I recall the seller being quite happy to learn that I would be cherishing them.
I think you'll see why those of us who were expecting an artistic athletic competition were mildly shocked by what we got. Note, this video was put together by the organizers, Xpolesitions.
More home-shot videos can be found at PoleDanceAllure's YouTube page.
Doesn't include Spyda's INSANE free fall drop. I promise I'll upload it at some point (turns out I recorded all my stuff at a 90 degree angle so now I have to rotate it before I reformat it.
I don't remember if I mentioned it, but a little while ago my job duties changed. Instead of doing Processing AND Updating (which was killing me) I now only do Updating, which I love because, well, I just love Updating and I really hate Processing.
What I don't miss about Processing:
1. Monday mornings with Joe.
After a very busy weekend of busting my ass handling everything by myself, Monday mornings were always spent with Joe, the main Processor, telling me everything I did wrong and asking me why I didn't do some things...which were things I didn't do because I A) did not have time or B) was never told/taught they needed to be done. Nevermind the huge stack of files I handled while barely having a chance to chew and swallow my lunch.
2. Security Deposits Part I
When people apply for an apartment we collect the 1st month's rent. When they are approved and come sign a lease we collect their Security Deposit. I cannot tell you how many times I did a lease signing and after they signed asked for the security deposit and they said, "Oh I/we already paid that when we applied." It's doubly annoying because when we call them to come in to sign their lease we always always inform them of the security deposit. Buuuuut people are dumb.
3. Security Deposits Part II
Along the same lines, the other annoying response when asking for the Security Deposit is to be handed a credit card...which is actually illegal for us to do. Again, when we call them to come sign the lease we also tell them the appropriate payment methods for their security deposit. Buuuuut people are dumb.
4. Processing Calls
I had Tuesday and Wednesday off. Thursday and Friday were my updating days and Sat, Sun, and Monday were my Processing days. I would come back from my "weekend" on Thursday and be happily doing my updating when Joe would be on another call or go to lunch and any calls that came in for him I was forced to take, which I greatly dested because A) I had no idea what was going on with any deals and B) the people wanted to talk to Joe because that's who they have been talking to or they were returning his call. Also Joe would always know exactly what was going on with the deal and in the end I would always have to take a message. So why interrupt my Updating to make me take a call to take a message for Joe? Irksome.
5. Curious Agents
Processing is a busy job, especially on weekends. I usually enjoy the Agents, but not when they would randomly come up to me when I was in the middle or 10 things OR on an Updating Day when I hadn't touched processing for days and they would ask me about some address I've never heard of...and would then act all dumbfounded when I would tell them I had no idea what they were talking about.
6. Addresses
This one still actually annoys me as well as probably the entire office. When someone calls for Processing our fabulous Admins ask who is calling and what address it is regarding. You would be surprised at the enormous amount of people who call and don't know their address...and expect that to be ok. I had one guy (who was supposed to come in to sign a lease) say to me "It's on Paulina," and when I asked him if he could be more specific he said, "How many places on Paulina do you have people coming to sign leases for??" as if it should be as simple to look at the stack of lease and find his by the street name. I replied, "Actually I have THREE right now." Douchebag.
7. Lease Signings
I can't stand them. Why? Because people ask questions I don't know and no one is ever very helpful with the answers to, especially Joe who answers them in a very condescending manner...how could I be so dumb as to not know this? And whenever I mentioned this to him he would say, "Did you READ the lease??" Joe, the questions they ask aren't on the lease. They ask things like how they get their keys and if they can paint and...
8. People Don't Think
Continuing...when signing their lease, actually AFTER signing it and I'm handing them a copy of it, they ask if they can move in early. I hate to use this but it's too appropriate: *facepalm* This is something you should bring up when you APPLY for the apartment. Then they bring up the issue that they have to be out of their current apartment on the 31st but can't move into this one until the 1st. Well, yes, this is the dilemma of EVERY PERSON MOVING. Duh.
9. Applications = Bitterness
People have to write how much money they make on their applications and then I would get to call their employers and verify it. Occasionally I would need to talk to the applicants for something...like if they wrote their birth year as 2008 or completely left off a phone number and such...and there were a lot of people a few years younger than me and so many of them were dumb as rocks when you would talk to them...and they all of course made much more money than me. I'm smart and have a mother fucking $60,000 BFA and have not yet bee able to find a job making anywhere near decent money. Life is unfair.
10. Parents
If you are old enough to rent an apartment and live on your own, you should not need your parents to make phone calls about your apartment for you or demand to see it before you can sign your lease.
11. Weekend Dead Deals
We had to have a dumb meeting to make sure we knew to tell all the right people that a deal had fallen through. This includes telling Paul and/or Dan, the agent, and the applicants -- and tell them right away! Yes yes. So then on weekends things fall through and I tell Paul or Dan and they tell me NOT to tell the agent or the tenants until Monday. Well this is just silly because they could come back right away because it's the weekend and they are all off work...and the agent knows they did NOT just make some money and won't go spending frivolously.
Ok now for something positive:
Things I DO miss about Processing:
1. Applications
I enjoyed the vast sampling of handwriting, names, and birthdays.
2. Weekends
I know it seems like it would suck to work on weekends, but I have no life so I didn't miss out on anything. Plus, the atmosphere in the office is completely different because the owners aren't there.
3. Free Lunch
We always got free lunch on Saturdays...pizza or KFC...mmm. That was one less day I had to buy food to bring for lunch, plus it changed it up a bit.
Ummmmm yes that's all...and the things I miss don't really have anything to do with processing haha except #1.
I gave R a bunch of mix discs yesterday. We listened to them all night. I'm a happy camper. This song is on one of them. I know it's been done by a lot of people, but this is the version I've had in my head all day.
And it's six in the morning,
Gave me no warning -
I had to be on my way.
Well there's trucks all a-passing,
And the lights all are flashing,
I'm on my way home
From the place.
Well the sun's coming up,
I'm riding with Lady Luck.
Freeways, cars and trucks.
Stars beginning to fade.
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,
Oh Lord,
Let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.
Well, my time has come quickly,
I go lickety-splitly
Down to my old '55.
As I pulled away slowly,
I was feeling so holy,
God knows
I was feeling alive.
Now the sun's coming up,
I'm riding with Lady Luck,
Freeways,
cars
And trucks.
Freeways,
cars
And trucks.
Freeways,
Cars and trucks ...
- (the) Sarah McLachlan (version), "Ol' 55"
Where did I put my postage stamps?
Crazy, geeky cool!
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