Undisclosed Location

Web 2.0: Terra Incognita - To Conquer We Must Proceed With Caution

There is a lot of discussion buzzing around the Public Relations profession about Web 2.0. In many ways, Web 2.0 seems like the holy grail of PR and Marketing. You have a captive, connected audience, capable of becoming part of a viral network instantly, all cataloged on websites that often give free access to profiles organized by demographic or keyword search terms. On facebook, you can look up entire groups that might be a natural fit for your product or service and become a part of their community. On myspace, you can view profiles of everyone from pre-teens to baby boomers and on twitter you can find an audience worldwide when you consistently write creative and clever posts. But Web 2.0 is a far cry from the traditional media outlets we are all used to using to deliver our messages, and not taking the time to learn this new world of communication can alienate that audience and cost you many opportunities.

The first thing about Web 2.0 that sets it apart from traditional media is that here, the audience is in control. Of course the audience for traditional media outlets can influence content decisions, but here, the audience is in complete control of the content. This is exciting because it creates an opportunity for Public Relations to initiate a two-way conversation about the clients they are promoting and gives end-users the opportunity to respond directly and pass along the information to their network of friends. This is great because Web 2.0 users become more loyal and involved with the brands they purchase when they feel involved in the brand. Inviting them to the discussion can be a great way to develop that brand loyalty. Even as the audience's control over the message can be an exciting and wonderful feature of this new media as far as we are concerned, our interaction with that audience can also backfire for marketing and public relations professionals who don't understand Web 2.0 - thus begins the cautionary part of my post.

Ah Spring

I'm out for a stroll, and after a vigorous walk yesterday (that may have caused a few blisters), I'm taking it easy. In the midst of my walk a stranger stopped me to tell me that there was a beautiful blue heron a few minutes walk down the path.

Up for an adventure, I strode down the path to see if she was still there. Along the way, I turned down my iPod in case there was any sound leaking from my headphones. To my surprise I heard a menagarie of birds including the distinctive pecking of a woodpecker. Near dusk, I also heard some frog songs.

I saw the heron moments later. It was a majestic bird, and at the sound of my creeping footsteps in the grass, it spread its graceful wings and flew downstream near another footbridge.

On my walk back to the main trail I saw a ruby red cardinal and his mousey brown mate sitting on a branch. I also began to notice rustlings that sounded, at first, like a snake or other scary critter moving through the brush. Then, I thought, could it be raindrops? The little rustles were so frequent. Finally I spied the culprits. A whole family of robins were hopping in the brush, looking for a snack.

I saw these little violets and snapped a shot in the dimming dusk light with my camera phone. They are yet another sign that the cold winter has passed. I am looking forward to more walks like this as the park fills with families and couples out for a walk on a lovely spring afternoon.

Izzy's Birthday Part I

Happy Birthday Chubkins! Here we are on our way to an evening of fun at Red Lobster and bowling.

Izzy is a ripe old 28 this wednesday. He's already got a head start on being a crotchety old man, but we love him - me especially! I'll try to post some photos of the party later tonight.

Waiting For My Voice Lesson

Here I am waiting for my voice lesson. It has definitely been "one of those days." They've all been days like that lately. When it rains it pours and all that.

Lucky for me, I have the respite of our tiny apartment and my new husband. I hear the music in the hallway here and it takes me back to another lifetime when my primary concerns dealt with style, note length, breath control and musicality - instead of my current preoccupation with bills, work and scheisty car dealerships. Oh for the simpler days when music was work and play and life, days nevermore to return.

In many ways I envy my younger self, and in just as many ways, I'm sure she envies me.

Well, no teacher yet. Hopefully she will arrive shortly. In the meantime - happy disillusionment and true love and life to all of you.

Chubkins Post

Photo of me taken on my new "treo." Sorry I am incapable of spelling technology.

Chub Post

Took a photo of chubkins with the new phone. Isn't he a cutey?

Posting With The New Phone

Today I got my new trio. This is the first time i'm posting with it. Hopefully i'll have more to say when my typing facility improves!

Married

So happy together....

Honeymoonin'

Julie has strep throat and a fever, so she really hasn't been able to kiss me and Cancun is about as unsunny as it could get. That's not gonna stop us from having fun though, because we have no other choice ;-)

More to come, but for now I wanted to give everyone the same view of paradise that we have

Wedding Warning

Yesterday, October 7, 2007, I was married to the love of my life. It’s now 2:34 a.m. and I’ve returned from the reception. It was lovely and once the day got started it went so well. I’m not writing to let you know that my wedding went well. Unfortunately, I’m up at this hour while my new husband sleeps to warn all of the Cleveland brides about the most inadequate, inconsiderate and unprofessional wedding vendor in town. I don’t want any of you to think that I’m an unreasonable bride. I was thrilled with everything from my dress to my DJ. Our photographer, Tom Forrest, was incredible.

I chose the Sélah Salon and Spa because it was close to our Church and I had read an article in the Plain Dealer about the difficulties they were having during the Euclid Corridor Project. I made an appointment for my bridal hair test, and when I showed up, no one knew who I was or why I was there. My appointment had been scheduled on a Friday instead of a Saturday. I waited for over an hour for Emily Matthews Goler, the head (and only it seems) stylist and owner. I got up to ask for a book of bridal hair and she barked at me that she knew I was waiting and to have a seat. She was immediately apologetic when she realized I was not complaining, and I dismissed it as a busy and understaffed day.
During the Bridal Test I tried to tell her where I wanted my veil and how I wanted the hair to be done. She told me “no, you don’t want it like that” and gave me little choice. She was pushy and tried to use her “experience” to intimidate me out of what I really wanted for my hair. The hair did look nice, so I paid her and went happily on my way, thinking that everything would be fine.

For my Bridal Shower, I asked for gift cards to be “pampered” at the salon and spa. The pampering I purchased cost me over $400, and I expected it to be decadent and wonderful. Instead of decadent and wonderful, I left more stressed and upset than I came. I am a regular customer at local salons and spas and I know what quality service is. I spent at least three of the “six hours of pampering” sitting somewhere waiting because they had three employees and a salon full of people. The technician who did my facial did not do extractions when I requested them and said she “didn’t have the tool.” My pedicurist forgot to push the cuticle back on one foot and then left the paraffin wax on my toes before painting them. The polish peeled off before I got home that night. The massage treatment given was not the one included with my package; in fact, the staff had no clue what was or was not included with the package. After my manicure my nails were left ragged; I could have done a better job myself. The makeup was uneven and caked on. When my fiancé saw me, he was very upset about the way things looked, especially my nails, skin and make-up job. If a man is upset by the quality of service, you know it’s bad.

Our Wedding Day

Dear Izzy,

It is the morning of our wedding day. I just took a shower, freaked out about my hair appointment, and cleaned my engagement ring. Soon I'll be speeding towards breakfast, hair and eventually you at the end of the aisle waiting.

Am I nervous? Yes. Marriage seems less like a moment and more like a lifetime of being perfect. A life time of being a perfectly patient, perfectly loving and perfectly supportive spouse. Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I'm selfish, sometimes I have a temper and sometimes I am stubborn. I am hoping that I will always be the woman you hoped I would be - that you always hoped for, for the mother of your children, for your companion and for your friend.

The rehearsal was rocky yesterday, emotions have been running high. I hope I remember to tilt the unity candle at 45 degrees and I hope I remember to look at you and smile. I wonder if you are as nervous as I am and I wonder if you are as excited as I am as well.

I love you chubkins. This is all happening so fast, and by tomorrow it will be the first day of a memory that lasts us a lifetime. I wish we could slow today down and live in the happy and beautiful moments, but we'll have to settle for real-time.

I love you and I'm looking forward to seeing you today and being your wife for the next forty-to-fifty years. :)

Love,

Your chub

The Final Countdown to Our Wedding,

Well,

It's the final countdown. All has not been perfect, things have definitely gone wrong, but I'm betting on the day being beautiful. I'm marrying the love of my life, what could be greater than that? Getting to that moment might be tough, but once I'm there, I know it will be all I've ever dreamed of.

Our engagement photos came out beautifully....
They were taken by Tom Forrest. If you are looking for a Wedding Photographer in the Cleveland/Akron area, click here to contact him. His pictures are wonderful and he is wonderful at making you feel beautiful while taking the pictures!

Here are some of my favorites.

Love is a Many Splendored Thing...

As of this Friday we are exactly 30 days before the wedding! So much to be done!! Tomorrow is our engagement photo session and the weeks that follow are full of "bridal hair tests" and bridal showers and other get-togethers and parties that will culminate in "I Do."

I have to thank Laura and my bridesmaids for putting together the wedding shower. The invitations are very cool, maybe I'll take a shot to post. EVERYONE thinks they are adorable.
(my boss brought it in this morning to show me and tell me how adorable they are).

I bought my wedding shoes yesterday - I don't want to spoil the surprise, but they are pretty non-traditional. I also bought jewelry for the photos tomorrow that I will probably return. I bought it in a misguided moment of wedding blindness. (Wedding Blindness = ability to spend way more money on an item than ever before in your life because you "only get married once.")

Yesterday was also the final fitting for my wedding dress. It fit - and it wasn't nearly as tight as when I bought it, owing to the 15+ pounds I've lost in the past few months. Hopefully we can keep that trend up, although I have a feeling that the stress of the event and the honeymoon will destroy my progress ;). The dress looked beautiful and perfect - I hope Izzy thinks so when I'm walking down the aisle.

Exhausted

Sorry that we haven't been writing much lately. I guess getting married is an exhausting proposition. Add that to Izzy's third year of residency and my new job that is whisking me off to Dallas for a week and I guess it adds up to a bad case of exhaustion. At least emotionally. We sat tonight and tested cake flavors and filling combinations before his pager went off multiple times and he had to head back to the hospital to see two patients. I think I'm beginning to hate the hospital. I try not to, hospitals are good places where people get made well. But the call of the hospital takes Izzy away, something I'll just have to get used to.

Anyway, I'll try to motivate Izzy to write (he probably will when I'm not here to bug him) and I'll try to find down to get some of life down on paper. Lately it's been a little disappointing with the wedding. Hopefully everyone will come around and it will get better soon. Hasta luego everyone. See you all after Dallas.

Checklist

Bride: check
Groom: check
Parents: check
Bridal Party: check
Pastor: check
Pre-marriage counseling: check
Marriage counseling book: check
Invitations: check
Church: check
Reception site: check

I'm an idiot

I'm an idiot, and I don't even have PMS to blame. I'm a fool and today I'm sick, and it's probably because I was a fool. I'm an idiot and let my emotions get the best of me. I just need to know that you forgive me for being an idiot and you still know who I really am and what I really meant when I said what I said. But I didn't say it right, at least not the first five times, because I'm an idiot.

We're getting married.....

We're getting married. The date has been set. The deposit has been paid. The marriage classes have commenced. There are 116 days until our wedding. I couldn't be more excited, in more ways than one. It's wonderful and still a little surreal. The milestones of my life are whizzing past and the days go faster and faster. I'm so glad I found the person who will hold my hand as each one passes.

Guess What Izzy and I did Tonight...

Our first real date was a concert at the House of Blues almost one year ago. Israel mentioned that he wanted to see the Gavin DeGraw and Rachel Yamagata concert and I was dying to go on another date with him, so I ended up buying the tickets for $80 from a ticket broker. I remember trekking out to the far East side to pick up the tickets and getting my nails done the day of the concert. It was one of the best dates in the history of dates. I have to give a shout out to "Dee," a woman in the crowd with us who had driven from some distant place to see the concert only days before her brain surgery. She saw the way we looked at one another and asked if we were married. When we said no, she told Israel that he would marry me and that he should never let such a special lady go. The next time we went to the House of Blues for Daniel Powter, another woman told us the very same thing. We've had an attachment to the House of Blues and their intimate concert setting ever since.

Today Brandi Carlile came to the House of Blues. Yep, the Brandi Carlile who sings our song "The Story." We saw her in L.A. last year and Israel has been a fan for a long time. In fact, she was on the first mix c.d. that Israel ever gave me. Of course we had to be there. I gave Israel two tickets for his birthday back in April and of all the concerts we were looking forward to, this was the one we were looking forward to the most. The concert was amazing! If you haven't had the opportunity to see Brandi live, I would recommend watching for tickets in your area.

She played a few songs that we really enjoy and during "Closer to You" Izzy caught a guitar pick that she tossed into the audience:

Izzy caught Brandi Carlile's Pick

Finally, after so many songs that we love, the chords to our song "The Story" rang out of the guitar...

What a Testament

What a testament to the power of God's love my relationship is. Oh, and FYI: I don't even usually like the word "testament" unless it's in the phrase "new testament." I'm typically shy about sharing my religious convictions in a public forum, although just about any friend or acquaintance I have has been listening to me talk about my religious journey the past year. So why not go public with my experience? The fear of being judged - but that's o.k. I just watched Little Miss Sunshine; I feel very empowered.

I've had very strong religious convictions since I was a little girl. That's not to say that I was an expert at living it out; in that regard I failed early and often. I remember my first communion and getting into trouble for messing with the kneeler during practice the day before. I also remember not being able to find a dress that I liked and I remember my mom giving me a pretty crystal rosary just like hers as a First Communion gift. I went to catholic school in middle school. I remember trying to weasel my way into the line for Mass every Friday (before they had us split off boy-girl-boy-girl) so that I'd be next to my crush and could hold his hand during the Our Father.

I made my confirmation and felt like I was the only one in my class who chose a saint based on her life and not the attractiveness of her picture in the book. My confirmation name was Margaret after a saint who lived a horribly painful life devoted to the Sacred Heart of Christ. I read books on her and prayed for guidance in my choice. I remember making the vows of my confirmation and being anointed by the Bishop. It was a beautiful ceremony - they were all beautiful ceremonies.

Faith was the root of my family and something we held dear...

Merry Easter!

Yep, that's right, Merry Easter. I think photos tell it best:

Izzy and Christina looking beautiful.

The kids - a cute picture, except for the large
snowflake obstructing my upper lip.

The released balloons didn't get very far!

With My Tail Between My Legs

I was here the whole night having romantic cinematic epiphanies and chatting with old friends, and I forgot to wash his scrubs. Now it's 2 a.m. and he's doing laundry after a 12-hour shift. I wish he would let me do it now, but he won't, whether it be for chivalry or guilt. I did, for the record, cry during both Elizabeth Town and The Lake House. The Lake House was a shocker. I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. Too bad during my girly-movie marathon I didn't remember to throw in a load of scrubs. I'm off to bed now, with my tail between my legs.

Mumblings

Just a thought: Don't speed in parking lots. Because, when you get to the end of a lane, someone going the speed-limit might be there, and you might not see them before you nearly run them over. Another thought: Pay attention to the signs in parking lots - they usually tell you who has the right-of-way. If it isn't you, you are probably pulling out in front of me (yeah me, the person with the right-of-way), and if it is you, you are probably just sitting there picking your nose or looking around like a startled animal, waiting for someone to make a move. Easter shopping was a nightmare today, but the parking lots were even more of a nightmare.

It's ok though, because now my blood pressure has sunk back to a normal level. I enjoyed putting the easter basket together, and I just started watching Elizabethtown. I've been watching it for 15 minutes and I can tell that it's going to make me cry my eyes out at some point. Good, I could use a good cry. Anyway - happy Easter everyone. Drive safe.

"The Story" of Our Song

Izzy and I saw Brandi Carlile perform in Los Angeles when we visited California. Izzy has been a fan for a long time, I'm guessing she's one of his "new music Tuesdays" iTunes finds. The concert at the Sunset Strip House of Blues was part of a very romantic trip where we strolled hand-in-hand on the Santa Monica Pier with a twinkling ferris wheel, played in the spray on Laguna Beach and visited the baby Panda bears in San Diego.

Happy Birthday Dear Izzy, Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Izzy!

Israel turns 27 today. It wasn't the easiest of days to plan since Izzy is spending the month of April in Peds ER. That means late shifts galore and long periods of time without a day off. Luckily (or so we thought) Izzy had most of today of. Unluckily (that's more like it, right Izzy?) one of his O.B. patients delivered four weeks early. Instead of having a relaxing time, we weren't even sure if we would have time together on his birthday. It all turned out well though, she delivered quickly and we visited the Spaghetti Warehouse for a late dinner. Izzy got to open one gift on his birthday, a pair of V-moda Vibe headphones (I hope you liked them). So - happy birthday baby. I love you.

(And for anyone who reads the blog and made it to Izzy's surprise party on Friday - thanks!)

Orchids in the Office

This week marked my second week at my first full-time job (as a Dec 06 graduate) as a project coordinator for a market research firm. In all of my job hunting and choice-making, I neglected to think about the fact that you spend more of your life in your office than you do in just about anywhere else. The people and environment at work can have a large influence on your personal life. I spent more hours with my boss this week than with my boyfriend. It's a very good thing that she and I are hitting it off. After a week of sitting at an impersonal (but nice) desk, I decided it was time to add some color, life and "Julie."

What I came up with, after hours of completely piecemeal shopping at various stores and shops, is a strangely Zen blend of elements that makes me feel at home with my desk. Most surprising, even with all the Julie touches, it still looks like a business. Izzy was afraid it would look like a den of Bohemian gypsies. My favorite part is some beautiful orchids that I found. I'm so afraid that I'm going to kill them, I had to take some pictures. So, here it is for your viewing pleasure: my first office as a professional (and my precariously fragile orchids).

Peep or Grub - you decide!

Having been known as marshmallow for a while, I am not too sensitive to nicknames that deal with my cute chubbiness. The two new candidates for top name are Peep and Grub. Peep is in the same family as marshmallow, but it also has to do with my originality. I am supposedly the purple peep among yellow peeps. Grub came from a recent episode of Bizarre Foods. They showed these Amazonian grubs that were cute little squirmy chubs. Even if they were cute - I'm not sure that being called a grub is desirable. Larvae is not cute...

So, what's your vote? Don't worry, I'll find time for more substantive posts as soon as life calms down. In the meantime - here I am...

This picture is from Dizzy Girl.

"Spring Ahead" makes me fall behind

Tonight is possibly the worst possible night to "spring ahead." For the past few weeks I've been getting to bed relatively early in the evening, but not tonight. Tonight I was at Kinkos well past 2 a.m. I had a working weekend that culminated in a late night printing trip. So yes, springing ahead one hour is going to make me fall even further behind in sleep tonight. All of this probably wouldn't be worth mention, except I have a thank you to write.

Thank you, Izzy.

I started working around 10 a.m. this morning and finished around - well, now. Beyond my "work" work, I had a lot of house work and cleaning to handle. Our weekend was packed full and tonight was supposed to be my night to get the laundry done and pick up the apartment. Instead of pointing out my mess or complaining about my laundry lying about, Izzy let me work away on my project without saying one word.

You are my Sunshine Lyrics, Norman Blake

The other night dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

You Are My Sunshine

It has been such a long time since I have felt the sinking feeling at the very real threat of losing someone that I truly love. You say you love someone every day; you postulate on your future together and how things might go if one of you wasn't there for one reason or another. Sigh. I want to write it out in plain English and explore the full range of my feelings here on this blog, but it isn't a private enough space. While the manifesto is good, it doesn't mean that others are capable of respecting its every tenet. The long and the short of it is, for a brief moment today I felt like I might lose Izzy. The most devastating part of that moment was that, in spite of all our disagreements big and small, this particular situation is outside of my control completely. It is something important to Izzy and to me that neither one of us have control of. Just for the briefest of seconds he mentioned that his options were to stay and adapt or leave - and the mere mention stopped my heart completely. All seems to be well between us, he was only describing the options, but I have this indescribable feeling of unrest in my stomach.

Izzy has been my knight in shining armor (to use a cliche and banal phrase). I haven't felt as happy or content as I feel with him since my father was alive. I feel alive again, for the first time in years. Coming back to Izzy is the happiest part of any day.

100 Things About Julie

1. I am in love with my best friend
2. I am fluent in conversational spanish
3. I have played the violin since I was 8 years old
4. I favor the cool colors - blue, purple and green
5. I was a unicorn collector for many, many years
6. Night Noises was my favorite childhood book
7. All six people in my immediate family have names that start with J
8. Lake Powell in Colorado was named after a relative of mine
9. I have been compared to concentrated orange juice - intense
10. I am both logical and emotional, but my emotions take the wheel more often than not

Introducing...

Well Undisclosed Location fans, I'm introducing...myself. Hi. This is Julie, Izzy's future wife...whoops, I mean, uh...er....well, Izzy's TBA.

Anyway, as we have grown very close over the past year, we have had many occasions to write together and talk often about creating a blog together.

Instead of starting from square one, I had the bright idea to pick up the posting slack on Undisclosed Location and write about the ever-important life issues I face every day. Most of these life issues involve me hinting at serious commitments with Izzy, but occasionally I have an interesting lucid thought about a relevant issue. I am an avid consumer of popular culture and I enjoy sharing information that others might find useful, or just funny and entertaining.

I am hoping that the witty banter between Izzy and I will be enjoyed by Undisclosed regulars and friends moving over from my old blog. I am also hoping that this blog continues its tradition of being a repository for Izzy's hospital adventures.

I am a little sad that he didn't want to do the honors of introducing me, but he said something about bad luck or bad juju and handed me the keyboard.

So - Hello! So glad to be writing here at Undisclosed Location.