Chapter 8 | Cows that Can't Spell

In my senior year of college, I narrowed my job potential to the field of marketing and landed an unpaid internship with two Chick-fil-A franchises in Austin. The best part about this gig besides the chicken nuggets was the flexibility and getting to know my manager, Sarah and her artsy boyfriend Chad who would help run trivia nights at one of the stores in an effort to secure more traffic from the nearby private university. Besides helping out with events, including prepping and stuffing all these cow prizes with coupons that fell from the ceiling in the Frank Erwin Center (#glamorous) when we sponsored the UT Basketball game, I was managing their social media posts on the reg.

This was the first time I was really exposed to Twitter and learned how to use the social media management tool, Hootsuite. It surprised me that each location had their own Facebook account since the stores do so many different family-centered events. I remember we decorated one of the stores like a castle for a Mother-son date "knight" out, complete with gold chocolate coins & a photo booth. Another special project I helped with was reaching out to mom bloggers when we launched our new kids' menu. We also featured the launch of a new milkshake flavor & other desserts.

At only 5-10 hours a week or so, it was a great internship, exposing me to event coordination, marketing promotions, and social media. Chick-fil-A is a great company and aims to produce quality food and build relationships in the community - I was able to see this firsthand and will forever be a fan!

As for the same-sex marriage controversy, I was no longer in this position when it blew up in the summer of 2012. I didn't follow it too closely then, but just spent some time digging into the core argument. Unfortunately, I think Chick-fil-A got caught in the crossfire and became a symbol in a nation filled with opposing views. Here's some interesting articles I came across:

What did Dan Cathy say?

A fact checking site to help you understand the order of events. 

A story about an unlikely friendship.

This humorous segment.

This thoughtful gesture.

Craving a chicken sandwich, complete with pickles :)

- SJW 

Thoughts on the New Year | 2018

Reflecting on these excerpts & the turning of a new year has me thinking about my life - who I am, what I want, what's important to me, and my desire to grow & change. Overall, I'm hoping 2018 is a deepening year for me. Less surfacey, less spread out - in my time, thoughts, and relationships. I want to deepen my marriage, my relationships with friends, my faith, and my knowledge about the world, history, and decisions around me.

So in the year ahead, I hope to:

1) Press in to some hot topics with Mr. Fleece including faith, children, community, sex, health, our default communication patterns. Oh boy!
2) Establish a few relational rhythms i.e. once a month game night with friends, once a month happy hour with LN, once a week walks with AO, block off Mondays for having people over and Thursdays as a night to stay home. Get to know our new neighbors!
3) Continue reading the Bible and thinking through what I believe and why. I'm currently reading What the Bible Really Teaches about Homosexuality by Kevin Deyoung and considering some of R.C. Sproul's writings as well. Goals here - not to be passive. not to be cynical. not to be lukewarm. not to fall into confirmation bias.
4) Read my daily Skimm news, watch documentaries, listen to NPR, and take several free online courses from Coursera in the topics of women and gender studies, child development, and more!

And like most other middle-class white girls...workout 2-3 times a week (yay for ClassPass!), eat healthy (purchase leafy greens every time I'm at the grocery store and limit my sweets-intake), and travel (ski trip to Whistler, family visit in Duluth, MN, camping throughout Washington, Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, and High School Reunion in Texas around Thanksgiving).

Cheers to the year of the dog!

- SJW

Stories Squared | Recent Reflections

I recently finished reading Humans of New York Stories by Brandon Stanton and am reminded once again at how many people there are in our world and how vast their experiences can be from my own. Not always comfortable talking about myself with others, I'm often surprised at how open people can be about the more painful and intimate details of their life. From heartache and guilt, to aspirations and family, this photographic book covers a variety of brief interview topics, stretching the boundaries of emotions and backgrounds.

I enjoy how big cities bring all these people together, whether or not they live and operate in the same social circles or business places, one thing is certain, they cross paths on the same streets and share a connection to a specific place. There are commonalities among us all and I want to expand my empathy toward others, replacing snap-judgement with a listening and inquisitive ear. This applies to those closest to me including Mr. Fleece and family as well as people I walk by that I might not actually speak with.

Up next, some actions I hope to take on these reflections. 

SJW

2018 | A Year of the Classics

Reading is probably my number one hobby, neck and neck with going on walks with my pup. Curling up with a solid story paired with well-penned imagery or a factual account of someone's life or world event has me hooked. The same medium is an entrance to unstoppable learning and memorable entertainment.

This year my favorite reads were Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, and The Sun and her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. I sense a themed crossover of classic literature and required school reading :)

With that in mind, I'm hoping to make 2018 'a year of the classics' and aim to try the following. I say "try" because I'm becoming a more firm believer in the mantra that if you don't like a book, just put it down and pick out another one.

These are my Nonfiction picks: 

That's one book a month with I'm sure, others sprinkled in between. 

To the library,

SJW

Things that Comedians Say

Growing up, my father and I would watch the show where everything's made up and the points don't matter with Drew Carey, Wayne Brady, Laura Hall, and the rest of the gang. This fall, I got to see Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops in person as part of the Whose Live is it Anyway? tour - tickets from Mr. Fleece for my birthday! Since then, I've been exploring comedy from the comforts of my own couch :) I read Steve Martin's Born Standing Up - by no means a great book, but it was interesting to get more of the backstory on the man who played"Mr. George Banks", aka the Father of the Bride. Did you know he started as a magician and worked at Disneyland!?

I also watched Jerry Seinfeld's Jerry Before Seinfeld (full feature on Netflix) in which he reminisces about his early days and tells the same jokes from his first stand up show. You know it's comedy gold when it's still funny so many years later.
"I'm left-handed. Left-handed people do not like that the word 'left' is so often associated with negative things: Two left feet, left-handed compliments, 'What are we having for dinner?' 'Leftovers'. You go to a party, there's nobody there. 'Where'd they go?' 'They left.'"

That took me down a comedy slide and I've been enjoying many comedy shows on Netflix. It's the mixture of delivery, story-telling, pop culture references, hyperbole, crazy antics, weird sounds, facial expressions, off-beat wording, and the "that's so true"mixed with "I can't believe they just said that" aspect of whatever it is they're saying.

Just this week I secured last minute tickets (20 minutes before showtime) to see John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at The Paramount in Seattle. So good! He has fairly clean content - lots of stories from his childhood and his Catholic-lawyer parents with a fair amount of self-depreciating humor mixed in. When he loops back to an earlier joke in his set, making you laugh even harder, you know he's good :) You can find two of his shows on Netflix The Comeback Kid and New in Town. 
"I was once on the telephone with Blockbuster Video...which is a very old-fashioned sentence." 

Mike Birbiglia - this guy is great and my current favorite. Admittingly some off-color humor but he does a really good job of mixing in jokes while he's taking you on one big themed conversation, weaving in sidebar stories and even some sentimental insights effortlessly. He has three different shows currently on Netflix. I started with My Girlfriend's Boyfriend but also really like his Thank God for Jokes. 
"I know. I'm in the future also."
"So what late people don't understand about us on-time people is that we hate you. And the reason why we hate you is it's so easy to be on time. You just have to be early. And early lasts for hours."

Dmitri Martin: Live (At the Time) - Some cursing but overall a very very dry sense of humor. Mostly short disconnected bits that are centered on puns and word play :) He does some drawings and clever observational commentary using a guitar & harmonica too.
"I have an L-shaped sofa - lower case."
"Food is tricky, like milk: It starts out good, then it becomes bad, then it becomes disgusting, then it becomes dangerous, then it becomes cheese. Way to turn it around, milk!"

Brian Regan - A classic full-nonsense comedian. He's known for his clean content and exaggerated, sarcastic humor. He has several great routines, but the one I could watch over and over again in Brian Regan: StandingUp because anticipating the punch line/quoting along with him is twice as good. Mr. Fleece can recite "Flight Delayed" and "Baby Books" almost word for word.
"So when you do board, the first class people, they're sitting there. A lot of them are working as you're boarding. They have computers out and calculators. They're looking up at you like, 'Hey, we're making money right now! Right now we're making money.'"

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is up next on my list!

Take luck, 

-SJW

Chapter 7 | Break a Sweat

I had a "Jillian Michaels" phase to my career where I taught group fitness classes at the University of Texas RecSports Center. It actually started off when a friend of mine invited me to take a water aerobics class with her. Never a great swimmer myself, I actually enjoyed the aquatic activities since you were either always touching the floor of the pool or had a float to keep you buoyant. Jumping jacks or 'stars' in the water, hopping on one foot down and back, superman-suntan - it was all pretty low-key and definitely low-impact. Somehow I ended up as a substitute instructor for the class and from there applied/auditioned to teach both a Dance Aerobics & Step class a la Richard Simmons.

I'm not one to be super vocal or authoritative, but there was something about those smaller groups of mostly women coming to workout. When they walked in that mirrored room, I fell into the role they expected me to play - encouraging, upbeat, instructive leader! I choreographed various routines and practiced them with the 8-count-pop-music-remixes the program provided and then taught them to the participants. It always made me glad to see my ideas come to fruition. As a teacher I could go to an unlimited number of class for free so I picked up helpful techniques, ideas, and exercises along the way! It was a great way to stay in shape. There was also a brief stint where I worked at the UTRecSports welcome desk, filing memberships, helping sort out locker issues, setting up massage appointments etc. The entire UTRecSports team was amazing and I will always be thankful for the supportive collegiate environment. Mr. Fleece and I even played racquetball a few times in that building!

In that same vein, I pursued an internship with ActiveATX, a start-up biz that curated an online list of all the workout studios/gyms and exercise classes across Austin. I blogged for them by going to various workout classes - everything from Crossfit to ballet. I tried yoga and kayaking and even a meditation class that I will never forget. Trying new things and crafting a unique angle to describe the experience and sharing it with our followers challenged my creativity. Perhaps like most writers, I cringe a little when I go back to read my posts. The business itself must have tanked because I can't locate the website or any of the old content. I had fun while it lasted!

These days, it's often a struggle to work out. Difficult to motivate myself, I'm still drawn to my group fitness friends. I recently signed up for Class Pass, which is essentially everything I ever wanted in an exercise routine. I'm able to sign up for a variety of classes across the city so I don't get bored :) I can be kickboxing on Monday, spinning on Wednesday, and sculpting on Friday. I've been enjoying barre the best and have been challenged by the instructors at Pure Barre and FlyWheel. Recovering from some cold symptoms, I'm hoping to re-establish a routine soon to grow stronger, more flexible, and improve my mood. Like Mr. Fleece says, it's an investment into our future selves. When I'm 70 years old+ I want to be able to be nimble & strong, able to put on my own shoes.

Chasing down those 5 pounds,

-SJW 

Chapter 6 | Yeehaw & Country Twang

The summer after my junior year, I decided to try and find an internship that was more specific to my major in communications. I applied to several and landed an unpaid internship with KASE 101, a country music radio station in Austin, TX. I don't think I've ever done something more quintessentially Texan in my life! I supported their morning show along with two other gals. Translation: I woke up at 4:30am several times a week and did a bunch of random stuff for Bama, Rob, and Heather and the Producer, Matt Kasper. 

We edited some of the morning show clips, choosing the best sound bites and posting online, pulled miscellaneous celebrity gossip for them to talk about, answered the phones for the "be the 11th caller" segments, and wrote entries for our intern blog Cubicle Chronicles. Beyond that, we pursued a variety of random projects that they could talk about on-air like eating donut tacos and testing whether we could back-angle parallel park in the new spots along South Congress. It was also the summer where planking and cone-ing were in fashion, so we of course did both. 

Most summers I'll dip a toe back into my country music phase and enjoy the ballads featuring lovers, fighters, and drinkers. Here are some of my current favorites:

1. Pulls at my highschool sweetheart-strings

2. This one gives me all the feels

3. Happy & bouncy 

And then you have this one that doesn't really sound country but is on repeat every hour, right next to these ridiculous lyrics and this deep drawl. 

And there you have it, my six-song country playlist :) Cat's out of the bag. 

 

- SJW