It’s been tough for Broncos fans since John Elway retired. Our quarterbacks have often failed to the point of being run out of town, we haven’t yet found our long-term coaching solution, and it’s been five whole years since we’ve been to the playoffs.

Enter Tim Tebow, who arrived at a perfect time for Broncos fans to regain hope.

Tebow, to Broncos fans, is a welcome change. We know we can’t re-live the Elway days and we’re getting used to the idea that there are new things defining the sports culture in Colorado – and Tebow defines this new era.

Source: Globe and Mail

It’s tough not to form an opinion about the kid. He’s instantly controversial for both his gameplay and his faith. He famously supports the Colorado Springs-based Christian evangelical organization Focus on the Family, which, as a rather liberal individual, I abhor. But just months after the Super Bowl advertisement that drew national controversy, Tebow was drafted by the Broncos and landed his controversy smack dab in the middle of the Mile High City.

It’s true that Tebow lays it on heavy with his faith; he doesn’t reach a mic without praising Jesus Christ. But I haven’t found it as off-putting as many others seem to; I’ve learned to tune out the evangelicals, mostly because I realize that it’s their right to declare their faith just as much as it is my right to disagree with it. It isn’t a particularly odd belief that we should all be allowed to speak our minds without harming others. Plenty of other athletes go out of their way with thanking God, pointing towards the sky, praying during games, and so forth – but apparently it’s much more controversial when Tebow does it.

What really disappoints me is there’s just so much hate surrounding it. Just search “Teblow” on Twitter, for example. Plenty of other people have written about this; I’ve found some great pieces discussing what’s really hateful about the situation, that faith (in anything) can potentially make one look ridiculous, and the possibility that perhaps people really just don’t like the religion factor.

It doesn’t make sense to dislike him for his accomplishments on the field; in his first 8 starts, he actually did pretty well (others have even pointed out that his stats could compare to Elway’s), so it’s not like he isn’t living up to at least some of the hype. And yes, he’s been criticized as being a sub-par starting QB for his throwing style – but his mechanics are getting noticeably better and even the CBS announcers mentioned it on today’s coverage. Despite today’s loss against New England feeling pretty rough, wasn’t it widely anticipated that Tom Brady, a modern-day titan, would lead his Pats to a victory over the Broncos? Tebow still has a pretty solid record as a starter at 7-2. The reality is that Tebow has won more than he’s lost, even if it’s by the seat of his pants.

Tebow has also been served well by much more than his faith; he’s benefited greatly from his energy, determination, and will to believe in general. He chalks it up to God giving him the strength to win, but I chalk it up to his attitude – and maybe he isn’t the next John Elway, but he has to have some kind of an edge as a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion. When you tune out the religious chatter, the things that come out of his mouth seem slightly naïve but are also incredibly uplifting; he thanks his teammates more than he thanks Jesus, he puts the negatives behind him and strives to be better, and he doesn’t utter a single bitter or nasty word.

The bottom line is that Tim Tebow is a nice guy. On the field, he tells his opponents that he appreciates them and he supports his teammates with incredibly empowering words. Off the field, he’s building a hospital in the Philippines with funds from his foundation. He’s encouraging the kids who got suspended for Tebowing – you know, kneeling in prayer while everybody around you is doing something else – to follow the rules because it’s in the best interest of them and their classmates. He may extend his Christian sentiment a little far, but it’s not fair game to pick on his religion – especially since he has steered clear of explicitly involving the more controversial (read: bigoted) elements of the evangelical tenets that inflame and enrage many of us.

The hate will probably stick around for a while, but one thing is clear to me: regardless of all the hate that comes Timmy’s way, I highly doubt he could churn out even the smallest fraction of hate in return. In fact, the hate probably fuels him in some convoluted way; how satisfying is it to know that despite people counting on you to fail, you cleanly and humbly find success?

Win or lose, I’m enjoying every minute Tim Tebow spends in the spotlight and I’m glad Denver is where it’s happening. The Tebow hate? Well, guess it can’t hurt anyone else but the bitter souls who create it.

Doesn't it just make your skin crawl? (Photo by louento.pix)

Have you ever gotten bed bugs?

Me, I haven’t. That’s astounding, considering an old boyfriend of mine lived in an apartment complex notorious for bed bugs. He couldn’t move out of there, though, pretty much because he was perpetually broke and rent control is something you don’t want to let go of when you’re smack dab in the middle of a popular town like Boulder. Bed bugs can be tolerable for some people in those cases, even if spray after spray fails and the bill from purchasing aloe at the drug store for the incessant bites is starving your wallet. Some people can just tolerate it.

Well, I can’t. I freak out at the possibility of bed bugs. I’m always vigilant, checking the mattress and washing my sheets as often as humanly possible just to make sure I haven’t picked up any hitchhikers at a conference or during a trip. You could say I’m paranoid.

I’m the same way about friendships nowadays. I’ve always been a little protective of myself in social situations — being excluded as “that weird foreign girl” or “the one who skipped a grade” will do that to you (and I’m not even foreign, but my mother is foreign enough for the narrow-minded sort in my hometown). I’m always afraid that one person could ruin an entire social life for me. I guess I haven’t been vigilant enough, as it sort of feels like that’s happening right now.

That ex-boyfriend of mine, for a reason I brush off as lacking the tact to avoid my discomfort with bed bugs, described getting bed bugs as an attack. They were an attack on the very first thing he went to for comfort: his bed. One’s sleeping arrangement has an immensely powerful impact on a broad scope of life’s daily matters; ruin one’s sleep and you could destroy that person’s psyche, happiness, and productivity for at least an entire day. The same thing happens with a social parasite, especially if you’re sensitive (like a light sleeper would be in relation to bed bugs); not only can a social parasite damage an otherwise reasonably good day, they can make the rest of your social life absolute hell.

I have a fair amount of anxiety every single day. That’s just how I am. And I’ve been spoiled that my life has been relatively stable; the unfortunate circumstances I’ve faced during my early months in San Diego showed me just how lucky I had it when I didn’t worry as much about relationships, employment, housing, etc. — you know, all those things that define stability and ultimately define the state of anxiety. But I’m still lucky, as I’ve gotten over the bulk of the instability, uncertainty, and anxiety-inducing problems that seemed to plague me from just four days into my San Diego excursion.

Except for that little bed bug problem.

Just like my ex-boyfriend described to me, it came at me like an attack. I hadn’t anticipated it. I hadn’t asked for it. In fact, I had worked actively to prevent it, and really, it felt like it came out of nowhere. Maybe I’m naïve, but I thought a cool hand and an honest approach might’ve worked best; just like an inexpensive insecticide from the hardware store, I confronted this sudden problem openly and smoothly. Why not? I thought this person was reasonable.

Actually, naïve really is the right way to describe me. In a lot of situations. It took me too long to realize that I actually needed to arm myself with much worse — strong words that worked a bit more like DDT. Ya know, totally wrong, really damaging, and potent as all hell. And I needed to go on lockdown — like an infested apartment would need all cracks caulked, the mattress covered in plastic, and everything washed in the strongest stuff possible.

It worked. Kind of. Or so I thought. But the parasite wasn’t done yet. Gradually, my friends were getting bitten, and although they had some sympathy for me, in their eyes it was my fault. Some of them stopped coming around. I suddenly wasn’t invited to weddings, birthday parties, get-togethers I used to frequent… all because of this parasite.

It won’t go away. I don’t try to feed it, but my mere presence is just enough; bed bugs feed on mere presence of their subject, since they can bite and suck blood under the radar (kinda like mosquitoes) for a long time. And they can live for up to a year without eating, too! That’s how this situation feels to me. I hear the rumors without even having to look at the proof myself, and I’ve stopped looking at the proof; I don’t need to feel badly about myself because this parasite is trying to suck the life out of me. I have such great things going for me at the moment that I can’t risk being distracted by petty nonsense.

I’ve been straightforward and even tried to be nice; not for my sake, but for the sake of the bystanders who don’t like the tension. I’ve heard concerns from mutual friends who have asked on multiple occasions, “When are you going to solve this problem?” I’ve responded to people who bring up this issue by stating my side and admitting my faults. Yet the bites are still there, increasingly delusional and unwilling to concede this pure nastiness. It’s happened enough times that I’m rather certain it’s completely intentional.

I guess I’m as stubborn as that ex-boyfriend. I’m not going to vacate a place I love — a fantastic social circle, a city that holds a lot of promise for me — because of this feeding frenzy. I’ve asked my friends to stop feeding the parasite, too, as being exposed to this just makes me itchier and itchier all the time. All I want is to be left alone, which first means that my friends stop reporting this narcissist’s delusional manipulation, and secondly, that it stops with a mutual agreement to be civil. I don’t want people to take sides, either, but those who takes sides are just weeding themselves out as far as I’m concerned. It’s like this: I want to get a professional de-bugging, an entire spray of the whole damn place, but starting over by working it out would mean that the parasite starves.

I don’t want to be friends with the bed bug. I just wish this infestation would go away. But I’m realistic, and I know it won’t. All I’m asking is that it hops on over to someone else’s bed and bugs the hell out of them. I need some peace, quiet, and a good night’s sleep so I can focus on the things that matter to me.

So, Google+ has been out in the world for about a month now. I picked it up quickly – a friend at Google sent me an invite right away — and I have spent some decent time on it, consistently adding people to my stream and picking up new pieces of interesting material all the time.

Initially I had wondered if this was really something I’d still be looking at a month out. I had dropped both Buzz and Wave rather easily, despite many people calling both of them revolutionary and labeling them as game-changers. There are still the folks who are now declaring Google+ those such things, and although I’m still hesitant to agree with any of them, I don’t think Google+ will die off all that soon.

However, I’m wondering if it’s a little late for Google+. I’m not entirely sure that it can be embraced by people who aren’t “early adopters” of social media and have already established a solid relationship with Facebook. I get it when people tell me that they like how Google+ has achieved many of the things Facebook can’t seem to do — like put the focus back on content and eliminate functions such as games, applications, etc. — but that is coming from the relatively tech-savvy, up-to-date crowd. What about the crowd that just wants to connect with classmates from several decades ago and post photos of their new grandchildren? Will they switch to Google+? Will they even touch it? I mean, my dad’s still using Yahoo even though he has a Gmail account. I’m sure there are instances of the 55+ demographic making headway on Google+, but I have yet to see that appear. Who knows, though – it could be something that comes up a few years from now, as Facebook also started out with a younger demographic.

That younger demographic sets the tone, though. As George G. Smith, Jr., pointed out, Facebook started with college students. I’ll build onto that by saying this: Facebook didn’t necessarily set out to be a competitor of something as big as what it is currently, and that’s one challenge it did not have that Google+ has now. Sure, MySpace and Friendster existed back in ’05, but neither was the behemoth of social networking — a facet of the web not well-defined nor high-profile at the time — that Facebook is now. That said, it’s not like Google+ is really trying to be Facebook; it’s that, for practical purposes, the masses of people who use Facebook certainly define its power and relevancy, which is something Google+ has to compete against, goal or not.

Google+ is limited, but that’s its strength. Whether this remains its strength is something to be seen. Popular social media names such as Robert Scoble have already hit the 5,000-person limit for circles, something which may deter social media power-users but could encourage those like myself who are overwhelmed with Facebook, Twitter, and other services that beg too much attention be paid to too many voices with umpteen different modes. I and many other users — many of whom I subscribe to — seem to be in favor of the more minimal approach Google+ has taken to this new venture, eschewing the interactivity encouraged in Facebook’s wall posts, pokes, messages, etc., and instead adopting a format that breeds sharing but incorporates approval (the +1 function), interaction (commenting), and sharing — but few other stimuli. Instead, there are useful functions that are not singularly useful but multifaceted and complex; the entire concept of circles and how they function could be described with borderline sophisticated logic.

Overall, I feel less of an obligation to Google+ than I do Facebook, Twitter, or even Foursquare. I feel like I don’t need to constantly be posting material to “stay relevant” or be interesting on Google+. I haven’t yet felt the need to axe anyone from my circles, but I’ve found that I would like it to be easier to switch between different streams or hide/show different circles (as opposed to just looking at one circle at a time). But does this lack of obligation translate into less usage and ultimately less attention? Possibly, and that’s something to consider, especially if you’re looking at using Google+ for business. Also, it seems difficult to really pore through tons of comments and conversations, but I’m not so sure anyone has figured that out yet (not even Facebook).

What I do really like is the +1 button becoming more relevant; I’m excited to see if Google+ can take off with it beyond the tab of +1′s. So far it seems that Google+ is becoming a great new community for designers and photographers, perhaps because not all data is stripped from posted photos (that’s what I’ve read?) and because sharing images is rather easy. When it comes to new services, I’m open to trying things the way the creators intend it to be just as much as I’m intent on finding services that fit my needs — I think I need time before I really decide where Google+ fits into my routines.

I could nitpick more, but that’s about all I find significant in my thoughts about Google+. I’ll leave you with this excellent video that George made to help explain this new thing:

I do it every year and so should you.

I used to be of the Political Type.

Now that I’ve lived in San Diego for nearly two years, I have quite a few close friends here. They’re wonderful, and I adore them, and I usually find that they tend to know me rather well. However, they have yet to see a different side of me. See, 2012 is sneaking up on all of us, and it might as well already be 2012 – you’d think so, at least, if you tune in to any cable news channels and absorb the incredible amount of political news aired daily. Twenty-twelve means an awful lot to the Political Type: it’s the next presidential election, and even if the Mayans are right, it’s still gonna happen.

Most of my friends here in San Diego probably haven’t seen evidence that I used to be very, very political. (For the sake of simplicity, “political,” in this blog post, will refer to the overall American political scene.) I was quite adamant in my political beliefs, and it showed; I conducted most conversations in pol-speak, always seeking out the political nature behind any topic, cultural phenomenon, or newsworthy event. In high school, journalism became my most serious interest, and politics seemed to fit hand-in-hand. Although I still wanted to be a sports journalist at some point, I often found myself dreaming of that coveted front seat in the White House Briefing Room (if I can’t have Helen Thomas’ seat, I’m glad the AP does). My father and I also connect rather well over politics; he involved me in our local party’s activities from a very young age and we still talk about politics pretty much anytime we pick up the phone to chat.

The thing is, I’m not terribly political anymore. Well, at least not like I used to be. Okay, so I still post some things of a political nature on my Facebook, but that gets harder all the time; it’s tough to please everyone, and while that’s not really my goal when posting political items on Facebook, I like to keep my wall more happy and friendly than political and angry. I’ve seen some horrendous firestorms on Facebook walls, and while intelligent discussion is fantastic, it can easily spiral down into flame wars.

I don’t know exactly why I’m not as willing anymore to be political, but I think my political nature began to decline with a few developments:  I dated a political opposite at one point in college, a presidential candidate I supported actually won, and – like mentioned above – social media has seemed to change the ways I communicate.

When I was in a bit of a transition mode between maintaining a Xanga blog, my old Year in Sweden blog, and the WordPress blog that has become this blog, I wanted to switch gears a bit. At the time, WordPress blogs seemed far more flexible, but there seemed to be less of a community; I felt that I could generalize my writing, go back to my journalistic instincts, and document life rather than editorialize it (as I did on Xanga, where community interaction and privacy characterized the functionality). I worked on refining my opinions, if I were to introduce it quite plainly (as I did in pinpointing Hillary Clinton’s failures in 2008), all the while documenting my own experiences during the 2008 presidential campaign (as I did when Forest Whitaker visited my campus or when I participated in the caucus). This very slowly worked my less-articulate and more-personal (gossipy, even?) writings out of my blogging routine.

While by its definition, being “less political” doesn’t  entirely equate with “apolitical,” I’ve noticed that, on a case-by-case basis, I’ve gone against my political tendencies. I’ve sacrificed my eagerness to debate for my desire to avoid conflict. I can’t say I’ve turned down all good opportunities to debate, but I can say that I’ve become better at picking my battles (unlike in high school, when I was notorious for taking up anyone at all willing to argue it out). Honestly, I think it’s made me a better writer and a calmer person, and it’s also made my friends who disagree politically a little less afraid to bring up the issues with me.

So will I blog about the 2012 election? Will we see my dormant Political Type resurface? I’m not so sure about that. There’s plenty out there to read when it comes to criticizing the Republican field or speculating on the President’s strategies. Could a headline or particular topic grab me enough to write something? I wouldn’t count that out completely. But now that social media has been established as a ‘must’ for candidates, I think we’ll learn more than ever about our political climate and the way social media users react to politics much in the way I learned about myself during the last few elections.

Source: dailykos.com

Kids, bear with me: I haven’t decided yet if this is a very well-thought-out post or not. I tend to over-think things in the first place, so the difference between well-thought-out and over-thought can be a very fuzzy line at times.

But here’s the thing. It’s been gnawing at me for a while now, and came up again today.

I got called out today for something I posted on Twitter. It looked like I had been out on the town, except that I had actually been sick that day, and the day before, and the day after. What really happened is that while I was sick, a friend stopped in to say hi. It had been years since I’ve seen my friend, so I took a pic. And I posted it on Twitter. The photo made it look like I was well, but I wasn’t, and I’ve been hiding out and easing up on activities and work to get well.

See, I’ve been in rather mediocre health lately. Among other ailments, I had a sinus infection and bronchitis that stretched over two weeks. I’ve called in sick, bailed on parties, etc., not just in the last few weeks, but over the last few months. I feel (mostly) fine, but you know, it’s a drag to not feel well. I’ve had a lot of doctor’s appointments and visits to urgent care, and it feels like I’ve been sick all of 2011 so far.

No, this isn’t really about being being sick. And it’s not about perception, though it really could be. (Also, I’m sure my boss will eventually read this. What up, boss man? Your bracket is killin’ it right now, holy moly.)

This isn’t even about what I post on Twitter.

It’s more what I don’t post, and why. It’s what I don’t talk about. It’s what women shouldn’t have to talk about. However, it’s about what women should be able to talk about if they want to.

When someone (a woman) bails on something, whether it be work or plans, on the premise of being sick, sometimes it isn’t cut-and-dry (sorry for the unfortunate pun). Sometimes there are things in play that aren’t straightforward, like the flu or a migraine, and those things — yes,  that… and more — aren’t ailments for which you pop a pill (or in some cases they are), nor are they straight-up, bona-fide, stay-in-bed illnesses. But they aren’t convenient for work, a vibrant social life, or just about anything that demands a particular level of attention and uninterrupted put-togetherness.

Now, I’m not going to burden you with graphic details about reproductive health, intimate details about sexual health, moaning about ovaries and uteri and whatnot (sorry, had to throw it in there for effect), because… that’s exactly what I don’t want to do.

Not in social media.

Not in real life.

No, ladies. Nobody wants to hear about your ovaries. Nobody wants to hear about you being on the rag. Not even your boyfriend. And certainly not your boss.

Tampon pillows. Or something. Source: The Art and Craft of Toy Design

There are privacy reasons for not wanting to talk about these things, even excluding the gross-out factor. But when you call in sick or revoke your RSVP to your best friend’s birthday party, those people who were expecting you there are going to want to know why you won’t be showing up. Sometimes a simple “I can’t make it” just doesn’t work. Quite often, love interests / dates / boyfriendish males don’t get it, either. For example, a few weeks ago:

Him: “You aren’t going to make it? But why not? I thought you wanted to go.”

Me: “I can’t, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

Him: “If you’re broke, I can pay for you. I was going to pay for you anyways.”

Me: “No, it’s not that. I have money, it’s all good.”

Him: “Really? Wait, are you mad about that one thing I said?”

Me: (thinking) Effing heck. Come on, seriously? What do I have to say? Jeez, do you want a lie at this point? You’re going to think the truth is gross. You’re going to figure it out anyways… or are you? Remind me, why am I dating you?!

(awkward pause)

Me: “Tee. Em. Eye. T-M-I. Too much info. You don’t want to know.”

(more silence)

Him: “Oh. Okay. Um, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

click.

Sure, that’s easy. Sometimes it works. I’m not one to push even a white lie on anyone — I’m a lousy liar — but I’m also not one who wants to share with you every detail of my personal experience living in a female body.

But when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. And you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even if that initial avoidance skates you past once, eventually — when you bail for a second time, or your authenticity and credibility are questioned — it comes up again. Then what do you say? Can you really avoid it one more time?

And what if you actually do want to talk about it, minus the grizzly details, but it’s not about privacy?

I, like other females, have reproductive health issues, whether we like it or not, that can make or break health, but can also change (or create!) entire lives. (Okay, I know, that’s the point, right? All wordplay aside, it’s true.) Men have reproductive health issues, too, it’s the human condition — but they aren’t facing the same politicization, social stigma, or punishment regarding those issues. So this really isn’t about just me, either; it’s about other women out there. But I can’t speak for everyone, so I’m speaking for myself:

It isn’t really an issue of whether or I want to talk about it or not, it’s that I don’t want to be judged on how I handle reproductive health issues.

And a woman can and will be judged on it whether she chooses to remain discreet or not — damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

While a society that is almost entirely open about reproductive health is nice — I found that such a thing exists while living in Sweden — America does not constitute as one of those societies. Even in a typical, daily situation, minus the gore, the very mention of an innocent topic regarding reproductive health is bound to catch some flak. Some “ewws.” Some utterances of “gross” or “TMI.” And it really shouldn’t be that way — but it is.

And it won’t be changing anytime soon.

I’ve whittled it down to two three questions now:

1. Is it that we, as a society, as evident in our treatment of Planned Parenthood and Roe v. Wade, simply ashamed to maturely and reasonably discuss women’s reproductive health?

Or is it that…

2. …we, as a society (again, as evident in our treatment of Planned Parenthood and Roe v. Wade), are just that unwilling to treat reproductive health (and all things “down there”) as a legitimate, important, and reasonable health issue that demands care and attention?

3. Then I asked one just for myself: do I want this privacy because of social consequences, or have I adopted the view that this is unacceptable to discuss, only because society has decided it’s unacceptable? It’s a fine line, but the distinction is important.

The short answer: yes, yes, and both. The long answer is more about asking, “To what extent?” Who knows? But I think those of us who are asking those questions are not the ones who should be self-critical about the matter.

Unfortunately, the more I think about that long answer, the more I don’t like the answer, which brings me back to the reality at hand. What can I do if I can’t talk about it? Besides vote, sign petitions, and, well, vote?

Quite frankly, it leads me to think I can’t do anything. Because if I or any other woman can’t talk about even the smallest female reproductive issue without social stigma, without being afraid to merely mention how I as a woman fit into this puzzle of living with the goods I’m given, then there isn’t going to be any change happening. We might as well be stuck in the 1960′s, asking the red-headed office manager about the best – wink, wink — doctor in town.

Source: artofmadmen.wordpress.com

Too much information, right?

Hardly. Too little. And if it doesn’t change soon, well — too late.

San Diego from Coronado

Today marks my one-year anniversary in San Diego. A year ago yesterday, I was driving through the desert with the then-boyfriend, my car packed to the brim, feeling incredibly worn down and nursing a horrible cold. I don’t think I’ll ever do that 12-hour stretch between Boulder and Vegas again, especially after that trip.

A year ago today, I arrived to a cute apartment and the beautiful San Diego sunshine (though that sunshine is notably absent today). I haven’t seen snow since (and I admit that I do miss it). I have plenty of times regretted my decision to move to San Diego, though I never outright admitted it; it was better to pretend that I was sincerely enjoying myself when instead I truly believed that I had made the worst decision of my life. It’s been quite a while since I’ve felt that way, and now I finally feel like I’m in the right place.

What changed? Employment at a great company. A stable living situation. Great friends — not that I didn’t have some good friends before, but I know now who my real friends are. Seeing my family. Visiting Boulder for a weekend. And of course, a little bit of time; time does heal a lot, even if you’re depending on words or apologies that don’t come through… and probably never will.

I actually didn’t think I would make it an entire year. On three separate occasions, I very seriously planned on leaving. On one occasion, I had even made arrangements to get out of San Diego and try to find some work in Boulder. I’m glad it didn’t work out that way; had I given up just like that, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I’ve said it a lot and I’ll say it again: getting out of my comfort zone was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but it has been the most rewarding. I’ve moved and lived somewhere far away all by myself besides coming to San Diego — in an entirely different country at that — but I knew what I was getting into then and I knew that I’d be returning home. Now that I’ve upped the ante, I know I’m capable of more.

This started with furniture. When I moved to San Diego, I didn’t have a whole lot of options when it came to furniture. I wasn’t willing to spend a lot of money at first; furniture is an auxiliary concern when you’re dead broke (and I really was – I lived on ramen noodles and the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they sometimes provided at work). I also came here with what could fit in the car (and a whole seat of that space was devoted to my passenger), and that certainly didn’t allow for much furniture. I opted to bring a stability ball for desk seating; it was collapsible, easy to pack, and good for posture.

Stability balls (source: http://www.resistaball.ca/)

Except there was one problem.

I somehow lost the plug that would keep the ball inflated. I couldn’t seem to find a replacement plug at the store or athletic shops (“Well, you’ll just have to buy another ball,” they told me). That left me to look online.

I found plenty of stability ball plugs online. They were decently cheap, too. I thought it would be just that easy — they only cost $1 (way inflated for what they are, but not a big deal) and couldn’t be difficult to ship. I’d have a ‘chair’ again with the click of a button and a few days’ wait.

Uh, not so fast. Turns out not a whole lot of sites don’t offer decent shipping for even the smallest or cheapest items. $10 ground shipping for a $1 item? Certainly I could order a few more stoppers than that, but is $13 really worth it? I just wanted a few lousy plugs so I could sit at my desk.

After scouring the web, all I could find was a set of 3 at Gaiam.com (an awesome Boulder company!) for something like $5. Sounded great, so I ordered them — but when I received them, they weren’t the right ones at all. They were special to a particular ball and wouldn’t work for mine (nor for most stability balls). I decided just to put up with sitting on a Rubbermaid container (which later broke beyond repair and forced me to get an actual chair).

Well, now that I’m past my super-broke days (and have furniture again), I wanted to do something with the stability ball, but still didn’t want to pay $10 in shipping.  I renewed my search and couldn’t find anything else new that didn’t cost an arm and a leg (relatively) to ship — so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to pick up the phone and try to get better shipping.

Turns out it only took one call. I called Sportsmith.net, spoke to a representative, and asked about shipping.

sportsmith.net

“I only want a few of these things and I don’t want to pay $10 for shipping,” I told her. “That’s kind of high for three bucks worth of an order.”

“Well, we can send it uncertified,” she replied. As if that’s some kind of concern. I mean, really, I’m just spending $3 on product here. “And that’ll cost you $2.”

For 60¢ in postage? Instead of $10? Sure.

And that was it. That’s all it took. The stability ball plugs came in the mail five days later and now I have a functioning exercise ball again. The best part? It was way easier than I thought it would be. I hardly had to bargain, only had to push a few buttons (literal buttons, not figurative), and probably spent three minutes on the phone.

Moral of the story? Sometimes you just need to ask. Turns out some places are willing to work with you if you just pick up the phone and talk to somebody. Or, ya know, don’t lose stuff in the first place.

There’s a reason I write… I’m much better at it.

And I totally have something in my teeth.

The TV.com NOW Awards (approx. one-third of crowd present)

Well, gosh. I just don’t know where to start.

I guess I’ll start with the positives. I had a fantastic time at the TV.com NOW Awards. The single biggest reason I had for attending was to see Spoon, my favorite band, perform live — but I had a great time seeing The Soft Pack and V.V. Brown perform, and it was super-cool to see stars like Rob Lowe, the whole cast of The Big Bang Theory, and LL Cool J up on stage. The event was definitely a bargain, considering the tickets were free.

So what could’ve been bad about it? Considering the apparently high production cost of the show, the whole event was possibly one of the most poorly-planned gigs I’ve ever seen.

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Hey, we came out to perform for all… 85 of you!

V.V. Brown at the TV.com NOW Awards

How can you have acts like Spoon and V.V. Brown on stage, appearances by stars like L.L. Cool J., and hosting by John Oliver (of Daily Show fame), but fail to fill up the audience?

The lack of attendance was apparent upon arrival; the line outside Petco Park was short and sparse. The event staffers outside the venue seemed confused about which wristbands meant what and what they were supposed to do with the tickets upon entry. When disappointingly low attendance seemed imminent, the staffers hit the streets — but as I listened in on their explanations of the event, they could hardly articulate that the event was a free awards show featuring several live music performances. Attendance was so dismal that those of us “public” attendees (non-VIP and unaffiliated with sponsorship) were allowed up close to the stage, originally intended as VIP space for special attendees.

I’ve personally gotten more people to attend an event on a far smaller budget with fewer incentives and higher ticket price. How the promoters and planners of this event did not get even half of the 700-800 expected people into this event totally blows my mind. Somebody definitely dropped the ball here; I had this feeling when, via Google Search, I could not find any mentions of the show dated earlier than July 20. Although TV.com bragged about its high Facebook and Twitter support during the show, why was it so difficult to find information online?

Furthermore, I heard from those who picked up the tickets at Comic-Con that the people working the booth were offering tickets to attendees but not doing a very good job of advertising who was playing. According to a friend, “They went up to people, said ‘Want free tickets?’ and wasn’t telling anyone that the show included Spoon or John Oliver.”

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We’re going to enforce the rules, but only for you… and you… but wait, not you

The Soft Pack at the TV.com NOW Awards

When I left my house to go to the show, I meticulously checked the fine print. No photography or video? Okay. But did the rules state that cameras would be confiscated? Not at all. I figured I would take my camera — there’s plenty to film during Comic-Con, especially the costumed attendees — but be wary about taking any footage. Aren’t a lot of Comic-Con attendees going to have electronics on them in the first place? If the print is that small and ambiguous, would they really confiscate a camera? I thought I’d be fine. However, when we tried to get through security, two of us were told we couldn’t be let in with the cameras and we couldn’t leave them anywhere. “Leave them outside or something,” the supervisor of security said to us. Luckily, my friend was able to put our stuff in the car.

No later than a few acts in, we found that plenty of people brought recording devices. In fact, at least three people around me had point-and-shoot cameras out in plain site as soon as the bands started playing. Why didn’t security yell at them for having cameras? Hey, I know we’re attending a free event, but why only apply this rule to a few people?

I ended up taking photos on my iPhone anyway.

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It can’t be good when your own host turns on you

John Oliver is a brilliant comedian. The guy just kills it up there. But whoever was doing the writing for the program had some serious issues figuring out what was actually appropriate and funny. In our spot, the teleprompter was easily visible; although Oliver didn’t use all of the material, some of it seemed pretty questionable. Some of the jokes included declaring Americans as a society that deems books useless (okay, we could debate this one), portraying viewers of To Catch a Predator as sympathetic for the culprit (really?), and as seen on the teleprompter (but avoided by Oliver), “Americans are idiots.”

It had to have sounded better in the writer’s head than it looked on the teleprompter.

Cast of The Big Bang Theory

Oliver also picked up on the lack of attendees and made some very harsh jokes about how empty the place was. Justified? Totally. Is he going to be invited back to a TV.com event again? Probably not. But his jokes about a scarce audience were just that funny because it was just that true.

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Whatever… it was still a good time

While it looked like a pretty decent failure, I’m sure it’s not the only thing out-of-whack for TV.com. I just checked their site to see if anything from today has been posted, and instead of holding off until production was complete, there’s a whole lot of empty going on:

TV.com: lazy web developers?

[Update: I checked back today, several hours later, and there's at least something filling it up until the end product comes out.]

Despite the steep lack of attendance, discordance with venue staffing, and content issues, the show was a blast. V.V. Brown was way better than I anticipated, The Soft Pack totally killed it, and Spoon was just as great as I knew they’d be. In fact, I had the opportunity to chat with lead singer Britt Daniel after the show (pic soon!). I’ve always appreciated when popular musicians take a little bit of time out for their fans. And I snagged my first concert setlist! How cool is that?

Spoon (minus Eric Harvey) rocking out at the TV.com NOW Awards

Could the awards show have been any worse? There’s almost always a worse scenario. But could it have been better? Oh, yes, it could’ve been far better. Another thing that bugged be slightly was that they bragged about Twitter and Facebook exposure and asked us to tweet about the event, but seemingly little idea of how to tie social media into the event (hashtag? Twitter name?). It seems like the event was hastily planned.

Will we see another event like this by TV.com? Who knows, because if I was in charge of setting the TV.com advertising budget, I would not have deemed this event worth the cash they probably spent on it.

[Update: pics! Thanks Derric!]

With my friend Eileen at Spoon

Renee (an awesome, super-dedicated Spoon fan), Britt, and me after the TV.com NOW Awards

Super Ray promo guys!

]]> http://www.jennifermnewell.com/blog/2010/07/tv-dot-com-now-awards/feed/ 3 http://www.jennifermnewell.com/blog/2010/05/sony-bloggie-and-coachella/ http://www.jennifermnewell.com/blog/2010/05/sony-bloggie-and-coachella/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:41:27 +0000 swedishfish http://www.jennifermnewell.com/blog/?p=593

A beautiful day at Coachella

Last month, I attended Coachella as a guest of Sony. I was only able to attend one day, but you bet it was worth it!

So I had been hearing about this thing called the bloggie (yes, Sony brands it in lower-case) for a few months. My friend Liam won a bloggie at a Sony event and Sukhjit has been showing me what a it could do, and it was finally my chance to check one out. At Coachella, Sony gave me a bloggie to document my time at the festival and basically show just what I could do with it.

Okay, let me tell you: I was psyched. I’ve never really ventured into video; any projects I’ve done were about being in front of the camera or having written content. Any kind of video is something really strange to me and I don’t entirely know what to look for when creating or editing video. Now, not that the bloggie is complicated — it definitely isn’t — I feel like it’s my chance to start learning how to develop an eye for creating and editing video.

I was able to take all kinds of video at Coachella, including a few clips of my favorite band, Spoon, as they performed.

I spent a lot of time just taking clips of the scenery or random little things I think I might string together when I find a good editing program and start playing with my video.

I wish I’d taken more video in HD. I was just so curious about the bloggie and excited to have one in my hand, I just started taking video right away without even changing my settings. Now that I’ve had time to see what I can do with my bloggie, I have learned how to change settings without frustration and how to use the software provided for transferring files to my computer and uploading video to social media services. It’s very user-friendly software and gives me more of an incentive to use my bloggie because I know I’m going to be putting my video and photos somewhere after I record it (I’ve already started a Coachella playlist for my videos on YouTube).

I’d have to say that I also really like the photo quality. I’ve taken some really gorgeous pics with the bloggie, and now I’m glad I have a pro account on Flickr — it’s something I’m going to have to start using again.

Britt Daniel on the big screen at the Coachella Main Stage

Needless to say, I’m pretty happy with my bloggie. I’ll definitely be using it more. What I’ve posted here is nothing compared to what I’ve already recorded. I’m absolutely certain that this will help enhance my blogging. Thanks Sony for the great experience at Coachella and the many opportunities I will have thanks to the bloggie!