Avoidance is not the answer

So in a few weeks I’m going to be ….. 40 …… it’s not a huge deal to me but the people around me have made it a HUGE deal and I’m not sure what to do about it. When people at work find out it’s “the big 4-0” their eyes glaze over and they get this huge grin on their face like they have this huge secret that they can’t wait to share. 

Why is 40 a big deal? Then again why was 10…21….30…. etc…. I mean let’s face it the last good birthday was my 16^th when I got my license. Well let’s be honest that one wasn’t the greatest …. my mom and I sat at the DMV all day long waiting on them to call my name. It was raining that morning so we were on the list but they wouldn’t let us take the drivers test in the rain. The rain was supposed to let up so we stayed. Then lunchtime came and they gave us a card so we’d be number 1 after their lunch break. We went to a nearby Pizza Hut for lunch (buffet if I recall) then rushed back to the DMV. It was sunny and beautiful during the lunch break and they were getting ready to start calling names (mine was to be first) when it started flooding again. I nearly burst into tears. Around 4 they told us it was too late and we’d have to come back the next day. I was devastated but the next day we came back and I was back at school by 11 with a new temporary license in my pocket. That’s the last birthday that really stood out to me. There was another while I was in college that I remember as well. My aunt threw a surprise party for me inviting my friends to her house. She had invited me for dinner and I really really didn’t feel like going. I believe Golden talked me into it and so I went. I ended up having a good time. My grandmother was there a few other aunts and some friends from school including Golden.

I do that a lot …. make plans….dread those plans ….. then finally drag my arse out of the house and really enjoy my time there. I’m really bad about that, or I end up talking myself out of something that could have been fun and then regret not going. I’m working on it I really am …. but I still suck at it.

It’s just easier not to and often by the end of the day I’m just spent and on the weekends I’m lazy. There was a ton of things I thought I’d get to this weekend laundry, cleaning, cleaning my car, fixing up some new music flash drives for my car. Know how many of those things I accomplished ……. NADA. I felt awful on Friday so I went to bed early (was asleep by 9), woke up late on Saturday, helped my mom wrap her legs, then we spent literally the entire afternoon making chicken gumbo which was fun and totally delicious but yeah that was my Saturday. Then Sunday came and I woke up, went to church, wen to lunch, came home and looked up and it was 4pm … like wait what just happened. So any plans I might have had were blown out of the water. Granted if I were better with my time I could do it but what’s the fun in that. 

Last Wednesday Vanessa Peters was playing at the Listening Room of Mobile, a great little place that is 100% devoted to music. If someone is in there and their phone rings or they are laughing and talking with their group not listening to the music then the owner helps them find the door. I’d go to the Listening Room way more often but the shows don’t start until 8pm --- usually closer to 8:30. I only make it down there when it’s something I really really want to see and this was Vanessa’s second visit. I knew when she was coming that I was definitely going but even then part of me wanted to bail. I didn’t tho and that’s a start. I hope to visit the Listening Room more often cause it really is a fantastic place to listen to music, even if their chairs suck! ha! 

I guess in the coming year I want to be more spontaneous taking advantage of the things that come my way when they come so I can enjoy them. Like my birthday I guess it could suck more to have people not be interested in my birthday or to take the time to celebrate me … I just don’t like being the center of attention. I’m more a blend into the wall kind of girl and it’s hard to do if everyone is looking in my direction.

What kind of things do you guys avoid even if you really want to do it ?

Marcy 

@beaslma

Happy New Year

Happy New Year …. Some 12 days into the new year but yeah you haven’t told me happy new year yet either so suck it! In prep for this post I looked back at the previous year and you know what …. We didn’t do half bad …. We didn’t do great mind you, I’m not at all saying I deserve a pat on my back or anything but we had 8 various posts spread out through 6 different months and to me that’s pretty darn good. Hey I was an average student who was damn proud of a C, an A or B was better of course but I could live with a C. In the real world no one cares if you got C’s ….. a friend recently told me "D stands for Diploma" and I thought well not really but maybe .... ha …. just saying.

Last year I shared some original writing, did a few music posts about Eric Erdman and The Springs, shared my Social MediaBreak during lent, and my transition to a new phone - UPDPATE: I did go with the S9+ and LOVE it. So when I say it was a variety of topics I’m not joking. My problem with this blog is that I often think ohhhh I should write about my frustrations with never getting to go to a movie in a theater and why it never seems to happen and how I hope that it will happen more then something horrific happens in the world and I think well that just seems assy now. I want to be a lot of things when I grow up but assy isn’t one of them. So then I delete the word document and move on with my day. I used to keep them thinking I’d post it later but then later never came or when I went back to read it the post seemed silly and unnecessary cause I was no longer in that frame of mind. 

Last year was fun I went to our corporate office for a “retreat” in Franklin, TN (got to take one of my coworkers on her first flight which was really fun), went to DragonCon with Golden, saw several concerts with my friend Katie including Def Leppard and Journey in New Orleans, and capped off the year with Christina in Disney for Halloween. Now that I look back at this blog … kind of should have shared more of those events with you guys. This year I have a concert with Vanessa Peters to look forward to (later this month), Kiss in Birmingham with Katie, Christina and I are trying to get a trip to AU pulled together, and of course Dragon Con with Golden. Did I mention that Golden and I will be in a host hotel for the first time and not just any host hotel but the mother of all host hotels … THE MARRIOT !!!!! I am so excited about this turn of events. There is also talk of sending me to a conference in March in Ashville NC but no confirmation on that from the powers that be. Hopefully I'll get off my duff and make those blog worthy cause they totes should be. 

This past year I’ve also hesitated to write anything for fear that someone might read it (AKA family) and get their feelings hurt. I have since realized that I can’t let that hold me back. My mother almost died twice this year, and while no one in my family reads this thing (that I know of) I’d have hated one of them reading about some of our struggles and in particular my frustrations throughout it since it wasn’t that we weren’t really telling people about it but at first we didn’t know what to say. Here’s the story ……. she was sick and instead of making her go to a doctor we let her “handle it her way” until her way wasn’t working anymore. I finally forced the issue and called 911 myself and if I hadn’t she would have bled to death within the next 12-24 hours. She had a bleeding ulcer that was trying to perforate. She sat in the ER all night long and well into the next day getting blood, losing blood and waiting for someone to decide they were going to do something. At the same time my father was on the other side of the hospital getting his pacemaker replaced. Thank god for my brother, he was able to sit with mom while I was with my dad and that was the longest 12-24 hours of my life. Once dad was done we checked him out, drove him around the hospital (he wanted to see my mom), he went back into the ER (by himself cause they wouldn’t let us go with him – one at a time they said) while my brother and I hung out After leaving the ER at midnight and being back at the hospital at 5 I was in zombie mode as the adrenalin was wearing off. Then he took my dad home (later I discovered dad had him replace a toilet and I was livid) and I went to sit with my mom who kept telling me to go home and rest. She finally had surgery that afternoon around 4. They “fixed it” but the doctor said she almost died on the table twice and he was shaking when he said it which did not fill me with warm fuzzys. A week later she was home. Two weeks after that we were back in the ER and this time they had to slice open her stomache from side to side when they weren’t able to clamp and artery. That one we really almost lost her. She was in the hospital for 2 weeks and in rehab for 2 more weeks. She is now home and getting stronger every day but it was a tough 2-3 months for sure. She claims if she sees blood again she’s not saying anything cause that ordeal took a lot out of her. I hope that’s all talk but I also am checking her more often now because of it. I feel like I’m in three lives right now. My work life, my home life, and my by myself life. If I’m not working or taking care of mom I’m in my room watching you tube trying to get myself tired enough to sleep. I’m not sleeping well. I’m averaging about 4-5 hours a night but it’s interrupted sleep so I’d say I’m getting less than that. I’m still moving however so that’s something I’m proud of. My father has been a ROCK throughout this entire ordeal, who would have thought it. He has the bed side manner of say Peter Griffin. He means well but often he’s just in the way but this time I think he’s proving the definition of for better or for worse. God love them they are a cute little couple. Dad’s running himself half ragged too but he’s also pushing himself harder than I’d like. I keep telling him to take some time for himself but I really think he’s “fixing mom” which is replacing some of the guilt he has from “not being able to fix his mom” when he was working and had two kids and Alzheimer’s is a **tch even if he doesn’t believe she had it. She totes did but i'm not gonna argue with him about it just now.

So this is a post to say Happy New Year and a post to keep this blog alive and to try and get my voice back on this thing. I really do enjoy using this blog to share my thoughts and gives with the world I just need to make it more of a priority. I'm nearly 40 (in like 15 days) so that's going to fun to share as well. It's a new decade for me … let's make it a good one. 

Marcy

@beaslma

The Springs – a band you need to know

 Let me introduce you to 

THE SPRINGS ! 

So if you aren’t new to this blog you know one of my favorite things to do is talk about music, especially artists that I think deserve more love. This past Summer I’ve spent some time discovering new artists and falling back in love with previous favorites. I plan to share some of that with you but today is about The Springs. A band I’ve talked about before … When they gave their fans some free music and if there is nothing I like more than free music. Even if it’s not good it’s FREE … and let me tell you what the Springs gave their fans was an amazing taste of what was to come. 

This post is going to do double duty, it’s going to tell you about their new EP and also serve as my launching pad for my campaign to get this band on XM radio, specially The Highway. I can totally see these two chatting with Storme Warren  or On the Horizon with Buzz Brainard. They have a very unique story to tell and the music to back it up. I have said it before but I’ll say it again I really wish there was a better way to tell them about a song or group that should be a #HighwayFind … I mean how does a #HighwayFind become found? I figure it’s word of mouth. If enough people start talking about an artist or a song then the powers that be at The Highway take notice and it just takes off …. At least that’s my hope for The Springs whom I’ve been following since 2011.

For those that don’t know … The Springs are a fabulous Country Music Duo from Hendersonville, Tennessee (originally from Alabama). This duo is made up of Stewart and Holly Halcomb who describe their sound as a mixture of Country, Southern Rock, Pop, and Traditional Country which describes this multi-award winning duo who also write their own songs with friends.

Their story : 

Stewart and Holly are both from Alabama, him from Enterprise her from New Market (Huntsville/Decatur area). They met at the Bluebird Café after they had both moved to Nashville to chase the Neon Rainbow. In 2013 the couple got engaged, also at the BlueBird (where they play every chance they get), and were married in 2015. Their wedding was streamed live via Periscope so their fans could attend. It’s that connection to their fans whom they call Frans (Friends + Fans = Frans) that’s going to help this couple thrive both on the stage and off. Heck earlier this year they shared a picture with a “Fran” whom they have started a fitness challenge with and now all three are more fit and more comfortable in their own skins. In my last post I talked about the 7 free Songs they released on Halloween (2015) via their website. Those tracks alone were great, I’m still devastated that Everybody Runs didn’t go viral cause it’s a fantastic song that paints a picture in my head every time I hear it and I love when music does that. That entire 7 song “EP” for lack of a better name made me hungry for more.

I love how this group compliments one another perfectly yet know their strengths and how to showcase each artist and blend together. It’s not uncommon for a track to feature both, or let one of them run with the track and you can totally picture the other standing outside of the booth with a huge grin on their face proud and encouraging the other.

In June 2018 they released “Old Fashioned” which is a dream for the ears with more poppy country and nods to the traditional country that Holly and Stewart grew up listening to. Let’s go track by track … cause you know me that’s how I do. As previously stated these are the thoughts that run through my head as I listen to each track. Enjoy. 

Pulse – In 2017, as they were working on this album they released a few tracks, and this was one of them. I really like this track, it’s not my favorite but I do like it. I like how their voices blend together so perfectly in the chorus and could listen to that harmony all day long.

Sweet Spot – I LOVE everything about this track. If someone asked me what my favorite track was it would be this one. I love the playfulness in Stewart’s voice. I also love the nod to old country as well as the “rap” aspect of the track. Plus, it’s a really cute song about how the right girl can change any guy, yet the guy slips back into those old habits when she’s not around. However the right girl can always bring him back to where he needs to be. Ha!   

American Made –  I could listen to this track EVERY SINGLE DAY and never get tired of it. It’s about life in general, and I love how it is mostly about taking what life throws at you and moving forward despite it. I like how it’s not all happy and wonderful but that they just make it work by not giving up. I can see this video in my head, as you know dear reader it makes me really happy when I can do that with a track. This song should gov viral it’s something everyone needs to hear. Especially in these times.

I want it to – It’s time for Holly to get her rap on in this track. I like this one, but it just feels like its missing something. Like it starts building to something then doesn’t quite get there. Once again, the harmony saves this track for me. I can see this one playing very well live even if it falls a little flat in my ear buds, at least to me.  

Cool – I know it seems that I like the tracks where Stewart takes the lead but it’s not my fault those tracks just … well speak to me. I’ve been that person at the bar afraid that everything I’m doing is going to putt off whomever I’m trying to get the attention of and I like the idea that it’s finally working cause he found the right one. I love the line “I don’t mind the game as long as I’m playing by your rules” or something to that effect.

God Made one of those – I’ll admit this is not my favorite track on the album. It’s very slow and while I get the message behind it I just don’t love it as much as the others. It’s not a track I skip entirely every time but there are times I’m not interested in it and skip it. I do like the nod to family that is included in this track cause let’s face it that’s how we all became who we are and a reminder of that is never a bad idea.

Right Kind of Love – I really like this track mostly cause it’s got a peppy beat behind it but it’s very different from the other tracks on the album. I’ll admit sometimes it comes on and I’m like who is this and pull up my player to see it’s The Springs. I like the message behind it, that they both have a past but that that past led them to where they are now and they finally see what they deserve in the other’s eyes.

Old Fashioned –  This is another that they released in 2017. I like the roll of this track, I love that this is the title track cause it speaks to a lot of what this band is about for me. They aren’t flashy, you won’t see Holly nearly naked on stage, you won’t see Stewart doing “bro country” they are a throw back to a time when Country Music was amazing. They would have destroyed the charts back in the 90s and I think Country Music fans want that kind of music back on the radio.

Ex on your Hand – The first time I heard “Too old to be going out with an ex on your hand” I literally stopped what I was doing and payed more attention. That was brilliant. The combination of the “X” that someone gets going to a club/bar as well as the “X” that someone has when they are obsessed with an ex that should stay that way. That parallel was brilliant and I don’t know who came up with it but I’m thrilled they did. I can think of about 10 friends who need to hear this track and even more around the Country that likely need to hear it too.

Stop - This is another that they released in 2017. Such a beautiful track that reminds you that while people fall in love very easily no one ever wrote a book about how to let go when one wants it to end and the other wasn’t ready. I can see Stewart at the bar with the Bartender “asking where you have been.” I can see him driving around town doing everything he can to keep from turning onto her road, I can see it and have lived it. Nothing is worse than being the one who didn’t want it to end but it ended anyway and all you can do is move forward cause moving backwards gets you no where.

We Got This House – This track is another one that speaks exactly to who I think Stewart and Holly are. It’s a song about rolling with what the universe throws at you and picking up and waking up the next day to do it all over again. This track is about how the “house” is the center of their universe that helped create the rest of the path. This track definitely has an “American Made” feel to it but on a different level. The downs make the ups way better as long as you don’t let the downs take it all away, sometimes you just have to leap and hope it all works out.

This 11 track CD was released, and self-promoted to a debut of #33 on Billboard, #33 in Country Album Sales and #40 in Independent Album sales that week. They have no label, no manager, no promotional team, no publisher they are strictly a word of mouth group that is traveling the South playing their music and building a fan base, the old-fashioned way. If you get Sweet Spot, American Made, and Cool I swear you will come back for the rest of the CD. I beg you to check out their new album, via the links below, and get this band on The Highway ASAP! 

This band deserves to be a #HighwayFind cause they are definitely #OnTheHorizon jump on the bandwagon now before there’s no room.  

The Springs at Blue Gill in 2017 

If you get the chance to see this band live do it you'll be a fan for life and become a FRAN before it's over! 

Links: 

Website:   http://www.thespringsband.com/

Itunes:     https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-springs/292315438

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thespringsband

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/thespringsband

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/thesprings/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/thesprings/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Springs_(band)

Marcy (@beaslma)

Worst Friend EVER!

So today is usually the day I set aside to wake up kinda early…8:30ish, fart around with Golden in her house until we finally drag out of the house for Huddle House with her parents (both if I’m lucky) then start my 5 hour drive south ending the Monthlong celebration of Golden prior to her actual birthday cause of jobs and stuff. Typically that weekend was spent eating far too much, yakking way to much about the serious and the mundane, playing with her furbaby Mighty, maybe a movie or two or three, a zoo trip with the entire family, at least one trip to at Walmart, and laugher. So much laughter.

However ….. this year that didn’t happen. I can’t begin to tell you how sad that makes me. It should have happened. I am a little angry that I let life get in the way of this weekend, but alas ….. that’s what makes me a grown up. I HATE BEING A GROWN UP WITH RESPONSIBILITIES!!!!!!! I really felt awful after Golden informed me that her yearly Zoo trip had been cancelled. The weather up there was supposed to be really bad and typically when that happened her dad and brother are called into work. Golden has been having a lot of health issues of late so she really wasn’t “up for it” so they all just bailed on it. This makes me a sad Marcy and while the world does not revolve around me (tho it totes should) I feel like if I were up there everyone would have made the effort for the zoo trip. I mean guys Golden doesn’t ask for much just a yearly trip to the zoo to see some animals and hang with her nieces. It should be simple right?! I mean I bet Golden didn't even go to the trouble of making a cheese ball for goodness sakes. sad ... just oh so sad. 

This is Golden’s birthweek and while I haven't celebrated her this month like I normally do I hope to spend this week telling her how awesome she is, how brave she is, how she’s my hero, and how I’ll make it up to her one day. Not today mind you, today I have to go back to work but soon. It really us unfair that her "month long celebration" has deteriorated to a "week long" celebration. Then again some people don't even get a week long celebration, they get just their day. Of course those people aren't as awesome as Golden so they don't deserve it. She does and I completely dropped the ball. I suck as a friend, as a human, as a person. 

Love ya lady …. I hope you had a good relaxing weekend and that your Birthweek is awesome!!!

Lets start planning our DRAGON CON trip cause I really need something to look forward too.

Marcy

(@beaslma)

Breaking Up with my smartphone

DEAR

I love Microsoft, I want Bill Gates to be my friend so I can just give him a hug. I don’t want his money, I don’t want anything else … just a hug. If some of his money fell into my pocket I’d not be sad about it, and might think about returning it, but that’s not the point of this post. I love everything about Microsoft, it’s humble beginnings of two friends wanting to use their shared knowledge to create something, literally anything. I love that their first big break happened cause Bill (he’s my friend I can call him Bill) told them they had a thing but they didn’t have a thing and they then had to create said thing to finish the deal. Talk about fake it until you make it huh?! I use the office suite daily in both my work life and home life, I’m actually using it now. I can’t imagine my life without Microsoft. I think Indesign is a fancy publisher application. I have the original X-box in my room and still use it on occasion when I can’t sleep. I also have the X-box 360 but admit I haven’t spent my money on the X-box 1 yet. Mostly cause the adult in me thinks it’s silly to pay for a new system when I haven’t really turned on the old system in many many many months, stupid adult me. I have always had a PC never a MAC and that’s not just because my father might disown me if I did. I just love the user interface, I love the compatibility I love all of it. I even have … brace yourself friends… the Windows Phone. This is my second Windows Phone actually, after my beloved Blackberry bit the dust one late August day. Confession time … I really really really really really really really really really really …. really miss my Blackberry. Really. Frankly the Blackberry was great but the track ball kept breaking. I replaced it about 15 times then said screw this but I admit that the track ball was the only thing wrong with that phone. When it was time to leap to a new system I leaped to the Windows Phone via Lumina products. I loved it. I loved how all my devices were suddenly connected, I didn’t have to import anything just put in my username and password and boom a phone was born a short time later. It was so simple and fantastic. It literally did everything I needed it to do ….. I loved it. To tell you the truth I can’t remember why I got rid of that one for the current phone I have. Which is a newer version of the Windows Phone. I tell you all this in a preface to my letter to Microsoft explaining why I feel we need to finally part ways. It makes me sad, but as you will see below, I think it’s time. Please Bill don’t hate me, that would devastate me should we ever cross paths in the future.

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Dear Microsoft,

I hope this finds you doing well, I hope this finds you hard at work so that generations behind me won’t have to write a similar letter. I love my windows phone. I love how it connects to my office account, my one drive is great (tho I don’t use it the way others do), I kind of even like the e-mail program, but get super annoyed when you guys decide to update my ap and my settings go back to keeping my e-mail for 6 weeks then it will vanish off the face of the planet – not cool guys. Who the hell only needs 6 weeks worth of e-mails? Who is that person?  Or when you guys update A and it screws up B only to have another update fix both but screw up C. How about you just leave some stuff alone sometimes? Microsoft Edge has an issue with Pintress ? What? The only reason I know it’s Microsoft Edge is cause when you tell Edge to open the same page in Explorer it opens just fine. So what’s up with that !? I get an e-mail that you guys are changing the way you can make a screen shot or a snip. Really? That’s the priority of the hour at Microsoft. What you guys choose to prioritize drives me insane. For a few weeks there I couldn’t open a PDF without first downloading some 3^rd party AP that requires me to download the PDF to the phone then open the ap then see the PDF. Really!? Seriously!? I mean the ENTIRE WORLD IS USING PDF EVERYWHERE … and I’m over here trying to chisel something out of stone.

A few months ago, I was going to a show, got my tickets digitally sent to me and I had to use PDF to open the tickets up with. I sent them to my friend on another system so that if I couldn’t open them she’d be able to. That was seriously something I was concerned about. I’d have been very angry had I not been able to see this show cause my stupid phone couldn’t open a PDF. (Side note: I understand this has now been corrected but yeah for a week or so was super annoying). How about allowing me to choose not to do that update …is that something we can talk about ? No … ok that’s cool, I guess.

What I don’t love and this is not really a slight on you, tho I guess that it is, is the fact that the rest of the planet could care less about my Microsoft phone. In a world moving to Aps the fact that you guys are so behind in that aspect really screws up my day to day life.  My office has an employee interface where you can download the ap and log in and see vacation time, news, etc., but guess what …. Not available for Windows Phone. There’s also this really awesome thing at my bank where I can make deposits from my house (cause I’m kind a lazy about that) check your balances, freeze cards if you think it’s lost or stolen but guess what else … Not available on Windows Phone. I’m not even talking about fun stuff yet. Dragon Con has a yearly ap that they create for the convention where you can see the schedule, news and announcements, changes in the schedule etc., but guess what …. Not Available on Windows Phone. Disney World for instance has a similar ap that you can link to your bracelet and change your fast passes, make reservations, etc but guess what … Not available for Windows Phone.

Are you seeing a pattern here ?! If it's not IOS or Android ... who gives a shit? sigh ....  I can’t tell you the number of times someone says, hey what’s your Snap Chat or insert some really cool game that everyone is playing … looking at you Simpson’s game … pokemon go etc., … or a friend sends me some avatar thing and they are like make one of yourself it’s awesome and I have to say, oh my phone doesn’t have that. They say oh really what do you have then I tell them and they laugh and laugh and laugh. Me yelling but I can make changes to a powerpoint file in a snap makes them laugh harder. I guess my point is that well …. It’s real frustrating. I could name more but don’t want to harp ….you know what’s missing, and even some of the ones you have in beta form never leave the format. It’s like they created it to get you off their back then abandoned the thing all together, all too common in the Ap store btw abandoned aps.  

That is why Microsoft I think it’s time to part ways, I’ve held to this device for far longer than I should have. I have recently received some money I wasn’t expecting and have decided to spend some of it on a new phone. My only criteria for this new phone is that it not be a windows phone and that it must have the Type C connection cause I have a billion of those wires and I’m not replacing them all again. That’s it. Those are the two things I’m basing this very important decision on. I don’t really want to abandon my Windows phone, but I’m afraid that the decision is out of my hands. I don’t see this situation correcting itself in the future and I don’t see that you are very invested in correcting it for the world. I mean there are reports that you are thinking of abandoning aps all together for some web based system. Really?! It’s like you guys see the rest of the world going left and are like nope we are going to go in a zig zag patter towards the left instead. 

It’s funny though, I’ve thought several times that users of other devices wouldn’t put up with this. Iphone users would freak out if suddenly the Ap store was not “working” at random intervals or had major missing aps in it. They would put on their black turtle necks and storm the “Apple” store for answers. We just sit over here going, don’t worry they will fix it, let’s go read a book while we wait. So maybe it’s not your fault Microsoft, it’s our fault for not demanding a better product. For not demanding that the Dragon Cons, Disney and Banking institutions treat us all as equals, then again why should they cater to the few when the many are happy. It’s a supply and demand thing and frankly the supply isn’t worth the hassle anymore. All of the phones basically do the same thing it just depends on which devil you want to get into bed with. At the end of the day after a few weeks/months you’ll get used to whatever device you choose.

So which phone am I abandoning you for …. That I haven’t decided yet. Notice BTW when I searched for a picture showing many phones various types the one not shown. They are all basically the same now it just depends on the interface really. I guess if I broke the phone today … I’d go with Samsung, likely the 9+. I just don’t see myself going all insane and going with an Iphone mostly cause I’m not a fan of their interface, their clientele, and their inability to really connect with non MAC products. I think if I go that route then in less than say 5 years I’ll be in the same boat I’m in now. The Samsung I’m familiar with because I have friends that have it, so I like the interface and other than the “google” connection it seems to function very similar to my Windows phone. Plus if I buy it through Microsoft it comes with the Microsoft ap installed which makes it work very similar to the phone I used to have …. Giving me the best of both worlds, at least until the world decides to take the Microsoft phone seriously. Sigh ….. wish that were today.

Thanks,

Marcy (a good friend of Bill’s)

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So readers what phone do you have?! Do you have similar frustrations?! Everyone has an opinion on the phone they have or the one they think you should have … let’s hear it!

Marcy (@beaslma)

SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK – Miscellaneous Thoughts

First Off .... HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY! I hope your green kept you pinch free today and if not...well punch that asshat in the face and tell him you were mistaken you didn't think he had on green either. 

So, I have to admit something to you dear readers, this Social Media break has been hard but not for the reason you might think. See, last year I stepped away from Social Media cause I really really needed to then when I got back I made a point of using it to be more social and not just sharing, liking, or RT things and this year I find I really miss the people that I have connected with over the past year in my daily interactions.  Not necessarily the medium used, but the people. It’s been very odd, I have e-mailed a few of the people that I don’t get to see in my every day world and I missed that immediate connection that Social Media gives you. I also decided at the last minute to also give up Soda for Lent and let me tell you I miss that syrup filled goodness in my belly. My energy level is for crap, I have a constant headache and I just feel overall icky. They said most of that would go away after the first few weeks but so far that hasn’t happened for me ye. April Fool’s Day can’t get here fast enough. Ha!

That being said Lent has been filled with a ton of activities and thoughts that I’d like to share here …. So well enjoy, or go get a samache and come back later, the choice is yours.

Someone check on Golden… please

I asked in my initial Lent Post that someone take care of Golden while I was gone and I need to know who dropped the ball … was it you …. Or the guy next to you at the coffee shop reading over your shoulder ….. no it was you….. it could have been that guy, either way one of you needs to apologize. Not only did Golden get the sickest I think she has been in years, NO ONE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS SICK!? I finally reached out to her via text only to find out she was sick, come’on guys that’s not checking up on Golden at all. I need you guys to focus for the next week or so until I can get back online. My bestie has pneumonia and bronchitis and has very low oxygen, upon checking on her this week she’s also bruised a few ribs from the violent coughing. She is indeed a medical marvel and I pray no one ever has to put up the amount of crap she has to put up with on a daily basis. She’s my hero cause no matter how much live beats her down she gets back up, looks life in the eye and says “Is that all you have … please let’s do this!”

She’s the strongest person I know and I’m blessed to have her in my life. Feel better my amazing friend. HUGS

Funerals

A lady at our church recently passed away from a fight with cancer. This was a true case of the treatment was harder on the patient that the disease. They never found the right combination that would fight her disease without also destroying her. She was the first woman at our new church to welcome our family to the “fold” for lack of a better word. She was really great about being supportive and welcoming without being too overwhelming with it. She was really supportive of me when I taught Bible School last year and was kind of freaking out about it and she told me that I could do it and kept checking in on me. It was really sweet. She was quite lovely. I miss her more than I thought that I would. I’m not a funeral person, I don’t really care for them cause they seem like a celebration that is either insanely sad or that is filled with people trying to pretend that this person was perfect when they had their flaws. It’s almost like when a singer dies and for like 4 days on social media people are talking about what an influence said person was on their life or their Itunes bump is huge. It just seems like that would have been more beneficial when that person was still here to see the influence they have had on their industry. Tell those artists today how you feel about them so that I don’t’ know it will mean something. After the fact it just seems …. Like a waste cause the one who really needed to see it isn’t there to do so. I tell you this cause when I heard Miss. Yvonne passed away there was no hesitation on if I was going to the funeral or not. I not only felt I needed to be there but wanted to be there to celebrate her life.

There was more people at the Church than I have ever seen, standing room only which was really nice to see for such a wonderful lady. She was the woman who taught Sunday School for 37 years, helped with Bible School for just that long, and was always there for every function, it seems weird to think that she just won’t be anymore. It was the first funeral that I have ever attended at that church and to say I was kind of surprised by the service is an understatement. It was nice it was pleasant it just didn’t seem as personal as I thought it could be for someone who was such a part of that building. However during the service a semi-sick-funny thing happened to me. While the preacher was reading the obituary, in full, he got to the part where they list all the people that had gone before her and for a brief moment I had this vision of her walking through a gate seeing all of them standing there waiting on her and her saying,  “well why are we just standing around there’s so much to do and see … let’s go!” As this thought passed through my head I started to giggle. It was one of those giggles that once you start it’s really hard to stop. My mom nudged me and my dad looked over, others also turned and I just put my head down and pretended I was overcome with tears. It was exactly what I hoped happened for Miss Yvonne when she got to Heaven cause there’s no doubt in my mind that’s where she is now. She’s in a much better place than we are surrounded by loved ones and enjoying every second of the afterlife her Christian doctrine had told her she’d have. I’ve never thought of a “preceded in death by” list as a guest list to a party like that. I kind of like that thought tho. I think Miss Yvonne would have loved that idea tho and had she been there would have come up to me at the luncheon and said, “honey you laugh if you need to laugh, cry if you need to cry, God knows what’s in your heart and it’s all ok!” I’m gonna miss you Miss Yvonne …. RIP we’ll take care of Mr. Jim.

Work/SMPS 

I know this is a running theme on this blog but work had just been insane. Like crazy insane, like I tried to quit 4 times last week and my boss laughed at me and told me he didn’t have time for that right now and to get back to it. It’s ok I wasn’t really serious but I have thought several times if they fired me for whatever reason I’d not be too broken up about it. I’d have no idea what to do next but I’m young, smart, and untethered, I’d figure it out. Truth is and don’t tell them please I’d be devastated and heartbroken. That’s just our little secret. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a long tunnel and the light is very feint but I can see it starting to emerge from the blackness. The problem is that I know there’s another tunnel behind it and another one after that. On the plus side at the end of the week my boss walked in with a folder that said “confidential” and had my name on it. He handed it to me and said, “It’s long over due really.” They gave me a bonus. It was a nice pick me up at the end of a long few weeks that reminds me why I stay where I’m at and why I do what I do. The guys at the top, really appreciate the effort I put into my job. That’s why. When I need a reminder of that please dear reader send me to this blog post.

I am also working towards my own professional certification/registration through the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) of which I am a member. SMPS is a community of marketing and business development professionals working to secure profitable business relationships for their A/E/C companies. SMPS offers members professional development, leadership opportunities, and marketing resources to advance their careers. My boss is also a member. Last year he obtained his Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) designation and this year has challenged me to do the same. My test is in June which sounded really really far away but now feels really really close. He just got back from the annual SMPS conference in Atlanta and has stated he'd like for me to go next year. He would like ach of us (our team) to attend it at least once for the comradery of it. I'm excited but it will likely end up where I'm one of those in the various panels working on a proposal with both eyes while one ear is listening to the speaker. Something my boss joked about. I told him they should have had a Marcy back home, he said not everyone gets a Marcy. I told him I'm glad to see he realizes that. ha! 

Fun stuff

It hasn’t been all work and no play for Marcy however, tho I admit I have felt like it was.

A few weeks ago the head of our division bought tickets to a local Jags baseball game (University of South Alabama) in which they were playing my beloved Auburn Tigers. As an Auburn fan I got a few of the tickets. My father and I joined the group of office peeps for a night of fun watching some really great baseball. Team building they called it, I enjoyed it and hope we do that more often. It didn’t hurt that Auburn won. WAR EAGLE ! Speaking of WAR EAGLE how about them Tigers at the dance?! I won’t pretend to be a huge basketball fan but it has been kind of AUsome watching this team rise to the occasion. 

I've bought a few movies I wanted to see in the theater and didn't, but haven't watched them yet. I plan to, it's going to happen I'm just not entirely sure when. 

I've had a few meetings at church to talk about the upcoming Easter Egg hunt, Vacation Bible School and other activities. I've also got a few concerts with friends coming up. I hope to have some travel for this summer lined up soon cause I need something to look forward to, like for real.  

So that’s what I’ve been up to during Lent, how about you guys!?

Marcy

LENT - SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK – TIGER GIVING DAY

So, my social media break came at just the worst time. First my Auburn Gymnastics team beat Rutgers, very handily I might add, with some stuck landings and great performances (at least as far as I could tell on my phone since the Watch ESPN ap gave my lap top the middle finger) by my Tigers in pink for their 6^th win of the season. A little shout out to Drew Watson who picked up the All-Around Title. Auburn faces Alabama this Friday for Senior Night and I hope the momentum of the last few weeks carries them through. 

However, the awesomeness … or should I say AUsomeness ... of the Auburn Gymnastics team is not the focus of this post. This “social media break” also happens to fall in the middle of Auburn’s RISE campaign. Which is a 24-hour fundraising event known as “Tiger Giving Day” #TigerGivingDay

Basically, they choose 20+ worthy projects that deserve to be highlighted and supported and put them on the site for AU fans, family, alumni to throw their support behind. Some are very worthy causes, others are, in my opinion less worthy, but they all made the list. What I love most about this event is that you can do a LOT of good on campus with very little spent. Some organizations get more of my dollars while others get enough to help them get a percent closer to their goal.

After I donated to a few of these programs I was hit with the share with your friends and family to help support #TigerGivingDay and of course I can't do that but I can post about Tiger Giving Day which lasts until Feb. 21^st at Midnight and features tons of programs you can put your support behind, if you are interested.

Check out the site below …

https://rise.auburn.edu/

Questions about this event can be directed here : because@auburn.edu

WAR EAGLE!!!!

Marcy