Comments for Grandiose Ideas

Comment on Blondes Do Not Have More Fun by Woy

Woy — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:16:33 +0000

Going blonde is hard, most definitely. I got highlights just before a friend’s wedding many years ago (that I was in) - while it was not disasterous, it was definitely something I wouldn’t do again.

Comment on In My Pockets by suzette

suzette — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:43:05 +0000

love this post. you are one talented writer. i am glad i stumbled into your site. will be back to read more as soon as i am done with my household chores.

it would be nice to know you more.

Comment on Take the Girl Out of The Country by suzette

suzette — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:25:34 +0000

this blog made me cry… it made a lot of sense. let me rephrase mine though: you can take the girl out of the beach, but you can’t take the beach out of the girl.

i lived most of my life in a small island in the philippines before work brought me here in a small missouri town. after 2 years of not being able to see the beach, we went to miami for thanksgiving vacation and i couldn’t help but cry. i miss the beach a lot and felt so connected with the shell decors and floral shirts in the gift shops. the fruity drinks served by bartenders in tropical shirts. it was like home. and here i am thinking i have become a country girl… well, i am sorta… a beach bum country girl of some sort. go figure. LOL!

Comment on Praise for Twitter by Dave Pryke

Dave Pryke — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:54:50 +0000

I, too, found you via Twitter, and also plan to keep reading your blog. I started using Twitter last year b/c some of my co-workers were using it and encouraged me to sign up.

For the longest time, I barely updated at all, and usually I only tweeted a link to something I found interesting, and professional, at that. I also started with an anonymous account tied to an anonymous e-mail address. I decided to switch to an account tied to my real e-mail address, and recently changed my Twitter name to match my real name. All this because of my coworkers and others I have found in the social media space that encourage everyone to “be themselves.”

This ties in to my real point: I follow most people for one of two reasons; 1.) Professional - I am a former programmer turned sysadmin, so I follow people in the tech world that I find interesting. 2.) Pittsburgh - I am passionate about Pittsburgh, I grew up around here, and I enjoy the perspective and love of it that so many others in the region have.

I am like you in that I find it difficult to start conversations with others that I don’t know, but, like you, once I have been following them on Twitter for some time, and especially if I’ve @msg them, I feel connected and can talk with them much more easily.

Sorry for the long comment; I’m glad you are expressing yourself online, and I share many of your sentiments about it all. Enjoy!

Comment on My Daughter’s Fourth Birthday - A Lesson in Frugality by Lance Wig

Lance Wig — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:35:55 +0000

(First comment vanished somehow. If you find it, just delete it.)

Jen,

This is a great article about throwing a special event while at the same time making a a dollar stretch. I feel certain many parents will be inspired by this technique of Yankee Ingenuity during harsh economic conditions. More of us need to see our challenges as shades of gray instead of black and white. Finding pink plates instead of themed plates saved a good bit, but it didn’t kill the party. In the end, creating memories doesn’t cost that much.

This story reminds me of a day in my childhood in New Hampshire. My friend sold a radio for $5 and treated the two of us to a “grand adventure” for the rest of the day. We bought a tiny water gun. We shared a pastrami sub. We bought a brown sack of dime candy. In between all those material things, was a great friendship developing. We spent time by the river discussing grand plans and so on.

Comment on Praise for Twitter by Joe O'Brien

Joe O'Brien — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:18:33 +0000

I just discovered your blog (thanks to twitter ).

I agree completely. I love getting to meet people through twitter and still remember seeing you tweet about coming to erubycon. I’m always excited to meet people in person who I have gotten to know through twitter. I find myself following people for professional reasons, but then connecting with them on a personal level.

On a separate note, I love your writing style. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts and will definitely be back for more. Keep it up.

Comment on My Daughter’s Fourth Birthday - A Lesson in Frugality by aarti

aarti — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:58:03 +0000

Hi Jennifer, I loved the cake idea. I enjoyed the rest of the blog too. Keep writing…

Comment on My Daughter’s Fourth Birthday - A Lesson in Frugality by My Daughter’s Fourth bBirthday/b - A Lesson in Frugality

My Daughter’s Fourth bBirthday/b - A Lesson in Frugality — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:56:08 +0000

[...] Jen wrote an interesting post today onMy Daughterâ??s Fourth bBirthday/b - A Lesson in FrugalityHere’s a quick excerptI made sure to keep this in mind when it came time to plan my daughter’s fourth bbirthday/b bash - a Barbie themed party, complete with the cake, decorations, and balloons. Normally, this type of event, a simple, at-home party, b…/b [...]

Comment on Praise for Twitter by Woy

Woy — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:12:07 +0000

I agree - Twitter is an incredible tool for building relationships and has helped the local Pittsburgh social media community come together. Though the failures of recent months have done much to hinder it as a medium.

I do still use it semi-frequently, but I’ve found myself using Plurk more. More than for anything else to more easily track conversations. If you miss something on Twitter and a day passes, it’s so hard to go back and see what you missed.

Check it out if you haven’t already. But, if you do let me know so I can send you an invite!

Comment on Grandiose Ideas by Lance Wig

Lance Wig — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:52:18 +0000

I remember the pressure of being a kid. Adults would ask us what we wanted “to be” in life. They would say, “Young man, what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Now, that I’m an adult, I’ve found that you never settle on any one path in life. Each day your path bends slightly to the left or right. As a kid I would say, “I want to be a fireman.” It was an image of something that could represent my life. These days I say things like, “I want to convince people not to drive their cars all the time.” I don’t need to think on what I “will be” so much as what “I have done” One day I’ll reach the end of my life and look back on what “I was” and smile.

Interesting post. Keep up the great work.