Welcome To Fun Facts

Because I am a wealth of useless information...

I enjoy history, but it can be dull and dry. That's why there are fun facts. They can take the form of amusing events, strange coincidences and even the most epic of fails to deserve Darwin Awards. Fun facts can be interesting and great conversation starters. 

For example the northern most palm tree on the East coast (and possibly in general, but I'd have to fact check that) is in Williamsburge VA. They apparently don't like snow. I hope it had a scarf for this past winter.

What does this have to do with have to do with my life (I.e. Why is this a blog post). Well, I'm about to pack up my whole life and move four hours north. One of my favorite ways to get to know an area is to learn the local quirks. 

A fun fact about New Jersey is that you can't pump your own gas. This is both frustrating and costly, but at least I don't have to leave my nice warm car in the winter anymore.

Things like how or when a building was built or the reason a town is laid out the way it is all help me to get to know a place. They can be fun, spooky, and maybe even a bit scandalous. It can be worth while when showing off the new neighborhood.

Hopefully by next week spring will have actually arrived and we can spend some time outside. Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), pleas like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Now go out and find some fun facts about your hometown and share them. Have a good week.

Welcome To Indecision

I have a lot of big decisions to make and I don't want to make any of them. If I could stop time for maybe two weeks for me to get my act together and actually think about what I have to do, I might feel better. Of course then I might spend all two weeks of that frozen time on my couch watching Netflix.

I'm moving. It's a fact I'm still having a hard time admitting to, but it's what is happening. I have to find a place to live, downsize (because apparently things are just that expensive where I'm going) and adjust to the new location. It could be worse. I could have lost my job. Thankfully I didn't and they are helping with the move.

Then there are the little day to day decisions I need to make. What will I have for lunch today? Should I get my hair cut this week. Does this bill really need to be paid this month? You know the stuff you know will get done, but you just have to remember to do it.

I'm burnt out. I have reached a point where if I have to make one more choice I'm going to crack.

Supposedly I'll be made stronger after going through all of this.

I'll just have to wait and see.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope ya'll like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome To Las Vegas

Last year, my company retreat was in Washington DC. The day everyone was supposed to arrive, a snow storm hit and everyone froze. The hotel was really cool, though, and one of my co-workers might have had a ghostly encounter. Overall it was fun and I got to know a lot more people in different offices.

This year, we went to Las Vegas. We stayed in a hotel that was off the main strip, but next to the Stratosphere (where some of my teammates went on the caravel rides at the top of the tower). Despite the fact that we were inside most of the trip, it was still an awesome experience.

I don't think I've ever been in a city quite like Vegas. It's loud, it's bright and there are slot machines everywhere. The closest I could compare it to is Orlando outside of the Disney resort area. I'm also not much of a gambler, so I wasn't that interested in the casinos. Though it was cool to see the inside of some of the bigger hotels.

The hotel I was at was small and decorated in white leather with two huge light up mirrors facing each other, but the food was excellent (though they seemed to not understand Vegan options so a few people went hungry). We were also given "5000" in casino chips to play a few of the games with. I had a lot of fun loosing all of my "money".


If I could have changed anything, it would have probably been my flights. I like having super early flight (less people around), but not right after Day Light Savings Time starts. My usual ability to deal with jet lag has stretched to almost a week because I'm still an hour off. I also should have gotten a later flight coming home so I could have gone out the last night and seen more of the sights. I was smart to have packed everything into a backpack and laptop case. Somehow everything fit perfectly.

 Overall it was a great trip. I got to get to know some of my co-workers better and learn some of the new techniques we're implementing as a company. I enjoyed seeing all The Strip and learning some new card games. Hopefully our next company retreat is just as enjoyable.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or  it really pissed you off) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. I wonder what I'll end up doing next.

Welcome To Daylight Savings Time

Arguably on of the worst days of the year, Daylight Savings Time is both cruel and nice to have. So we lost an hour of sleep last night, but we get to have an extra hour of sleep in the fall. And despite the fact that it's now darker in the morning, we get a whole extra hour of sunlight in the evening. Seriously, why don't we just have our time zone set to "Daylight Savings Time" all year round? It would certainly make life easier for those of us who have a hard enough time sleeping already.

But what is far more important about loosing an hour of sleep last night is that it's finally going to get warmer! Yep Spring is just arose md the corner. No more snow storms, ice will be a thing of the past and I can finally turn off my heater!

This year I have a few plans (besides moving).

- I'm going to plant a window garden. I got these really nice vases or candle holders (I'm not actually sure what they are) and I'm going to plant herbs in them. My pet cactus will finally have some company.

- Go to an amusement park. I have a need for speed and riding some rollercoasters will drive away the last of my winter blues.

- Go wine/beer tasting. I am in need for some new flavores and possible road trip.

- Spring cleaning. Wait why is this on my list...oh right now that winter is done for I need to freshen up my place for when people come by to hang out. I hope I don't find anymore spiders.

So thank you Daylight Savings Time. You might be the worst thing ever dreamed up (along with jet lag and insomnia)for the next week, but at least warm sunny weather is just around the corner. I just hope nothing floods too badly during the melt down.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Enjoy more sunshine in the evenings.

Welcome To Your Doom

I feel like I face it more and more...

It sounds like the start of either a really bad joke or a song from an 80s cartoon. I mean it's not like the universe is going to end every time I feel a crisis coming...or will it?

I feel that my biggest downfall is my communication skills.Ironic since I have a weekly blog right? (Disclaimer - this blog is to help those who are just starting out and for my friends and family to read about my random adventures)Yeah, I can be articulate and I am able to speak well and be charming when the occasion calls for it, but the transition from college life to professional life is bit bigger than I originally though.

In college I could shoot off an email and not worry too much about the content. Most professors didn't care if there were mistakes in the email and if they did, most of them just rolled their eyes if they thought that the public education system had further failed us.

In the work force, your email, even a simple one, needs to be looked over a few times. Even a single typo is obvious in a work email that is sent.

Then there's the phone. The almighty help  me, I have the hardest time picking up the phone and calling someone. Even close friends I have a hard time calling. Then once I do call, I forget half the things I wanted to talk about. It can lead to some unproductive phone calls.

It's no wonder my generation has become dependent on text messaging and social media.

 So how to overcome my communication anxiety? Well when I need to make an important phone call, I make lists and the occasional power point. When it comes to emails, I don't put the people receiving the email in to the address bar until I have made sure to go over everything (and attach all attachments - I tend to forget those). It's important to proof read and to err on the side of formal over informal (i.e. be polite).

Practice also makes perfect and the more I'm forced to pick up the phone and write emails the better at them I get. So I can't be totally hopeless.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome To The Melt Down

It would figure that throughout this entire week of subzero temperatures that it would end with a huge snow storm. Well I got roughly six inches of snow yesterday. It was pretty. I had wanted to do some errands, but that didn't happen since the snow managed to barricade my car. So I was a little surprised today to go out in 60 degree weather.

Since it's supposed to go down to the 20s tonight (and stay there for the next few days), I'm going to take a guess that my car will be covered in a thick sheet of ice tomorrow. I think this is punishment for having such a mild summer.

The worst part about all of this is trying to get my car out of my parking lot (hey there is only so much I can stand to stay inside on the weekend). My parking lot is uncovered and doesn't always get plowed as quickly as I need it. This particular morning wasn't too bad since it got so warm, but there are other days when it just doesn't seem like I should have put in the effort to get out of bed.

So how does someone dig their car out of a snow pile when they live south of the Mason Dixon line? (Yes techinqually Maryland is south of the Mason Dixon line, I was shocked by this news as well). Here are some tips for those of us who aren't used to more than a few inches of snow at a time.

1) Buy a snow/ice scrapper - I wasn't sure I needed one until it took me twenty minutes to defrost my car one November morning. I was late to work. It helps to speed up getting the ice and snow off my car without getting my hands soaked.

2) Get the spray stuff that gets rid of ice - I haven't done this yet, but it definatly helps you save on gas and time.

3) Have a small shovel handy - the plow that comes through my parking lot likes to leave a small mountain of snow and ice in front of my car. Thus even after clearing all the snow and ice off my car, I still might not be able to leave. Having a small shovel gets that pile out of the way.

4) Salt - And not table salt, salt you buy at a hardware store. It will help the ice melt a little faster and make the walk from your door to your car easier (I've already fallen twice this year). Just don't put the salt directly on your car.

5) Kitty Litter - Yeah I didn't beleive this one either, but it apparently works. Since some people might not have had the opportunity to go out and get salt, kitty litter makes for a great substitute. It allows  for some traction under the tires. So cat owners rejoice, you will have a much easier time getting to work.

These are just some of the methods I have used to dig my car out. There are more ways to free an ice entrapped car and its good information to know. So far these methods I know work. And hopefully the drive is safe once the car hits the road.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share, or comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys are amused by my misadventures. Until next week.

Welcome To The Convention

Artists at Katsucon creating a chalk mural of Legend of Zelda.

I know, it's not Sunday. It's Monday. Happy Presidents day from the US. I like this holiday better than Valentines Day because I get the day off. Yahoo! Three day weekend!

Which was really helpful since I went to an anime convention this weekend. I was at Katsucon. It was a lot of fun. One of my friends told me a ton of things that I had to do and what to expect and how awesome the whole weekend would be. He was right. He was also right about how much food and parking were going to be.

I had to work on Friday, so I got to the convention in the mid evening. It was crazy crowded. I initially stood in line to get my badge for twenty minutes before my friend told me to get food first. The line would die down. He was again right. I was also glad I registered for the conference instead of buying my ticket there. The line was huge for people just walking in.

That first night I was too tired to really do anything. I made up for that on Saturday and Sunday. I basically passed out on Sunday after everything was finished. I think my two favorite panels I went to were the "Attack on Titan" voice actors panel and the Samurai sword demonstration. My friend and I got to the Samurai sword too late to participate, but it was still cool to see.

So after all of the craziness, my next question is will I go again next year?

Answer: it depends.

It's not that I don't want to go next year. If things were different I would 100% say yes, I will go again next year. As it stands, I'm not sure how easy it will be for me to go. I'm currently in the process of moving and travel might be hard and expensive.

However if I am able to go back at least I'll be a little smarter about going than I was this year. Yeah, I made a few errors while attending that probably cost me a lot more than they needed to be.

1) Parking - parking was very expensive at the hotel where the convention was, like over 50% higher than it was across the street (and that was with a small discount). Next year I am either going to carpool or remember to park across the street. I wasn't too upset though, since the wind was terrible and it was incredibly cold.

2) Lodging - I stayed at my parent's house. It was about 20 miles away from the convention center. It was less expensive than staying at the hotel. However there were benefits to staying at the hotel the convention was at. Mainly that I could take a nap in the middle of the afternoon and go to some of the later events instead of going home so I wasn't driving when I was super tired. Also the wind was scary bad while driving and it was supposed to snow (thankfully it didn't), so it might have been hard to drive. Next year I might get a hotel room. The trick will be to find some friends to stay with me and getting a room before the hotel is overbooked.

3) Food - it was expensive and the wait to eat in one of the restaurants in the hotel was forever. Next year I might try to bring my own food or at least an empty water bottle.

4) Meeting up with people - the convention was huge. I somehow managed to find two of my friends (one had my phone number, the other I had to find). Next year I get everyone's phone number and make sure they have mine. That way we will definitely see each other.

5) Cosplay (or dressing up as a favorite character for those who don't know what cosplay is) - I didn't really cosplay this year. I did dress up and I could "claim" to be cosplaying, but I didn't do anything special. My biggest challenge is my hair. I don't own any wigs so it's difficult to style my hair to be similar to a character. Next year I might plan a little better and buy a wig and work on getting the right set up for a cosplay. I just have to decide who I want to be.

6) Crowds - There is no way around them. Getting there early got me around some of the mass of people, but to get into some of the more popular events there were lines. I almost didn't get into two panels because the rooms were too small for the number of people who wanted to attend. Next year I'll get to the events in the smaller rooms earlier. The events in larger rooms didn't really have this problem.

And those are the things I learned from attending my first big convention. I say big because compared to Bronycon this was huge (though Comic con is still the largest I know about).  I had a lot of fun and would love to attend again next year.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Let me know if you guys have any ideas for a post. After all, I'm still wandering around Wonderland.