Monthly Archives: March 2012

An unlucky St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on by
Reply

Now that spring has arrived a little early in the Midwest, you might notice some of my blogs changing from slightly Geeky Chic to a bit more Sporty Spice.  I love biking in Wisconsin and I was especially psyched for my first ride of the season this St. Patty’s Day weekend.

A friend of mine who recently found out about my two-wheeled hobby asked with a mildly judgmental tone, “You’re not one of those bikers who rides in packs out in the country and doesn’t move over for cars, are you?”  Well, I have to admit that I’ve been known to ride in packs, always ride in the country, but pride myself on being a courteous biker who does move over for cars. I have ridden one foot practically in the ditch to avoid the traffic behind me and I never ride two abreast despite the fact that the law allows it. The way I see it, I will always lose in a “car vs. bike” battle of the wills and I’m not interested in that type of challenge.

This afternoon I eagerly suited up into my favorite biking gear and headed south hoping to start the season with about 20 miles. The smell of fresh farmland leaves a lot to be desired, but it was still awesome to get out from the dark basement where I usually exercise. Almost halfway into my ride, everything changed. I rode up to a stop sign and, in preparation for crossing a major highway, I shifted down to ensure for a swift crossing when the time was right. What I didn’t realize is that I was still between two gears so when I started moving again, my bike sputtered, the chain slipped off, my right foot got caught in the pedal clip, and down goes Tiede.

I picked myself up and removed the gravel that was embedded into my knee, my elbow and my shoulder. Then I noticed the blood. Ugh. The first thing that crossed my mind was that I needed to turn around and go home to clean up. My second thought was anger at myself because I had plans to wear a cute halter top to a party later in the week and I wasn’t intending to accessorize with road rash! A girl has priorities, you know.

After examining my bike for damage, I realized that the chain was pretty messed up. I walked awhile hoping it might jump back into place, but no such luck. It is Saint Patrick’s Day after all – where was my luck?! Oh crap, I’m not even remotely Irish so this day doesn’t give a hoot about me. Well, I didn’t see rainbows or leprechauns, but apparently you don’t have to be Irish because a few moments later, a dark handsome stranger in an Audi pulled up and asked if I needed help. Ummmm, YES!!! He effortlessly flipped my bike upside down, tugged on the chain, and I was back in business. Except for the bleeding, of course…geez, I hope he didn’t notice the bleeding!

So, my 20 miles turned into only 14.5 and my arm is slathered in Neosporin but I feel pretty good. Not good enough for a ridiculous green beer, but I may just reward my efforts and soothe my bruised ego with my most favorite and timely sweet treat of all, a Shamrock Shake. I hope your St. Patrick’s Day is luckier than mine!

Laughing at technology (failure)

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes I laugh at inappropriate times. I’ve been known to get a case of the giggles in the middle of the night when I recall something that happened to me during the day. Or in a crowded movie theater when everybody else is silent. Or in this morning’s instance, the giggles came in the middle of a church hymn. It wasn’t my first time giggling in church. When I was younger, my brother had a habit of leaning over and whispering things in my ear during a long Catholic Homily that would make me giggle until tears rolled down my cheeks.

What made me giggle in church this morning? A mere 10-second glitch in technology. You see, my church prides itself in the audio visual features of a “hands-free service.” This includes a Madonna-style headset for the pastor and no more thumbing through a 600-page hymnal to find the right song. Now the lyrics are projected on a large screen for all to see and sing along. Today in the middle of Here I am, Lord the screen went dark for 10 seconds. For those 10 seconds, Here I am sounded like a remix of the kindergarten choir and gasps of uh oh’s. The man in front of me almost dropped his glasses while fumbling to find the thick green song book.  A baby cried. Looks of panic were exchanged. I giggled. The projector lights came back on and everybody relaxed. I was still giggling.

Technology is awesome, but every single day it fails somewhere in the world. Why are we so shocked and unprepared when it happens? My day job revolves around using new technologies to convey a message, strengthen a brand, and ultimately to make money for the company. But you can’t rely only on the technology because it’s just not a sure thing. You can spend $25K on a cool Flash video for your website and then find out that Flash technology will no longer be supported by any mobile operating systems. Oh wait, that did happen!

You need to be an innovative thinker and not just a user of innovation. Be smart, be creative, and be flexible. You never know when the screen will go dark in church or the DVR will malfunction and you’re forced to pull yourself away from the television and into a book, a board game, or maybe a puzzle. No batteries required.

Are you Pinterested?

Posted on by
1

You may have just discovered Pinterest, but it has been online for almost two years already and it’s now one of the top 10 social networking sites. For those of you who have no idea what is a Pinterest, you’re missing out on a gold mine of new recipes, DIY projects, inspirational quotes, videos, and things that make you truly laugh out loud. Your own friends are surfing the Internet and finding new products and ideas they love. They “pin” those new faves and assign the item to a virtual bulletin board filled with other fun finds of a similar nature. If you happen to follow this friend of yours, you will see everything they choose to pin to their bulletin boards and maybe find something you can’t live without as well.

Pinterest is both a time saver and a time suck. When I need a quick kid friendly recipe for school, I hop on Pinterest and within minutes I find s’mores-on-a-stick. Then another minute goes by and I find cookie dough brownies. Then a recipe for homeade cough syrup. Then a killer ab workout. Then tips on how to make a container garden. Then a sassy new hairstyle. Then produce bags made from old t-shirts. I have old t-shirts! The next thing you know, I’m headed to the grocery store to buy Cheez-Its® because I just spent the last two hours devouring the delicious ideas that is Pinterest.

We all have friends who we think are way more trendy than ourselves. Follow them on Pinterest and get a glimpse of what they think is awesome. Latch on to it and raise your own cool factor a notch or two. Why not? Everybody’s doing it!

Pinterest seems to appeal primarily to women as evidenced by my serious lack of male followers. But guys need to jump on this party bus as well. Fill your boards with great athletic shoes, craft brews, video games, power tools, futuristic cars, and 101 things to do with bacon. Need more masculine pinning ideas? Check out #BroPin, created by social media strategist Mike Street and managed by a variety of male Pinterest users.

Before you navigate away from this Hail-to-Pinterest blog, don’t forget to Pin It! It’s easy — just click the “Pin It” text at the top of the right column.