AliBlog

In Cleveland

In Cleveland you can stop downtown to ask a group of construction workers how to find the Ritz and they will get you there without a single whistle or wise crack.

In Cleveland you can give a stranger 75 cents for a dollar so he can catch the ferry. Or maybe he was parking his car.  He was in a hurry.

In Cleveland you can walk from the Ritz to the Rock Hall passing a stadium, a wind mill and a sculpture of flames on your way.

In Cleveland you can make a woman cry for letting her borrow your iphone.

In Cleveland Michael Jackson fans leave flowers, handwritten notes and mementos at the foot of an oversized guitar donning his likeness.

In Cleveland, the acceptance speech video at the Rock Hall will make you cry.

In Cleveland, the luxury hotels are having a good year. Execs credit the staycation and say locals are rediscovering the city.

In Cleveland you can watch the sun shine and the rain fall on the street simultaneously.

In Cleveland you can eat a meal by an Iron Chef for under $50.

In Cleveland you will find friends old and new to enjoy for a day.

Me, on corporate blogging

This guy Ajay in India in Tennessee who follows SAS on his blog sent me an email with some really good questions. I answered them, and he posted them here. I like the quote he chose to highlight at the top:

My biggest editing soapbox right now is to encourage brevity. We’re so used to writing white papers, brochures and magazine articles at SAS that the concept of throwing down 200 words on a random topic from your day is a very foreign exercise.

Yes I just quoted my own pull quote. Is that a new level of blog-induced narcissism or what?

So excited to be sharing this place with my kids

 

Click the photos to go over to flickr and read the funny photo captions that Jeromy wrote. I just love Cedar Point. We decided last week at the very last minute to meet our friends Rick and Anne there for an evening, along with their son Rickie and his cousin Wyatt. They were visiting from Texas, and we hadn't seen them since we moved from Arizona to Illinois in 2003 when Robey was eight weeks old and Rickie was 18 months.

For our first family trip to Cedar Point, we left Zanna with Grandma Dee and drove up after work with Robey and Moe. They loved the bumper cars and the old fashioned cars. Robey is exactly one half inch shy of being able to ride the big rides, but he enjoyed a few fast spinny rides and everyone liked the cable bucket cars. What are those called? I'm blanking on all the ride names. Oh - except the MaxAir. Rick and Jeromy rode that while Anne and I stayed in kiddieland with the kids. Then, the guys hung out with the kids while Anne and I squeeee'd on the MaxAir. Later, we took the kids through a light display in Frontierland while Jeromy and Rick stood in line for the Dragster. It was dark by this point, so Anne treated the kids to light sabers, which were a hit.

The evening trip was perfect for testing out how the kids would do. You can't do even a fraction of what you want to do in four hours, but that just leaves more for next time. And they're definitely up for a next time. So's Jerm. He's already scheming plans for season passes next year (if we don't dock the boat ....).

Top 10 reasons to attend podcamp

I wrote a recap of Podcamp Ohio on my work blog two weeks ago, but I wanted to do a more personal list here of all the reasons I enjoyed the event. My top 10 reasons to attend a podcamp near you:

1. Find useful resources like a creativecommons image search,a free music source for podcasts and a good site that lists social media events.
2. Meet people you follow on Twitter, like @mommystory and @ginakay.
3. Meet new people to follow on Twitter, like @researchgoddess and @ChangeEvnglst.
4. Have small world run-in with people you've met before & didn't know would be there.
5. Share your knowledge.
6. Ask questions. The sessions are all interactive. If the presenter doesn't pause to allow questions, the audience will ask them anyway.
7. Get tips and ideas for your business blogs & podcasts.
8. Find inspiration to write on your personal blog again.
9. "All attendees are rock stars."
10. It's free.

Photo credit: Brandice.net

Hiding from the vacuum cleaner

  

 

Still learning the lesson here

Moe: If you can't say nice, don't say at all.

Robey (in his superior big brother voice): That's not how you say it. If you cant say anything nice, you shouldn't say anything at all.

Moe (louder): That's what I said, Robey: If you can't nice, don't say it at all.

Robey (brattier): No, that's not what Daddy said. If you cant say anything nice, you shouldn't say anything at all.

Moe (screaming): I know, Robey. IF YOU CAN'T SAY NICE, DON'T SAY AT ALL.

Robey (screaming back): Daddy says, IF YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NICE, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!

Moe (top of lungs): THAT'S WHAT I SAID! IF YOU CAN'T SAY NICE, DON'T SAY AT ALL!

Robey (top of lungs): NO YOU DIDN'T. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY, IF YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NICE, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!