Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 139
February 4, 2014
My Super Bowl Top Three Ads
I was an advertising major in college and one of my favorite things about the Super Bowl is the commercials. This year had an odd selection of ads. I thought a lot of them were strange with a juxtaposition of action that seemed to have nothing to do with the product.
For example, The Chobani commercial with the bear in the general store. How does this say yogurt? Or the ad for the Maserati. It was a cool ad, don't get me wrong. I loved the visuals, the little girl, and the voice over, but I thought the ad was for some post apocalyptic movie or something. Nothing about it said car to me.
There were a lot of ads like that all throughout the Super Bowl. It's like most of the advertisers decided to film stuff that was cool and just tack their product on at the end, whether it fit logically with the images or not.
So which ads did I like? I'll post my top 3.
The best ad of the night for me was Radio Shack. I loved the humor and the fact that it was just plain fun! See how many 80s references you can spot.
I had a hard time picking for second and third place. These two ads could go in either order, but I ultimately decided on the Budweiser commercial with the puppy as the second best ad of the Super Bowl. Cute animals. What can I say?
The third place commercial--which easily could be my second favorite--is for Cheerios. The little girl is adorable and she gets a puppy out of the deal. :-)
For example, The Chobani commercial with the bear in the general store. How does this say yogurt? Or the ad for the Maserati. It was a cool ad, don't get me wrong. I loved the visuals, the little girl, and the voice over, but I thought the ad was for some post apocalyptic movie or something. Nothing about it said car to me.
There were a lot of ads like that all throughout the Super Bowl. It's like most of the advertisers decided to film stuff that was cool and just tack their product on at the end, whether it fit logically with the images or not.
So which ads did I like? I'll post my top 3.
The best ad of the night for me was Radio Shack. I loved the humor and the fact that it was just plain fun! See how many 80s references you can spot.
I had a hard time picking for second and third place. These two ads could go in either order, but I ultimately decided on the Budweiser commercial with the puppy as the second best ad of the Super Bowl. Cute animals. What can I say?
The third place commercial--which easily could be my second favorite--is for Cheerios. The little girl is adorable and she gets a puppy out of the deal. :-)
February 2, 2014
Safety Video 80s Style
You know I like clever airline safety videos. Delta did a 1980s version that's pretty cool.
January 30, 2014
Two Inches of Snow Freezes Atlanta
On Tuesday, Atlanta got snow. According to the news, about 2.5 inches. This was my first snowstorm since moving here and I'd been warned--repeatedly--that it would shut the city down. I wasn't able to comprehend that.
Up until recently, I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two inches would be called a nuisance snowfall and maybe slow the commute up some, but not much more than that. How bad could 2 inches of slushy snow be here?
I soon found out.
It began snowing before noon and people started leaving work. I ride a van pool, so we couldn't leave until everyone was allowed to go. That was at 2pm. By then, the two freeways we needed to take home were gridlocked with multiple reports of accidents. The primary backup route was also reported to be a parking lot, so we tried a different alternative.
It took forever to reach it because of the cars backed up and it didn't improve once we were on it. There was a guy walking on the sidewalk who kept up with us!
We inched along this two-lane road until we stopped moving completely. After some speculation that an accident had the road closed, we turned around and tried a different alternate.
This road also crept along at a snail's pace, and when we reached the start of a hill, the police were there, turning everyone around.
We headed for our third route. This one actually was moving and after 3.5 hours, I made it home, up the steep hill I call a driveway, and turned off the car. It was a huge relief, especially since I saw how icy the roads were already.
My parents were visiting and I was met at the door with the announcement that there was homemade chicken soup with homemade noodles. Definitely perfect after the hellish commute.
After dinner, I turned on the television and found there were people who were still stuck on the freeways for six hours! Six! Wednesday morning there were still cars stuck on the freeways around Atlanta and the temperatures weren't going to go above freezing for the day.
Reports from coworkers on their commutes started coming in. Some got home faster than my time, but one guy left at 12:30 in the afternoon and didn't get home until 2am. Another guy was stuck in traffic still at 9pm.
You can see pictures and tweets from people trapped on the freeways at The Daily Beast.
I can't wrap my mind around this set of circumstances. Two inches shutting down a major US city. I know Atlanta doesn't have the equipment down here. (I saw one snowplow in my 3.5 hours on the road and in Minneapolis, they're out on the freeways in force.) I saw how quickly the roads were icing up during my commute. But seriously, people stranded on the roads almost 24 hours later?
Totally incomprehensible to me. I guess you can take the girl out of Minnesota, but you can't take Minnesota out of the girl.
Up until recently, I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two inches would be called a nuisance snowfall and maybe slow the commute up some, but not much more than that. How bad could 2 inches of slushy snow be here?
I soon found out.
It began snowing before noon and people started leaving work. I ride a van pool, so we couldn't leave until everyone was allowed to go. That was at 2pm. By then, the two freeways we needed to take home were gridlocked with multiple reports of accidents. The primary backup route was also reported to be a parking lot, so we tried a different alternative.
It took forever to reach it because of the cars backed up and it didn't improve once we were on it. There was a guy walking on the sidewalk who kept up with us!
We inched along this two-lane road until we stopped moving completely. After some speculation that an accident had the road closed, we turned around and tried a different alternate.
This road also crept along at a snail's pace, and when we reached the start of a hill, the police were there, turning everyone around.
We headed for our third route. This one actually was moving and after 3.5 hours, I made it home, up the steep hill I call a driveway, and turned off the car. It was a huge relief, especially since I saw how icy the roads were already.
My parents were visiting and I was met at the door with the announcement that there was homemade chicken soup with homemade noodles. Definitely perfect after the hellish commute.
After dinner, I turned on the television and found there were people who were still stuck on the freeways for six hours! Six! Wednesday morning there were still cars stuck on the freeways around Atlanta and the temperatures weren't going to go above freezing for the day.
Reports from coworkers on their commutes started coming in. Some got home faster than my time, but one guy left at 12:30 in the afternoon and didn't get home until 2am. Another guy was stuck in traffic still at 9pm.
You can see pictures and tweets from people trapped on the freeways at The Daily Beast.
I can't wrap my mind around this set of circumstances. Two inches shutting down a major US city. I know Atlanta doesn't have the equipment down here. (I saw one snowplow in my 3.5 hours on the road and in Minneapolis, they're out on the freeways in force.) I saw how quickly the roads were icing up during my commute. But seriously, people stranded on the roads almost 24 hours later?
Totally incomprehensible to me. I guess you can take the girl out of Minnesota, but you can't take Minnesota out of the girl.
January 28, 2014
Missing: Important Writing Notes
I make notes all the time because characters will share important information when they feel like it, not necessarily when I'm working on their story. This particular Work In Progress (WIP) has been in progress for a while now, but I've stopped it a few times for other stories and for house hunting and moving.
But I have notes. Lots and lots of notes to help me. Sort of. I have lots of notes and I've found most of them, but I can't find the ones I really need. The ones with the information about my hero's family.
Since his father plays a large role in the plot and possibly his older brother, too, I'd really like to refresh my memory. And I don't know where these particular sheets of paper are hiding.
I've checked the usual locations. I carry steno pads with me all the time and I went through those. Most of the notes for the story were there, but not the ones about the hero's family. I cleaned out my tote bag, the one I haul back and forth to work. I found many notes, including notes for Phoenix Burning, which came out this month and I even found notes for Demon Kissed, which released May 2010.
No notes about the WIP or the hero's family.
Now the notes could be anywhere. I moved in the middle of all this. They could be buried in a box somewhere. Gah! My office is in the worst shape (by far) of any of the rooms in my house. I wish I could recreate what I wrote down, but it's been too long.
The search continues. Whether I like it or not.
But I have notes. Lots and lots of notes to help me. Sort of. I have lots of notes and I've found most of them, but I can't find the ones I really need. The ones with the information about my hero's family.
Since his father plays a large role in the plot and possibly his older brother, too, I'd really like to refresh my memory. And I don't know where these particular sheets of paper are hiding.
I've checked the usual locations. I carry steno pads with me all the time and I went through those. Most of the notes for the story were there, but not the ones about the hero's family. I cleaned out my tote bag, the one I haul back and forth to work. I found many notes, including notes for Phoenix Burning, which came out this month and I even found notes for Demon Kissed, which released May 2010.
No notes about the WIP or the hero's family.
Now the notes could be anywhere. I moved in the middle of all this. They could be buried in a box somewhere. Gah! My office is in the worst shape (by far) of any of the rooms in my house. I wish I could recreate what I wrote down, but it's been too long.
The search continues. Whether I like it or not.
January 26, 2014
January 23, 2014
There Is a Difference and It Does Matter
I never thought all that much about kitchen appliances. Even when I picked them out myself in 2006 as my house in Minnesota was being built, I really didn't give it that much thought. The salesman explained the pluses and minuses of the different appliances and I picked based on that. My biggest grievance was that the microwave nagged me if I didn't open the door fast enough.
Fast forward to my house in Atlanta. This time most of the appliances were already there, but I did have to buy a new refrigerator. I picked the model that was on sale, thinking that one was as good as the other and it did have good reviews online.
I hate the fridge. It doesn't have enough space, not in the freezer and not in the refrigerator itself. It's loud, which is truly obnoxious because my kitchen is open to the great room. And there's some darn deli drawer or whatever they call it that means both doors need to be open. (It's a French door fridge.)
Unfortunately, after spending as much as I did for it, I'm stuck with it for at least 10 years. I really wish now that I'd paid the extra money and gotten the one I wanted.
Then there was the dishwasher. That was built-in and a reputable brand, so I thought it would be fine. There was a lot of wasted space inside--the silverware tray took up about 1/6 of the entire bottom drawer--and it was loud. Worse than the obnoxious fridge. I frequently start my dishwasher when I go to bed, but I couldn't do that with this one. The loud noises scared the heck out of me.
I was determined to replace it with the same brand I had in MN. That one had the silverware rack on the door and was quiet. My parents, who've stayed with me a few times since I moved in, supported the decision and they are very frugal and would normally tell me to live with it till it died. They hated it too, enough to encourage me to get a different one.
My new dishwasher is installed now. It's so quiet, I can barely hear it running. I love it!
This experience, though, taught me something. Big name manufacturer or not, not all appliances are created equal. I'll be much more careful in the future whenever I have to buy another one.
Fast forward to my house in Atlanta. This time most of the appliances were already there, but I did have to buy a new refrigerator. I picked the model that was on sale, thinking that one was as good as the other and it did have good reviews online.
I hate the fridge. It doesn't have enough space, not in the freezer and not in the refrigerator itself. It's loud, which is truly obnoxious because my kitchen is open to the great room. And there's some darn deli drawer or whatever they call it that means both doors need to be open. (It's a French door fridge.)
Unfortunately, after spending as much as I did for it, I'm stuck with it for at least 10 years. I really wish now that I'd paid the extra money and gotten the one I wanted.
Then there was the dishwasher. That was built-in and a reputable brand, so I thought it would be fine. There was a lot of wasted space inside--the silverware tray took up about 1/6 of the entire bottom drawer--and it was loud. Worse than the obnoxious fridge. I frequently start my dishwasher when I go to bed, but I couldn't do that with this one. The loud noises scared the heck out of me.
I was determined to replace it with the same brand I had in MN. That one had the silverware rack on the door and was quiet. My parents, who've stayed with me a few times since I moved in, supported the decision and they are very frugal and would normally tell me to live with it till it died. They hated it too, enough to encourage me to get a different one.
My new dishwasher is installed now. It's so quiet, I can barely hear it running. I love it!
This experience, though, taught me something. Big name manufacturer or not, not all appliances are created equal. I'll be much more careful in the future whenever I have to buy another one.
January 21, 2014
Adventures With Spiders
I don't like anything creepy-crawly, but among my least favorite of these is spiders. I especially don't like the spiders in Georgia because these are some huge suckers. Much bigger than what I had in Minnesota.
So Sunday night--late since I didn't have to work on Monday--I'm getting ready for bed when I realize that I forgot to turn out the light in the great room. As I go to do that, I notice there's a big, dark spider where the ceiling meets the wall right near my door. It's 2 a.m., the last thing I want to do is deal with this.
He's a little high to get with the bug poison I have, but I knew my spray bottle of rubbing alcohol would reach. Except I couldn't find that. I had to use the bug poison after all.
I sprayed and sprayed. I don't think very much got on him, but it annoyed him enough that he started to climb. My bedroom has a lofted ceiling, so he was able to climb quite high, well beyond the reach of my spray. I had two choices--kill him or try to sleep with a huge spider loose in my bedroom.
You know what option I picked.
I searched until I found my spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. I returned to my bedroom and located him. He was near my television and hamper.
I like to think that had it been earlier in the evening that I would have been smart enough to move the hamper before taking aim, however, at 2 a.m. the brain isn't functioning at top condition. I moved nothing. Instead, I take aim and fire.
He falls, hits the top of the hamper, and SCURRIES UNDER THE LID! OMG! The spider is in my hamper!
After a brief moment of study, I decide there's no way I'm touching the freaking lid to open it. I need something long enough and sturdy enough to do the job for me. I find a yard stick. I also find a small broom right near it. I grab that, too. In my head, I'm thinking open the hamper, sweep him to the floor, spray him.
I return to my bedroom, use the yard stick to (barely) get the hamper lid up. He's still clinging to the underside of the lid!
My plan to sweep him to the floor is forgotten. I spray him where he lurks. Bad decision. He falls into the hamper with some clothes. ::whimper:: Fortunately, I'd just washed clothes that afternoon so there weren't many in there, but enough for him to hide from me.
I spray the rubbing alcohol and use the yard stick to move the clothes, trying to find him. I can't see him. He's in my hamper, successfully hiding in my clothes. ::shudder::
It's 2:10 in the morning. He has to be injured and dying after all this, but just in case, I pick up the hamper and move it to the room farthest away from mine. Just in case he climbs out, I don't want him in there with me. Ugh!
My hamper is still in the other bedroom.
So Sunday night--late since I didn't have to work on Monday--I'm getting ready for bed when I realize that I forgot to turn out the light in the great room. As I go to do that, I notice there's a big, dark spider where the ceiling meets the wall right near my door. It's 2 a.m., the last thing I want to do is deal with this.
He's a little high to get with the bug poison I have, but I knew my spray bottle of rubbing alcohol would reach. Except I couldn't find that. I had to use the bug poison after all.
I sprayed and sprayed. I don't think very much got on him, but it annoyed him enough that he started to climb. My bedroom has a lofted ceiling, so he was able to climb quite high, well beyond the reach of my spray. I had two choices--kill him or try to sleep with a huge spider loose in my bedroom.
You know what option I picked.
I searched until I found my spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. I returned to my bedroom and located him. He was near my television and hamper.
I like to think that had it been earlier in the evening that I would have been smart enough to move the hamper before taking aim, however, at 2 a.m. the brain isn't functioning at top condition. I moved nothing. Instead, I take aim and fire.
He falls, hits the top of the hamper, and SCURRIES UNDER THE LID! OMG! The spider is in my hamper!
After a brief moment of study, I decide there's no way I'm touching the freaking lid to open it. I need something long enough and sturdy enough to do the job for me. I find a yard stick. I also find a small broom right near it. I grab that, too. In my head, I'm thinking open the hamper, sweep him to the floor, spray him.
I return to my bedroom, use the yard stick to (barely) get the hamper lid up. He's still clinging to the underside of the lid!
My plan to sweep him to the floor is forgotten. I spray him where he lurks. Bad decision. He falls into the hamper with some clothes. ::whimper:: Fortunately, I'd just washed clothes that afternoon so there weren't many in there, but enough for him to hide from me.
I spray the rubbing alcohol and use the yard stick to move the clothes, trying to find him. I can't see him. He's in my hamper, successfully hiding in my clothes. ::shudder::
It's 2:10 in the morning. He has to be injured and dying after all this, but just in case, I pick up the hamper and move it to the room farthest away from mine. Just in case he climbs out, I don't want him in there with me. Ugh!
My hamper is still in the other bedroom.
January 19, 2014
Such a Perfect Day
I was an advertising major in college and good ads make me happy. There are so few of them, though, that mostly I'm grimacing and flipping away. Sony's ad for Play Station 4, however, is awesomeness. I've seen it for a while and it's holding up.
Many ads are clever the first few times you see them, but become annoying. (I'm thinking of Sprint's commercial where the text messages are read by James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell.) Other ads are just plain irritating from the start. (I'm looking at you, Geico, especially that stupid pig. I hope he gets cooked at a luau.)
Here's the ad I love for PS4.
Many ads are clever the first few times you see them, but become annoying. (I'm thinking of Sprint's commercial where the text messages are read by James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell.) Other ads are just plain irritating from the start. (I'm looking at you, Geico, especially that stupid pig. I hope he gets cooked at a luau.)
Here's the ad I love for PS4.
January 16, 2014
It's Too Early For Talk
I love riding the van pool to work. If I'm tired, I can close my eyes during the commute in, there are people to talk to, and it saves me money on gas and car maintenance. All big pluses.
The only thing that routinely makes me nuts is the radio.
You see, in the mornings I like quiet. I have since I was a child. When I get up in the morning and have coffee, I keep the sound on the TV muted. All I want is the weather and I can pick up that information from the graphics.
Unfortunately, the morning van drivers all like the radio on. I could probably survive it if it were music--as long as it wasn't something loud like metal. :-) But no, they like the news station with all the talking. Gah! This really harshes on my morning mellow.
I certainly can't complain about it and I won't. I started bringing my iPod with me and plug into my favorite ambient music, but the guy who sat next to me that morning thought I was being unfriendly.
It is kind of off-putting, but it had nothing to do with not wanting to be friendly and everything to do with trying to block out the yammering from the radio. I guess I have a hard time understanding why anyone wants noise early in the morning. That's the time to be all mellow and zen-like. It could also be (if it were quiet) a great opportunity to think about the story in progress.
The only thing that routinely makes me nuts is the radio.
You see, in the mornings I like quiet. I have since I was a child. When I get up in the morning and have coffee, I keep the sound on the TV muted. All I want is the weather and I can pick up that information from the graphics.
Unfortunately, the morning van drivers all like the radio on. I could probably survive it if it were music--as long as it wasn't something loud like metal. :-) But no, they like the news station with all the talking. Gah! This really harshes on my morning mellow.
I certainly can't complain about it and I won't. I started bringing my iPod with me and plug into my favorite ambient music, but the guy who sat next to me that morning thought I was being unfriendly.
It is kind of off-putting, but it had nothing to do with not wanting to be friendly and everything to do with trying to block out the yammering from the radio. I guess I have a hard time understanding why anyone wants noise early in the morning. That's the time to be all mellow and zen-like. It could also be (if it were quiet) a great opportunity to think about the story in progress.
January 14, 2014
Guten Tag
Right before Christmas, I received an email offering a huge discount on computer language programs. This is the same company I bought the Spanish program from and I was impressed with their program, but I'd done the one thing I was afraid I'd do. I stopped doing my Spanish lessons.
But oh, look, German 1-5 is available for way cheaper than I've ever seen it and I want to relearn the German I learned in school.
No, I told myself. Look what happened with Spanish. You really wanted to learn Spanish, too, and you got squeezed for time and never picked it up again. You sure as heck aren't spending all that money on another language until you learn the first one.
Um, yes, I talk to myself. Anyway, I strongly resisted the desire to buy the German language program. Besides, if I really wanted to relearn German, there are podcasts and I still have my old textbooks. (At least I think I do. I did purge a lot of books before moving to Atlanta.)
Days go by, maybe even a full week and I'd think of that offer on and off, but I would repeat the reasons why I couldn't buy it.
And then the company sent out a reminder email and that the offer was only good through Dec 23rd. The added enticement of free overnight shipping was tossed in. You know what happened next.
Guten tag. Ich bin Patti und Sie? Wie geht es Ihnen?
But oh, look, German 1-5 is available for way cheaper than I've ever seen it and I want to relearn the German I learned in school.
No, I told myself. Look what happened with Spanish. You really wanted to learn Spanish, too, and you got squeezed for time and never picked it up again. You sure as heck aren't spending all that money on another language until you learn the first one.
Um, yes, I talk to myself. Anyway, I strongly resisted the desire to buy the German language program. Besides, if I really wanted to relearn German, there are podcasts and I still have my old textbooks. (At least I think I do. I did purge a lot of books before moving to Atlanta.)
Days go by, maybe even a full week and I'd think of that offer on and off, but I would repeat the reasons why I couldn't buy it.
And then the company sent out a reminder email and that the offer was only good through Dec 23rd. The added enticement of free overnight shipping was tossed in. You know what happened next.
Guten tag. Ich bin Patti und Sie? Wie geht es Ihnen?
