Cornhole.

If you are offended by that title, then I will question if you have been somehow living under a rock for the past year. I have to admit that I have not been partaking in this glorious yard game as long as someone like my brother has...but now that I have started I do not anticipate stopping any time soon...well...until winter.

Cornhole is a glorious game that can be simplified by calling it a bean bag toss. It's relatively easy, somewhat competitive...depending on who you're playing with...and it's all in good fun. I would say that any party can be made significantly better if this game is included somehow. Nowadays I find that people are either sick of beer pong and flip cup and just want to drink...and drink hard. This allows you to do that with minimal effort.

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to get my brother's friend to let me borrow his cornhole set. Sounds dirty, doesn't it. It wasn't. Saturday was the big day...Oktoberfest. The glorious day of multiple kegs, BBQ and jam band that I have been waiting for for almost a year at this point. My boss (I say boss very loosely as he is a big little kid) throws this party every year and it's just a nice day filled with food and friends...and beer and outdoor games.

Words cannot express the impact cornhole had on this day's events. It was a bit chilly so I think everyone was shocked and dressed inappropriately so they needed something to take their mind off of their coldness and maybe beer wasn't doing it.

Cornhole to the rescue. I made friends with people instantly! It's as if this amazing game brings out the friendliness in people or something but I would go as far as to say that due to cornhole there was some good baby-making music that night...and I'm not referring to me...of course.

So I encourage you all to visit www.corntossfun.com and either invest in a set or at least take a look at what it's all about. I promise you will be happy that you did.

Maybe we can start to say 'Sack it up' and have people not take offense. Who knows?

Have a good one.

Can Singles Be Friends with the Married?

You know this comes up all the time, so I have decided to address it right here on Blindfolded. I struggle with this topic because we all know that I am not married, but I have had mostly guy friends my entire life. This was never a problem because luckily, over time, all of them have had very nice girlfriends and my friendships with them have never been an issue.

As I move beyond my close-knit group of friends, however, my friendships with men have become increasingly complicated. And when they go on to get married...forget about it. It becomes nearly impossible to remain friends. I can't quite figure out why this is the case. I've never been the cheating type. Sure there was one instance in college where I may have had a slip up, but that wasn't even a big deal. It's not like we slept together. Minus that one instance, I am of the impression that I'm a pretty stand-up person. I'm extremely open and honest with just about everyone I meet and I would think that that would mean that I am a trustworthy individual.

Why is it then that these wives, fiances, mothers of wives even...seem to have such a problem with me? I'm not going to get specific with these instances, but are people really this uptight and insecure about their relationships that they need to worry about their husband or boyfriend or even guy that their dating's friends..who happen to be girls...for fear that they will what? Hook up with them? Sleep with them? My god. If you have these types of concerns when you're married (and I can make blanket statements like this because I'm not married) I'm thinking that's not a good thing.

Now I know there are certain reasons to feel insecure or what have you. I would think that the majority of the time this is because maybe the girl/woman doesn't know me very well and just has the wrong impression. But I have been reminded of the fact that it's 'not normal' for married men to hang out with women other than their wives...without their wives. And even vice versa. A married/engaged woman apparently should not hang out with a guy by herself...without her significant other. I don't see why not and I want to know what the reason for this is.

Are people assuming that men cannot bring themselves to think about anything besides sex while being in the same vicinity as someone of the opposite sex? If that is the case, that's just dumb and I would find that hard to believe.

I want answers and I want good answers. Thank you for reading.

G'night.

Walking on the Highway

It's been quite some time since I wrote about something unrelated to my personal life or personal experiences I should say, but this has been on my mind for quite some time and I'm feeling the need to share it with my loyal listeners. Now I know everyone goes through a daily routine during the work week...or for the purposes of this blog I am assuming that we all do. And our daily commutes are probably very similar from day to day as well. I, unfortunately, have not been blessed over the years with a pleasurable commute. Rather, I have had the 'pleasure' of driving at least 50 miles each way to work for the past 4+ years. You know you're jealous.

As it turns out, I have come to notice one very common occurrence in the morning. People are walking on the highway. Highway 35 to be exact. For those who maybe not be familiar with this road, this is what I will consider the busiest highway in my area- maybe even all of Monmouth County. I cannot seem to wrap my head around actually walking on a highway. And so, over time, I have developed some assumptions as to why these people are endangering their lives on a regular basis.

Assumption #1: They are dealing with some sort of DUI/DWI situation in which their license was revoked and so now they have to walk everywhere. Believe it or not, there are buses that will take you around my area, but what do I know?

Assumption #2: Their car was repossessed and they have no other means of transportation.

Assumption #3: They are partaking in what will now be known as the most shameful walk of shame in the history of walks of shame. Because you wanna hear something crazy? This isn't even always men walking on the highway! Women are apparently out of their minds as well.

I'm not sure which of these, if any, is accurate, but I sure hope it's #3 because that makes this funny instead of sad.

Either way, just wanted to get that out in the open. I'm sure that you will now notice more people walking around your area on the highway thanks to reading this, so your welcome. Please feel free to provide me with some assumptions of your own in terms of why these folks aren't in cars or buses or what not. Who knows? Maybe this big energy..let's all be 'green' bandwagon has people taking things to the streets...literally.

Enjoy the lovely weather Everyone!

Our Obsession with Television

You may think that this could be a first hand example of the pot calling the kettle black (never quite understood that old saying but I love using it), but, it has become incredibly apparent to me that the majority of people are obsessed with television. Now this is a person who hasn't really committed to a show since the end of Sex and the City and Friends. These happened to be my two favorite shows and they ended in the same year. You can imagine my devastation.

Certainly it has been my own personal decision to not become attached, or even interested, in any other shows. Whether that is due to my sheer dedication to my former TV addiction or some other stubborn behavior disorder, I am just completely uninterested in starting over and getting to know all new people. Instead, I find complete happiness and even fulfillment in watching 27 Dresses every single time it is on HBO...no matter what point in the movie it is. Now THAT'S an obsession.

To get to the point, I have legitimately been upstaged by TV shows on more than one occasion. This is not to say that some of my friends would rather watch TV than hang out with me because that would just be ludicrous. But there have been times when I have asked someone to hang out and I get something like, 'Oh I can't...my show starts tonight.' Or 'I'm gonna have to get going because I have 2 hours of DVR to catch up on before my show starts up again in a couple days.'

Really? 2 hours of straight TV? Again...this is something that I definitely did in college when I would watch my Sex and the City DVDs so often that the cases have completely fallen apart. BUT...and this is a huge BUT...I would never ever in a million years pass up hang out time to watch a show. I don't care if this was the season finale or whatever. First of all...that's why we are so blessed to have DVR nowadays; but more importantly, how do you know that your decision to not go out or hang out that night won't turn out to be the best night of your life? You don't...and if you maintain your firm grip to your plasma...you never will.

So let me hear your thoughts. What is this obsession with TV? Why can't we step away and actual experience life instead of watching people pretend to live their 'real' lives on the television. While I know I don't lead the most exciting life...especially with my current lack of sexual activity...I know that a night out at Live Band Karaoke (LBK) is much better than an episode of Gossip Girl. But what do I know?

Enjoy and goodnight.

So You're Sitting at the Bar....

We have all experienced this moment. If you haven't then you have either been living a sheltered life or are regretting that you haven't experienced this awkward moment in single life. So as we all know, I have been enjoying the single life for just about a year now. All in all...I have no complaints. Certainly I cannot admit to have had the best luck dating. For whatever reason my overwhelming personality does not translate into the dating world. I can't quite figure it out but I will and report back.

One thing I noticed tonight got me thinking that this exact situation happens to me quite often while I'm out and I don't seem to know how to fix it so I am looking to all of you for advice. So imagine this scenario:

You are sitting at the bar with a friend..doesn't matter guy or girl...and that person gets up to go to the bathroom. So now you're there by yourself. You inevitably dig for your phone and either pray that you have received a text from someone who you know will be a good distraction for the next five minutes. This would be the avid texter who you know is good for say 3-4 back and forth texts. Even if you don't have a text you will just stare at your phone and scroll through your pictures if you have to in order to pass the time until you are no longer alone.

Now...at the same moment that you (and when I say you I mean me too. I just did this tonight for crying out loud.) are sitting there rudely scrolling through your phone...you happen to be sitting directly next to some semi-attractive people at the bar. In the rarist of instances this person will go as far as to speak to you (gasp!!). Tonight's conversation went like this:
Guy: 'Excuse me...what kind of beer do you have there?'
Me: 'This is actually the Belgian Witbier.'
Guy: 'Is it good?
Me: 'Oh yeah. It's actually really good. If you like white beer.. very similar to Hoegarden.'
Guy: 'Oh really? That's cool.'

And then my friend came back from the bathroom and that was over. I don't think I even looked in his direction again. I mean to be clear here, this guy was not overly attractive and could have been a sophomore in college for all I know. That's not the point. The point is, I'm outgoing in every other aspect of my life. Even at work nowadays! I'll basically say whatever it is I'm thinking and that's not to say this is a good thing but I am not afraid to speak my mind the way I used to be. Why is it that this is not easily transitioning into my non-existent 'game?'

Can all of my loyal readers explain that to me because this single lady needs a clue...or a date. Either way, I'm interested.

Yours truly,
The shy bafoon

Attitude is Your Greatest Asset

Take that as you will, but I am a firm believer in the statement above. Beyond everything else, it is your attitude...your take on life and what drives you to make the decisions you do...that guides you every day. And it has been brought to my attention - indirectly of course - that if you do not have this aspect of 'you' figured out...you are in for an interesting ride.

These statements can be applied to all aspects of life. For the point of this blog...and me getting better at linking to other articles...I will keep this to the work setting. One of the marketing industry's finest guru's, Mr. Seth Godin, wrote his blog today about 'The hierarchy of success."

He emphasizes how so often we are focused on the outcomes of certain projects that we fail to reflect how our work will be perceived by the outside world. What do we think of what we're doing and how do we want others to view it? What feelings do you want the world to get when they look at your work?

Things like that. It's a thought-process like this that separates the good from the great. The Mickelsons' from the Woods'. You get the drift. It's what makes us awesome. And this same principle should be readily applied to how we as individuals approach our own individual roles in the larger agency setting (or whatever setting allows you to relate to this blog post). It's a shame that over time we all fall into ruts. That we all become victim to the robotic way of the working world where there is little effort put into everything that you are doing or you are trying to get to so many things at once that you are not completing any of them to the fullest. There has to be a better way.

If that were the case, everyone would be mediocre...and who wants that? It's my opinion that everyone should want to be great at what they do. Hell... I walked into WaWa the other day and I've never seen or heard a happier employee than the man who was working behind the deli counter. He was yelling and cheering and just overall high on life. I, of course, felt the need to tell him that I really appreciated his energy...and that the only reason that he had that energy was because of the WaWa coffee he was drinking. He laughed. I got the energy man to laugh...who knew?

Anyway, the point is this...

No matter what you do in your every day life or how much you like your job on any given day...it is SO important to have a distinguished attitude...or a personality that gives you a voice. Have a say. Otherwise...you will be a fly on the wall and we all know what happens to flies on the wall... people try to swat at them at any given moment. Not cool.

Think about it and let me know how it goes. I would like to say that I promise it is this thought process that will help you find yourself...in some way, shape or form....and that's if you haven't already.

I hope to hear good things. G'night.

It's the Simple Things in Life

Most likely when people get home from work on Fridays they are going to do one of two things: go out or stay in. I understand there is a lot in the middle there, but to keep this short and sweet I'm sticking to that. I'm sure most people reading are under the impression that I more often than not fall into the 'go out' category. This is true to an extent. I think it's due to the fact that I feel like I've been a caged animal for the past several years and I'm finally spreading my wings. Plus, sitting around makes me feel lazy.

But there are many a time when I want to stay home and relax. As it turns out... I ALWAYS find a reason to go out...even if it's just to someone else's house to watch TV in my pajamas...I'm still leaving my house. Which is why I am in my absolute glory right now. As soon as I got home today I literally walked into my room and free-fell backwards onto my bed. What an amazing feeling! I have my down comforter out...but not laid out fully on the bed and it was like falling into a marshmellow. Incredible.

And that's really all I wanted to say here. Despite how childish and probably lame that action sounds..I encourage everyone to free fall onto their bed every now and again. It's a relief. If I take my own advice I'll stay in my bed tonight...but we'll see.

Have a nice night All!

Football = My Significant Other

As I sit in my bed after yet another long day at work I am thankful for so many things.
#1. I got to wear my Eli Manning jersey all day at work.
#2. I spent most of the day not in the office and a portion of the day shopping at Babies 'R' Us for a client.
#3. Lunch was delicious even though it was the same as what I get every other day of the week.
#4. And this is the big one...after what felt like the longest hiatus, FOOTBALL is BACK!

So many other people are probably just as excited about the return of the NFL as I am. However...for those of you who truly truly know me know that I spend my Thursday nights in my rockstardom glory at LBK at The Downtown. Typically I look forward to this as soon as I leave around 1AM on Friday morning until I go back at 9:30PM the following Thursday night. It's just what I do.

Not tonight. Despite the fact that my team isn't playing until Sunday, I have loved every minute of the Steelers/Titans game thus far..even though neither team has scored a point and the game has lacked any signs of Super Bowl aspirations...but that's just me being biased. I am in fact sitting here writing this in my vintage Giants pajamas. Yes I am a nerd.

So how is it...you may ask...that someone who is AS obsessed with LBK and karaoke in general can just pass up a night of rocking the %^&* out for what is turning out to be a pretty mediocre football game? I'll tell you how...

Football has been the love of my life for many years now. Sure...it's disappointing and frustrating at times...but if it was effortless and predictable, I don't think I would watch as religiously as I do. I love the struggles...the yelling...and the constant misunderstandings that I have with people like Kevin Gilbride who refuses to change up the play calling and hit Kevin Boss for a short pass that he'll inevitably catch and hurdle people to get into the endzone. But we always make it through the games unharmed and full of life and excitement. Who doesn't want that in a relationship?

And so while I move closer to the date that will mark one full year that I have been completely single I have one comment to make: this has probably been one of the most fun-filled, action-packed years that I've had in quite some time and while there are several factors and individuals to thank for this...I would have to say that football continues to play a vital role in everything I do and for that I am forever indebted....and in love.

Let's go Big Blue!

Hot Mess of a Tuesday

After a nice 3-day weekend, one would think that the first day back in the office would be somewhat civilized. Oh no. Never. And it is for that exact reason that I will spend the majority of this post ranting about some of the many nonsense-like occurrences of my day.

First and foremost...it has become quite discouraging to sit back and watch people in positions of authority in my business simply apply zero effort to their every day activity. I mean people who work in marketing not really caring what their marketing materials look like? Are you kidding me? I felt like reaching through the phone today on several occasions. Now I know that I can be the naive optimist some of the time. Okay...all of the time...but that doesn't mean that I'm wrong here. Of course it's rare in this day and age to love your job. Hell...I would say the majority of people nowadays would love to get a new job but the economy has just gone to shit or they don't know what they want to do or they realized recently that they want to do nothing but that doesn't pay well.

However, why wouldn't you want to do your job well ANYWAY?!?! I mean even if it's 'just because.' I don't get it. I had someone ask me today how much progress I had made on something while she was out of the office? I said, "Excuse me? Was I supposed to do your job while you were away?" Yeah I don't think so. Needless to say I tried to keep that conversation short. I would go into more detail here but I probably shouldn't. I'd rather move on.

Right after having the above conversation, I get an interesting email in my Gmail account saying that someone has sent me a message on Facebook. I know the name but I also know that we are not friends on Facebook and I can pretty much tell where that comment is going. After opening and reading the very short, to-the-point message my only reaction was that I will not have a response. My mother always said, "If you don't have anything nice to say...don't say anything at all." But again I leave myself wondering...how do people have it in them to say hurtful, rude, out of context, discouraging comments to people who are genuinely happy, nice people? I will never understand this.

While there are several other items I could dive into here, I will refrain as I never know who is reading this and I never intend to hurt anyone's feelings. On the contrary, I would hope that whatever I write is looked at as constructive criticism which I welcome on a daily/hourly basis. How else can we all get better at what we do and in turn, become better people in the long run?

It's not as hard as it seems. Just lighten up...and work harder for crying out loud. Any thoughts, comments or concerns? Please share. Have a good one.

Erin

Are You Kidding Me Verizon?

Let this stand as my short and sweet rant about an awful experience I had tonight at Verizon. Let me preface this story by saying that this is not the first or second time I have had to go through this process...BUT THE THIRD! After several months, my phone seems to decide that she has had enough and she just shuts down. So far she has done this by just shutting off all the time and more recently by eliminating the functions of all of the keys on the front of the phone...and yes...that's including the Send key. Fantastic.

So I go to Verizon on my way home from work because I have received my new phone in the mail and I need to get my contacts transferred. And what does the 'greeter' do to me? She throws me to the wolves by putting me with a man who can only be classified as 'not all there.' And that's the nicest way to put this. This guy is lacking any sort of customer service gene that would even remotely qualify him for the job he currently holds as a customer service representative. Nevertheless, I have to stand there while he fumbles with my phone, reaches down below his desk to take out his glasses because he can't see, squints a lot, blinks, walks away randomly for 10 minutes. I mean you name it and this guy was not taking care of it. End of story.

Once he's done with my contacts - 30 minutes later - I ask him again how I am supposed to get my photos out of my old phone into my new one. He says, "Well...we recommend a memory card for that." NO SHIT! I've already told you that I need to buy one. How about you get that for me? My goodness!

So he comes back 15 minutes later with the memory card and he has no idea how to work it. He throws me onto another lady who is rude and I finally decide to just take matters into my own hands and walk out with all of my things and say to myself - I'm better off figuring this out on my own. And here we are now.

It never ceases to amaze me that the people whose sole purpose in life is to make others' lives easier are more often than not doing the opposite. Isn't that ironic?

Please share your thoughts. Thanks.