That Reena Girl

• Um, who is this again?

04-16-13

Someone put a hole straight thru my heart yesterday

They attacked my home.

I’m having a very hard time putting this into words. All my family and friends are accounted for and safe but the sadness, anger and anxiety lives on. I’m not a religious person, but I feel like all I can say is “Thank God”. What else can you say at a time like this?

Truthfully this has affected me more than any other national or worldwide tragedy.

I’ve spent last weekend discussing a trip back in June with my boyfriend, all the things I want him to see, all the things he wants to do, having never really explored the city. I’ve spent 5 years talking up my hometown and even before this, Boston was clearly on my mind. I wish I was back there right now, I really do. I just can’t shake this sadness.

Maybe it’s because that first explosion went off in front of my former place of employment. I keep seeing the storefront of what used to be Athena Aveda Salon and Spa on the news (they thankfully moved a couple blocks up). The same sidewalk that was littered with injured people was the same one I made snow angels on my last winter living in MA. I used to park my car on the Boston Marathon finish line on Sundays when parking was free/easier to find. I can’t tell you how many times I walked up and down that very same street that I see on my TV right now. It doesn’t seem real.

It’s also because Boston has a way of staying with you. It’s a city rich in history and character and for me it’s where my adult life really started. Grew up in Newburyport, MA but moved to Boston when I was 18 to attend college. I remember at orientation, walking around Northeastern’s campus, even though I didn’t know anyone there yet, even though I hadn’t moved in yet, I felt like I was home.

Some people think Boston is trashy, that we all have terrible, loud accents devoid of the letter “r” and we don’t pronounce the names of our cities the way that they are spelled (example: Worchester is “Woostah”). That we drink and fight, we drive like maniacs and we despise anything to do with the Yankees. Not to mention, the majority of us can’t sing “Sweet Caroline” in tune, but that doesn’t stop us from basically yelling it any time it comes on. All of that might be true, we can be a big rough around the edges, you might even think we’re “Massholes”, but yesterday brought out the best in us in the worst of times. An explosion went off and people ran TOWARDS the blast. So many stories have emerged of people running to the hospitals to donate blood, offering their homes to those who got stuck in town, even sending pizzas. A city not known for being the friendliest has seen strangers taking in strangers, neighbors banding together and the rest of the nation as taken notice. Even our biggest rivals have stepped up and shown their support.

It’s why no matter where I go, where I live, I will always call Boston my home. It’s my heart. And lucky for me it’s a strong one that will mend.

If you want to help, here are a few ways:

Children’s Hospital Wishlist:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3BI2LVVRH4KZG/

Several of the victims were just kids.

http://www.gofundme.com/CelesteandSydney

If you’re looking to donate to people directly affected, Celeste and Sydney were badly injured in the blasts at the Boston Marathon on 4/15/13.  Sydney suffered severe injuries as a result of being hit with shrapnel and Celeste has lost both her legs below her knees.  There is a long road ahead – both physically and emotionally – and they are hoping to relieve some of the financial burden by raising funds in their name.

http://onefundboston.com/

We are one Boston. We are one community. As always, we will come together to help those most in need. And in the end, we will all be better for it.

The Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations

Note: There has been so much support with blood donations that they no longer accepting them.

City of Boston Marathon Attack Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI or email  boston@ic.fbi.gov

If you saw something, anything, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem

08-15-11

The following band has been brought to you by…

As I was checking my Twitter feed this afternoon I came across this tweet from a local venue:

@SOMAsd SOMA San Diego

Nov 6 – Motel 6 Rock Yourself To Sleep Tour 2011…. More Details coming soon ~

My initial thought was “Really? Motel 6?” (along with “Really? That’s the name you’re going with?” and “And those are the bands you chose to sponsor?”) but the more I thought about it, the more brands are popping up as music tour sponsors. As a music lover, a former marketing agency person and now, someone who works for a worldwide mega brand, I’m kind of torn with regards to how I feel about this.

A few months ago I went to see Thursday and Taking Back Sunday. The ticket and the House of Blues marquee read “Coca Cola Presents Taking Back Sunday”. As I entered the venue, there were Coke banners everywhere and a Coke booth giving out free samples. Coke Coke Coke, everywhere you looked (sounds like I’m talking about scene in Scarface not a concert…unless we’re talking backstage at Fleetwood Mac on their Rumours tour). What was the point really? Yes it is advertising, but I highly doubt that anyone in the room took a swig from a Dixie cup and said “OMG what is this delicious fizzy brown liquid!? I must have more!” You’re not going to see a major sales increase and if you’re a mega brand like Coke, I don’t think you need to generate brand awareness, so really, why are you there?

I think the key to corporate sponsorship of tours is to add value to the concert experience, not just ads. Your mere presence is not going to increase sales or make you synonymous with whatever demographic the bands/artists on tour attract.

A simple thing a brand can do: Have a booth with a QR code that people can scan and get free exclusive live tracks of the bands playing the show.

For Motel 6, a cool thing would be if bands could get free rooms based on how long their tours are. For every week on the road you get one free night at a participating Motel 6 <insert “free bedbugs” joke here>. Or maybe there can be a special band account sign up so bands can get discounts.  It’s a simple way to promote the brand and support live music.

Even though consumers are so much more advertising savvy, we’re only going to see an increase in this type of thing: bands need to tour to make money and brand need the “cool factor”. But hopefully, it will move beyond banners and onto more creative and cool ways of spreading brand messaging.

Have you seen any examples of corporate sponsors doing cool, value adding promotions, booths, activities, etc at concerts? If so, please share in the comments.

06-30-11

What I learned about technology from the film “Hackers”

This weekend I decided to rewatch the movie Hackers. I hadn’t seen in since I was in the 8th grade and it was On Demand. I figured since 1. tech has come quite a long way since 1995 and 2. I know a lot more about technology now than I did then, that this would be pretty hilarious.

With tag lines like “Boot up or shut up!” and “Curiosity was their only crime”, really, how could I go wrong?

For those unfamiliar with “Hackers”, it stars a young Angelina Jolie and a young Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Dexter) as two of the world’s “elite” computer hackers (they were later married in real life). Dade aka Zero Cool, played by Miller,is arrested for writing a computer virus when he is 11 and is banned from using a computer until he turns 18. Fast forward to the eve of his 18th birthday, Dade, now Crash Override, has just moved to NYC and quickly makes friends with his high school’s resident tech geeks (in this reality, the tech geeks are the hipsters, the cool underground. Not nerds as they are usually portrayed). Through their technical escapades, Dade and his new-found friends, which include cyber vixen Kate aka Acid Burn (Jolie) discover a plot to unleash a computer virus which will sink oil tankers and cause a catastrophic natural disaster, all to cover up a worm that has stolen million of dollars. The virus gets blames on several of Dade’s crew so he and Kate set out to call upon all hackers to “Hack the Planet”, override the Gibson super computer, and expose the real author of the virus, who is none other than Fisher Stevens (Lost, Short Circut).

Sounds awesome right?

Hackers is a time capsule of what we thought about technology in the mid-90s. Technology was for the elite; understanding computers, writing code, even surfing the web was something that most people didn’t do. There was no wifi, no high speed Internet. You had a modem and dial up. You hacked into other systems by calling the security desk and tricking them into reading the modem number to you. Hackers were the cool kids who hacked into computers not to be malicious, but just to mess around and show their superiority. Fast forward to today where hackers are taking down huge gaming networks, stealing hundreds of thousands of user accounts, credit card numbers, and other personal info.

Even the viruses they plant are at best annoying (for example: “Cookie Monster” which is quite literally a virus that shows the word “cookies” all over the screen) not completely devastating like they are in real life. It’s almost as if the whole movie Hackers is trying to show that technology is a passing fad. But that isn’t the only misconception in the movie. Here are a few others I noticed:

1. Hackers, club kids, and ravers are all the same thing
2. Hackers are often gay. Gay men to be more specific.
3. Regardless of gender or sexuality, hackers are mostly young and attractive individuals.
4. Hackers can communicate with each other without using any kind of code or chat client. They just type messages and they magically appear on the other person’s computer.
5. Catsuits, knee pads, jackets better suited for competitive motorcycle racing, and half shirts are all appropriate for high school students and how you identify a hacker.
6. Being a hacker instantly makes you a superior gamer.
7. Rather than have firewalls, antivirus software and other security precautions, large corporations employ hackers to keep their systems save.
8. Hackers are avid rollerbladers and/or skateboarders.
9. Virtual reality is going to be the next great gaming frontier.
10. Hackers have the ability to hack into all televisions networks across the globe at the same time and seamlessly broadcast a message.

Another thing I noticed, all the hackers used Mac laptops. Even in 1995, Apple was seen as a hipster brand. So maybe they weren’t entirely wrong…(I say this as I type this post on a Macbook Pro ha).
Regardless, Hackers is a fun trip down memory lane.

06-15-11

Midweek Awesomeness Part 2

This is amazing. I can barely wrap my head around how one constructs something like this. Talk about being a master of manipulating perception. I can’t even think of anything else to say, just watch the video.

The Jack Bauer Guide to Getting Shi%#$ Done

What can we really say about Jack Baur’s technique when it comes to completing his daily tasks? The man knows how to accomplish a goal. Given, if he fails the entire world could plunge into nuclear war, be infected by a biochemical weapon or just flat out explode. That will certainly motivate you. From now on, whenever I say “I’m going to write a blog post today” I will think to myself “OMG! If I don’t write my blog post the ENTIRE Internet will blow up, causing the world to descend into complete and total CHAOS!”

I will point out though, I don’t really agree with the third tip- Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission. I have often been told this in my professional life and I’ve refused to do it. And by my refusal, I have kept the peace so I guess in a way, I’m pulling a Baur; breaking the rules and restoring harmony.

This approach works for Mr. Baur because the stakes are so high, but in the real world, this just causes headaches and the occasional necessity for legal counsel. As much as I like to think I’m a rebel and that I play by my own rules, I’m a blogger, bound by the laws such as copyright, not a Counter-terrorism Specialist who will stop at nothing to protect this great nation. I’m also not allowed to torture people for information –blog posts, or documents I need for case studies– except for interns. They’re fair game.

04-15-11

First Mix of the (Soon-To-Be) Summer

San Diego is finally experiencing some summer like weather. Whenever it hits 70+ degrees, “Paper Planes” gets stuck in my head. I’m in a new office, I have a new car…it was time for a new mix.

This is a mix of some newer and some older. I have my warm weather inspired dance-y indie pop tracks but I still indulged my emo side toward the end.

1. Paper Planes- M.I.A.

2. Rill Rill- Sleigh Bells

3. Huddle Formation- The Go! Team

4. Block After Block- Matt & Kim

5. All Things Ordinary- The Anniversary

6. Whirring- The Joy Formidable

7. Alex Chilton- The Replacements

8. Happy As Can Be- Cut Off Your Hands

9. Hearts on Fire- Cut Copy

10. Forever Longing Golden Sunsets- Appleseed Cast

11. The Mixed Tape- Jack’s Mannequin

12. Surf Wax America- Weezer

13. I Can Tell There Was An Accident Here- Saosin

What would you put on your “almost summer” mix? Or, what am I missing?

Also, isn’t it about time I got an embedded media player up?

03-24-11

Style and/or Substance

Why can’t some movies just be for fun?

I see more and more movies I enjoyed getting torn to shreds by critics. It’s not because I have bad taste in film; it’s just that I set my expectations accordingly. Is it so bad to occasionally just want to sit back and not have to really think about what’s going on on screen?

Why does a film have to be visual stunning, expertly cast, and executed to perfection with a completely engaging and original plot for us to consider it a “good movie”? Why can’t it just have one of those things done well?

This by no means means I am content with mediocrity. I’m just saying not everything has to be “OMG AMAZINGLY SUPER WICKED EPIC!” Things can be just “good” or “fun” and that is OK.

What brought this on was Sucker Punch, a film I plan on seeing tomorrow getting panned. The reviews I’ve been reading add to the questions above. What did the critics expect? From the trailer, you can tell that plot is not the shining star of this film, in fact, I’m not even entirely sure what the movie is about. What I am sure of is director Zack Snyder’s ability to create a multi genre mash-up infused with his signature slow-motion action sequence style. And that there will be an abundance of gorgeous starlets with big BIG guns. To the best of my knowledge – I will confirm tomorrow – that is what you get. My eyes can feast upon the screen and my brain can just chill for a bit. It’s been a long week anyway.

I’m not expecting to have my mind blown with thought provoking questions I will dwell on long after the credits have rolled. I simply intend to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

To be continued…

01-20-11

I want to steal Johnny Craig’s voice…

…just like Ursula stole Ariel’s in The Little Mermaid.

Sigh, a girl can dream…

06-30-10

TRG’s guide to the Twilight Saga so far.

I wrote this for my cousin, who was going to see Eclipse, without having seen the first two movies. I should note that this synopsis is no where near as good as The Oatmeal’s.

Twilight:

Bella, a sad grumpy clumsy girl moves to Forks, WA. Continues to be awkward, meets some people, sees The Cullens. Oooooo… dreamy.

She smells good or something so when Edward is assigned her lab partner, he freaks out. Blah blah “why do you hate me?” Edward says no it isn’t that blah blah OMG he is a vampire but whatevs, Bella is down.

Bella gets hassled by some homies and Edward saves her with his reckless driving. Love love love. Welcome to the family. Oh no, something is eating people. Enter trio of other vampires. One wants to snack on Bella at a baseball game.

Long story short, other vampire tries to eat Bella but the super Cullens break him into pieces. Something about venom being sucked out, Bella lives. Dead vampire’s lady girlfriend vampire buddy is pissed.

New Moon:

Blah blah “I love you Edward but I’m clumsy and I bleed in front of you and cause fights in your house of vampires.” Edward leaves. Bella takes a nap in the woods. Then she gets all depressed for months. Jacob gets hot and they become friends. but OMG he’s a wolf! Whatevs, Bella’s into it….

Somewhere in here, lady vampire from the previous movie wants to eat Bella….

Bella sees Edward when she does stupid shit that will get her killed so she does it all the time. Edward things she’s actually dead one of these times so she has to go Italy… where old vamps eat tourist… before he kills himself. Jacob is mad. More reckless driving. Old vamps are cool with Bella and do not try to eat her. Bella saves the day. Edward doesn’t die. They come back and he asks her to marry him. Jacob is mad and OMG he’s a wolf. End.

06-07-10

Kawaii Olive!

So I had this idea to get Olive tattooed on me in Kawaii style. Kawaii is what you’d call the super cute Japanese style of illustration. Think Hello Kitty. I was reading Must Have Cute (http://www.musthavecute.com) and came across the Flickr profile for Jerrod Maruyama. His work is AWESOME! Absolutely adorable. Also nice to see someone who seems to like Disney, Lost and Star Wars as much as I do.

I decided to ask him to do an Olive image for me. And he totally did! I can’t wait to get this tattooed on me!! Check it out:

How perfect is that?!?! Check out his work at http://www.creativeshake.com/jmaruyama (Portfolio) and http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmaruyama.

05-12-10

No Dogs Allowed

I never thought it would be so hard to find a small, dog friendly apartment. But it is. And it is a HUGE rip-off.

I understand how pets can damage a property, but property owners have used this to exploit and take advantage of pet owners. Especially dog owners. Pet rent? Pet references? My dog is does not have a job, thus should not have additional rent tacked on. And as for references, I understand this is for safety and insurance, but who would you even call? My vet? The San Diego Police? I can assure you, my dog doesn’t have a criminal record.

DEPOSITS

Pet deposits are out of control. I thought they whole point of a security deposit was to cover all damage, why single out pet owners and make them pay more? You don’t make people with children pay more and they can do even more damage. You don’t charge extra for people who drink and I’ve known several people who love to punch holes in walls while intoxicated. I refuse to pay a deposit that is more or equal to what I paid for my dog in the first place. There is no way she can do $500+ in damage. She hasn’t even cost me that much in damage personally and she’s eaten A LOT of my things.

If you own a house made of socks, then I understand.

BREED

I have a hard enough time with my 30lbs French Bulldog mix; I can’t imagine what people go through with larger dogs.

Also with larger dogs come the breed restrictions. I know that insurance companies often set up these rules, identifying certain breeds that are known for biting. But that doesn’t mean EVERY Pitbull or German Shepherd or Rottweiler is going to attack anything that moves. It should be on a case-by-case basis. If the dog has completed training such as AKC Good Citizen, the restriction should be waived.

Oh and fun fact, little dogs like Chihuahuas are responsible for more bites but because they seem less threatening/are less likely to seriously injure a person, they don’t get reported. But they can still send you to get stitches like any other dog.

CATS

I don’t understand why property owners think cats do less damage. Cats go the bathroom INSIDE the house. Given, in a litter box, but that is not always the case. Have you been to a cat shelter? Cat pee is so much worse than dog pee. It literally stings your nose. Not to mention they puke hairballs all over the place and they shed just as much. They can tear up carpet with their claws even more than a dog can. Yes, dogs can chew things, but to charge upwards of $200 more for them or not even allow them at all is ridiculous.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

There are simple ways I believe property owners can make sure a pet is not going to destroy their place they are renting to you.

1) Have the owner provide a training certificate if they have one. Basic dog training not only covers sit and stay, but housebreaking and obedience. I have one for Olive. This shows that your new tenant has made the investment in training their dog and you’re most likely going to end up with a well-behaved animal.

2) Meet the dog. If a pet is going to live in your property, you should at least come in contact with it. Is it friendly? Does your tenant take care of their animal? All good things to know when entering into an agreement on pets. My last landlord allowed us to have 2 dogs, but upon meeting them, loved them so much he only charged us for one of them.

3) Set a reasonable deposit based on the property. Look into how much it would be to replace the carpet, how much it would be to clean the floors if need be etc and make your decision based on fact, not just an arbitrary amount. Then you can justify why you need an additional deposit.

4) Ask the right questions. Is your pet indoor or outdoor? Are they on flea medication? Are they housebroken?  How long do you leave them alone for? These will set your mind at ease and you can get a better sense of how it is going to work out with a pet owner.

5) Don’t be so quick to judge! Just because someone has a dog does not mean they are going to destroy things. There are plenty of responsible pet owners out there that will keep their living space immaculate. Again, treat every case individually like you would for tenants without pets. You could have an easier time finding good, responsible people to occupy your property.