New Tory splurge

So, I'm thinking of splurging on a new bag or pair of shoes from Tory since I've got a gift card. But I'm torn on what to get. 

My last couple of purchases from my favorite designer have been jewelry -- a beautiful cutout serif-T gold ring (sadly no longer available, but similar to this chunky beauty) and a pair of lovely hoop earrings in rose gold.

Right now I'm torn between the Brody small satchel in porcini and the Raleigh snake print wedges. On the one hand, the porcini handbag is a small yet functional size in a perfect fall hue. On the other hand, I've got a weakness for animal prints, and a pair of Tory heels are always perfect for work and play.

Blogger v. WordPress

So, I started this blog on Blogger recently. Eons ago (well, months, actually, but eons sounds way more scientific and cool) I had a totally different blog on WordPress. The following sums up my feelings at the time on WP:

Ooh nifty, look at all the sleek shiny buttons! Hey that’s cool, I can easily follow and comment on other blogs! Just look at all the analytics about my readership! 

Oh, but this dashboard is so confusing…how do I do xyz again? I can’t even find the gosh darn delete button!! Argleblargle this dashboard is a headache!!!

So, yeahhhh. I loved how handy WP was in terms of networking with other bloggers and easily following other blogs, but golly jeepers that dashboard was confusing! (And I do programming for a living, mind you, so gooey sites like this should theoretically not be that hard to use.)

When I decided to end that particular blog for good, it honestly took me a good two or three Google searches to even figure out how to delete a WordPress blog. That, IMHO, is cray.

Hence, when I decided to start a brand spanking new totally different and way more awesome blog recently, I opted for Blogspot/Blogger, since I had heard it was super user friendly. And it is!! I’ve gotta say, I really love how intuitive the entire set up is, from visual customization to posting and editing.

But, but, liking, following, and commenting on other blogs (I.E., the bread and butter of being a good neighborly blogger) isn’t so easy with Blogger. I feel like every time I try to like or comment on a blog I find, I get prompted to sign into WP.

**sigh**

Can’t I just have the best of both worlds? I guess maybe if I get savvy enough at blogging I can. But until then, I’ll stake claim in the same domain on WP and decide which one to use permanently.

I less than three* the NFL

So, for a really long time, I wasn't into football at.all. It wasn't that I proactively disliked anything about it. I just didn't understand it. You see, even though I grew up in the deep South, a.k.a. the Land of Die-hard College Football Fanaticism, my parents weren't into football, nor did either of them attend colleges that even had football programs.

So, I grew up not understanding a gosh darn thing about these Spandex-clad, butt-slapping, war face painting flying pigskin matches. Nevertheless, over the years Dear Boyfriend has graciously taught me the rules of the gridiron a time or two... or ten, since it has seemed to take me many lessons to actually remember the rules.

But, I am delighted to report, I now (mostly) understand this fascinating game of sportball, and I definitely enjoy partaking in the viewing of it!! (That was meant to sound super nerdy, btw.)

Except the schools where I got my bachelors and masters degrees were hoity toity preppy nerdy places where you were considered good at sports if you could actually catch a ball without damaging your pocket protector. So, I'm now really into NFL football, since I don't really have a dog in the NCAA football fight. 

My two NFL teams are the Panthers (keep pounding!!) and the Titans (whatever-their-phrase-is-dang-it-I-should-know-it!!). Which means I am realllllly excited to see them do battle in Nashvegas tomorrow!!! Sadly, I can't make it to the game like I had hoped, since that would involve flying back out after just flying back home from a business trip late last night. 

But I shall watch from the comfort of my couch, huzzah! And I shall be proud of myself for finally, finally, understanding this game and actually really starting to love it. 

*about the title: Blogger apparently doesn't like you to put <3 in your title, because it thinks it's broken HTML code. Silly Blogger.

Now on tumblr :-)

Huzzah! I have now staked my claim in the epic land of tumblr!! 

The tumblr URL girlygeekgirl was already taken -- grr -- though I should probably follow her, since we likely have a bit in common! So I tacked the word blog onto the end of my URL.

There are, like, four whole posts on my tumblr right now. Impressive, I know. But surriously, check it out if you so desire!

Good to be home

Sitting down to dinner at an airport cafe last night, I reflected on how much I love travelling, how lucky I am to be able to do it so much, and how much I love coming home even more.

This particular trip was short but good. I was fortunate to get to spend some quality time with the business partners I normally work with from afar, and to re-visit a city I haven't been to in years.

I woke up early yesterday morning and watched the sun rise over this new city. I hit up a local gym for my run, picked up a copy of the local newspaper, and strolled the crisp autumn streets in the hunt for coffee. These are the everyday things I love to do as a tourist, I think because they're the everyday things I love so much about my life at home. Sunrises shining off of skyscrapers, early morning runs, and, lest we forget, coffee. 

As much as it was a pleasure to eat out every meal at a new (to me) local restaurant, to jet set around the country, to soak in the local culture somewhere different, I sure did love coming home.

The older I get, the more value I place on the concept of home. I think this is because, as a child, the concept of home was a given, a default, something I took for granted. I live in a house with a mom and a dad in a city with lots of family, and so shall it always be. But, for most people, myself included, this doesn't hold true our whole lives. I live in a new city now, my mom and much other family have passed away, and the concept of home is more transient. 

Sometimes an acquaintance will ask me if I'm going home for Christmas, and I'll give them a quizzical look, thinking, "what does that mean?" Not to get too profound here, but it does make me ask myself, what is home? Logically I am aware that when folks ask me that, they are referring to the city in which I was born and raised, where my dad still lives. But I don't really think of that place as home any more, and I'm only sort of starting to think of my new city as home, since I don't have family here. It's a very bizarre feeling, being in transition between homes like that. 

So, it actually comforted me greatly when on this latest trip I got a little homesick for my current city. Longing to be home isn't necessarily a pleasant sensation, but the fact that I instinctively thought of this place as home made me happy. 

I've been on many trips, vacations and otherwise, since moving to my current city, and this was the first trip where I actually felt like I was coming home when I flew back. And that, my friends, is a good feeling.

Two of my favorite things combined

It's no secret I capital L-O-V-E love Tory Burch. Sure, there are other designers whose pieces I own, and there are certainly some ultra-luxury pieces out there I'd love to sling over my shoulder (ahem, this Hermés Victoria II bag in fire orange). 

But Tory Burch is my girl. Her pieces are timeless, chic, elegant, savvy, yet eternally classic. 

It's also no secret that I'm a nerd! A mathematical stats nerd, at that. So when I came across this (somewhat dated) article about Tory's analytics-driven client engagement strategies, I was in heaven. 

The author hits the nail on the head -- Tory is amazing at identifying her client base, engaging them through multiple platforms, and adapting to their continuous feedback. Which, to me, are hallmarks of a successful business plan. I also really loved reading some of the stats!!

Tory, if you ever read this, please consider me for a position on your analytics team! I'm highly qualified academically, and I wear at least one piece of yours quite literally every day. Please and thank you!

The most brilliant business idea EVAR

So tonight my coworkers and I went to the coolest bar ever. When we first strolled up, the neon Atari logo hanging outside caught my eyes.

I had previously not known where we were going, but as soon as we stepped in the door, wall to wall retro gaming consoles greeted us - Right next to a full bar, where all the cocktails had retro pop culture names!

Vodka cranberry in hand (extra lime!), I settled into a nice game of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. I had forgotten that it wasn't until Sonic & Tails that he gained the revving ability, so I died a few times thinking I could rev faster to get away from an enemy. But man, did we have fun!! I only wish I had thought of such a cool business idea!