MegAnne
The musings of a Midwestern New YorkerA study in the sociology of an investment bank
One day last week, I hopped on the bank of elevators to take me to the 22nd floor to pick up name tags for a networking event in Chicago. On the elevator with me were two gentlemen; both kind enough looking fellas but with markedly distinct clothing preferences.
It is important, at least for my little experiment, to note that the elevators at my office building have monitors that let you know what business each floor holds. As such, I thought I’d do a small experiment in my ability to read people based solely on appearance. (One might call this judging, but I meant no harm by it, truly.)
Sure enough, our friend in the thick black glasses, khaki slacks and laptop bag with the tech-geek aura hopped off on the Technology floor and our other friend wearing the full suit (sans tie) with the intellectual, nerdy vibe exited onto the Investment Banking floor. Then, of course, there was me in my pretty purple dress with my blonde curls bouncing as I strode onto the Human Capital Management/Conference Services floor.
Interesting…
When did everyone’s stock conversation response become ‘Interesting…’? I hear it constantly these days. At first, I thought it was just my friend Yaw who said it. He’s always said it, as long as I can remember. Then I realized my dad used it, then my mom, then my roommate, Missy. Now I hear it frequently at work and even passing conversations held on the street.
I suppose there are worse retorts one could throw my way in conversation. (‘Yeah Meg, I don’t care,’ would be a great example.) Still, I feel like it’s become some sort of phenomenon and I’m curious as to the origin. Did I miss an episode (or seven) of this season’s The Office and that’s the new catch phrase made cool by Michael?
Someone clue me in please.
New Blog: The Siren SportsCast
Hello to my wonderful readers! In the spirit of obtaining my dream of becoming a sports journalist, I’ve started a new sports-only blog on Tumblr. I will continue to write my ramblings on all other topics at this location, but please check out http://thesirensportscast.tumblr.com/ for my take on the latest athletic happenings.
As always, thanks much for your continued support!
Review: Alice in Wonderland, 3D
“Why is a raven is like a writing desk?”
Last evening, I was utterly blown away by Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. With inspiration drawn from Through The Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll’s sequel to his original Alice In Wonderland, Burton depicts Alice’s next venture into the magical world she once thought was just a figment of her imagination.
Joining Mr. Burton’s regular cast of characters, wife Helena Bonham Carter and the always unpredictable Johnny Depp, are Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, and the charming Mia Wasikowska as Alice. This brilliant cast brought a vividness to the roles that just can’t be found in cartoon form and a realness to a story that could surely only be fathomed by a mad man. (But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.)
Acting and plot aside, the art work on this film was spectacular. The colors and imagery were brilliant and contrasting, making the movie both intellectually and visually stimulating.
With every good critique comes the good and the bad, and while I wholeheartedly recommend my readers view this film, there were a few sticking points along the way. Perhaps it was the theatre in which I saw the film, but at least three times during the feature the characters whispered quick lines that went unheard by my friends and me, a very frustrating experience. These lines seemed to be critical to the scene and I felt as though I was missing something in the minutes directly following. Also, parts of the film were childish -note the PG rating- and the ending was quite cheesy, if I may. Finally, at $19.50 for a New York City IMAX ticket, the 3D was certainly not worth the purchase price. It enhanced the viewing experience marginally, but I would be surprised if Tim Burton had a 3D experience in mind when the film was shot. Nothing came flying off the screen and, unlike in the television previews, the Cheshire Cat did not float smilingly around the audience. Definitely see it on a regular screen.
Overall, this is a movie I would pay to see again in theatres and will certainly purchase when it is released on DVD for future enjoyment. Whatever negative reviews you might have heard, for get them. This movie is definitely worth the watch.
LeBron: All about Michael or all about the Benjamins?
As Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski writes, the humbling homage LeBron James attempted to pay NBA great Michael Jordan late last year by shedding the number 23 looks to be less of a tribute and more of a savvy business move, though the Cleveland Plain Dealer and others still tout it as the former. If anything, the act distances James from Jordan, leaving LeBron to share #6 with legends Bill Russell and Julius Irving. Flaky logic, to say the very least. The decision is likely more of an attempt to have his jersey sales take over the #1 spot from Kobe Bryant, to whom James has finished second for the last two seasons.
In other news, that James took the time to file paperwork with the NBA could be a tell that he isn’t 100% certain to switch teams this summer. Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets:
‘Surprised few focusing on real story w/LeBron changing #s from 23 to 6: If he plans to change teams, he wouldn’t have to make request w/NBA’
Of course, the deadline for the petition to switch numbers is this Friday the 5th, so it’s possible he’s sitting on the fence. Still, if he plans to leave Cleveland, he can wear whatever number he desires, rendering the official paperwork unnecessary. Hope remains for the Cavs to keep their star player…for now.
Image: BostonHeraldSports.com
Purdue loses shot at No. 1 ranking, slip in Big Ten standings
The opportunity to take over as the reigning No. 1-ranked team slipped through their fingers as Purdue scored its lowest point total this season against Michigan State Sunday, snapping a 10-game winning streak in a 53-44 loss to the No. 14-ranked Spartans. To add insult to injury, the Boilers now sit behind Ohio State, tied for second place with Michigan State, in the Big Ten conference standings.
In their first game without junior forward Robbie Hummel, who ended his season last week with an ACL tear, the Boilermakers were primed to take over the number one spot one day after No. 1 Kansas fell to Oklahoma State and No. 2 Kentucky lost to Tennessee. Unfortunately though, it looks like Purdue’s remaining two members of their lead trio, E’Twaun Moore and JaJaun Johnson, are not up to the task of leading the team to a home court conference win, and potentially to a Final Four berth.
“Late in the game, when they need a basket, that’s Hummel time,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “And in fairness, he wasn’t there.” True as that may be, excuses get you nowhere in life and the NCAA Tournament is no exception.
Now Purdue must concentrate on rival Indiana on Wednesday and the season closer at Penn State. If the Boilers win both, they will take at least a share of the title, and could possibly win the banner outright if magical fairies come from Narnia and stop Ohio State and Michigan State from winning the remainder of their conference games. As for March Madness and the hopes for a Final Four appearance, only time will tell.
allrecipes.com DinnerSpinnerPro iPhone app
You’ll notice there is an obvious lack of posts regarding my cooking prowess on this blog. That’s pretty much for good reason. I’m a master at toast, spaghetti and black bean tacos from a kit, but that’s about where it ends. It’s not so much that I don’t know how to cook -though I have certainly made my fair share of snafus in the kitchen- but more that I’m too lazy or without enough time to really attempt culinary greatness on any sort of regular basis.
I’m hoping allRecipes.com can come to my rescue with the release of their new DinnerSpinnerPro iPhone app. For $2.99, the upgraded ‘Pro’ edition gives you access to the entire allrecipes.com library. Reminiscent of UrbanSpoon with its spin and match functionality, DinnerSpinnerPro allows you to find, rate and share recipes, add them to your personal recipe box and even virtually check off needed ingredients while shopping.
I’ve only just downloaded the app, but it’s already full of promise. I’m going to add this ‘cooking’ thing to my list of things to improve my life for the Lenten season, much like reading the Percy Jackson series -halfway done, thank you very much!- and make some short posts about some fabulous vegetarian meals I’ve prepared along the way. Look at me, I’m going to be a regular Martha Stewart wannabe.
Photo from my iPhone
White repeats halfpipe gold, Lago takes bronze
After having clinched the gold medal in the men’s halfpipe, Shaun White was left with the choice of taking it easy or giving the crowd what they we all wanted: his new signature move, the Double McTwist 1260. Mr. White did not disappoint. Having already handily secured the gold, White took to the pipe once more for a victory lap of sorts, completing the more difficult of his two runs which included his signature skill, 3 1/2 twists with 2 head-over-heels flips. I say victory lap ‘of sorts’, because the lap was still scored by the judges and ultimately eclipsed White’s already gold medal-winning 46.8/50 score from the first run with a 48.4.
“I wanted a victory lap that would be remembered,” White said. “I achieved that.”
Shaun White’s gold and Scotty Lago’s bronze on the halfpipe last night gave the United States 12 of the 21 medals awarded in the event since it was added to the games in 1998. The snowboarding medals added to the other outstanding performances by the American contingency, as Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso took first and second, respectively, in the Downhill Alpine and speed skater Shani Davis captured gold in the 1000m, making him the first to ever repeat in that event. Wednesday’s showing gave the U.S. Olympic team their most successful day in Winter Games history with members of Team USA winning six medals – three golds, one silver and two bronze. At the time of this post, the United States lead the medal race with 14 total. Coming in second is Germany with 10 and France is third with 7.
What will be most remembered by many about last night’s events though is the unshakable performance by Shaun White. After almost pulling the Double McTwist from his repertoire almost a year ago because of injuries, White proved over and again why he is the sport’s golden boy in last night’s final run. After soaring 25 feet in the air on his first jump, White completed back-to-back double-flipping moves, then queued up for the McTwist. Even with considerably less speed than normal, Shaun was able to twist himself into the 1260, land it smoothly and give the crowd in Vancouver, and at home, exactly what they wanted.
Jake Burton, ‘godfather of snowboarding’, summed it up best when he said, “With a gold medal already in his pocket, Shaun went out and beat his winning score. What a testament to how much fun snowboarding is. And what a true champion Shaun is.”
The Flying Tomato -or ‘Animal‘ as he is being called during these games- has taken his second consecutive gold and has once again shown why he will continue to be the man to follow as the sport of snowboarding progresses.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
I’ll just come right out and say it: the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series absolutely must be your next literary endeavor. As a lover of children’s books, an avid reader of the Newbery winners, and the daughter of a 5th grade teacher who is more obsessed with kid lit than even I, few novels -for children and adults alike- have given me greater joy than following along in Percy’s quest to catch the lightning thief, and I look forward to continuing my trek through the 5-book-long series. It’d be a crime to give away too much of the spectacular plot and spoil your reading fun, so I won’t share too much more than what you can find on the movie trailer*.
As one could ascertain from the title ‘& The Olympians’, the book is based on the gods of Mount Olympus and their offspring, the aptly named demigods. Percy, son of a god whose identity you might guess if you notice the Trident over his name in the movie title and the fact that he can hold his breath under water for over 7 minutes, finds himself the target of the battling gods and their monsters. With no choice but to defend himself and prevent an world-consuming war, Percy, along with his also not entirely human companions and magical pen sword, Riptide, strikes out on a quest to find the lightning thief. (I want to say so, so much more, but it’s best if you find it out during your own reading adventure.)
Author Rick Riordan does a phenomenal job of portraying the adventure through the eyes of 12-year-old Percy all the while keeping an older audience enthralled. To call the book a ‘page-turner’ doesn’t even begin to describe the ravenous manner in which I took to this book. I purchased The Lightning Thief last Thursday during the day and read most of it in between phone chats with friends in Indiana, sitting on the floor of JFK waiting for the flight to Houston that never was.
It’s a quick, easy, entertaining read and ranks highly on my list of recommendations, and I’ll come back with a movie review once I find time to go see it. Watch out, we might even have our very first guest post from none other than Teresa Shireman herself.
On another note, the season of Lent is not only about sacrificing creature comforts in recognition for Christ’s death on the cross, but it’s also about implementing new routines to improve ourselves over the 40 day period. In that spirit, in lieu of giving something up, I’ve decided I will make it my goal to read the entire Percy Jackson series before Easter Sunday. Updates on the subsequent novels will follow throughout Lent. This is the first year I’ve gone this route, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge.
*Please note, my darling momma has seen the movie twice now in one weekend. It’s a sickness, truly. Still, she notes that the movie producers have taken great liberties with the film, so as with any literary worked-turned movie franchise, it is recommended to read the book before heading to the cinema. Warning to children: Taking an Accelerated Reader quiz based solely off the movie will return a much-deserved F and land you in a whole heap of trouble with your teacher. Fair warning.
I don’t want to use Google Buzz
At the risk of sounding like a 87-year-old curmudgeon, I really have no desire to join the Google Buzz craze. I mean, I already have Twitter, which I think many of you would agree I tend to abuse. I have facebook, also a source of over-sharing for me. (Hello, 91 photo albums.) I actually deleted my MySpace account just last night because I never use it, I only made the account so friends would stop hounding me and why, dear goodness, do I need another thing to keep track of? My profile photo was of me and a former boyfriend from Halloween 2009. Yeah, it’s February; case in point.
Buzz integrates a bunch of things I don’t use (i.e. Picasa and Flickr) with Twitter and my Google Reader (which actually are staples in my daily interactions). There is also new functionality that allows one to share photos (YFrog does that for me on Twitter) and video (my iPhone is 3G), but, wait, I already made my point as to why that doesn’t improve my life. Maybe I’m being lazy, but I just don’t feel Google’s new service is worth my while.
I consider myself an incredibly open-minded person, especially when it comes to technological advances. Come on,I read TechCrunch on a more-than-daily basis. So while I don’t want to add another social networking service to my repertoire, if someone out there were to give me just cause to do so, I’d happily to join in on the hype. Comments welcome.
*Okay, I really am going on break now. I’m not taking my MacBook with me to Houston and I’m looking forward to a most relaxing and, if I may, well-deserved vacation. Peace to your mom.
