New Tailgating Accessory August 29, 2008

Finally, the first Iowa football game is a few short hours away…I’m getting a little tired of hearing the countdown every day from Josh!  Earlier this week I was informed the tailgating carpool would be arriving at our house at 6:45am on Saturday morning.  Yikes!  Along with the usual tailgating supplies I need to dig out from last year, I am adding something new.  The Bagolitas Koozie, BEV CHILL!  I know the line officially launches September 1, but I cannot wait to sport this awesome new accessory…I’m sure to be the hit of the tailgate.  This hot little number comes in 7 fabric combinations (or personalities!).  What to do when the weather turns colder and you need some warmth at your tailgate?  Bring along your favorite coffee surrounded by BEV HOTTIE!  Mark your calendar for Monday, September 1st to check out these and all the other hot new items on the redesigned Bagolitas website!  Go Hawks!

 

Not So Boring! August 28, 2008

This week I have struggled with blog content.  Nothing at all remotely exciting has happened, just the same old stuff.  I thought maybe the whole week would go by and all I would have to write about is my new favorite show, Family Guy.  Not so…

This morning at approximately 6:30am while standing in front of the closet half dressed all the smoke alarms went off.  Of course, Josh is already on his way to the office for an early meeting.  Frantically I began yanking the alarms down, hoping the one I pull will silence them all.  No such luck.  I run down to the basement thinking, oh my gosh there’s a fire in the garage…nothing, so I yank that one down.  Still I hear beeping.  After running down 2 flights of stairs and back up I realize it’s the other alarm upstairs which is being dripped on by a leaky roof.  Well, I don’t want to touch this one for fear of electrocution but it keeps beeping and whining.  After calling Josh and yelling about how awful it is that he didn’t get the leak fixed when we first noticed it (and he yelling back to ‘deal’ with it), I run downstairs and flip the breaker for the smoke detectors, run upstairs and grab a towel and yank it out of its socket.  Oh and the dog thinks this is a fun game, running up and down the stairs, so she’s chasing after me.  The damn thing is still beeping in my hand!  Did I mention I’m still half dressed?!?  I run downstairs with it grab the hammer and smash it.  End of beeping.

I finished getting dressed, ate my Cheerios, threw on my wellies and headed to work…it’s only 7am!

Typo Vigilantes August 26, 2008

I first heard about this story on Fox News Monday morning, but found this article on CNN…strange things is, I immediately thought of Josh when I heard about this story.

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) – When it comes to marking up historic signs, good grammar is a bad defense.  Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson corrected the grammar in the first paragraph of this sign.  Two self-styled vigilantes against typos who defaced a more than 60-year-old, hand-painted sign at Grand Canyon National Park were sentenced to probation and banned from national parks for a year.

Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson pleaded guilty August 11 for the damage done March 28 at the park’s Desert View Watchtower. The sign was made by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the architect who designed the rustic 1930s watchtower and other Grand Canyon-area landmarks.

Deck and Herson, both 28, toured the United States this spring, wiping out errors on government and private signs. They were interviewed by NPR and the Chicago Tribune, which called them “a pair of Kerouacs armed with Sharpies and erasers and righteous indignation.”

An affidavit by National Park Service agent Christopher A. Smith said investigators learned of the vandalism from an Internet site operated by Deck on behalf of the Typo Eradication Advancement League.  Authorities said a diary written by Deck reported that while visiting the watchtower, he and Herson “discovered a hand-rendered sign inside that, I regret to report, contained a few errors.”

The fiberboard sign has yellow lettering with a black background. Deck wrote that they used a marker to cover an erroneous apostrophe, put the apostrophe in its proper place with correction fluid and added a comma.  The misspelled word “emense” was not fixed, Deck wrote, because “I was reluctant to disfigure the sign any further. … Still, I think I shall be haunted by that perversity, emense, in my train-whistle-blighted dreams tonight.”

Deck and Herson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to vandalize government property.  They were sentenced to a year’s probation, during which they cannot enter any national park or modify any public signs. They were also ordered to pay $3,035 to repair the watchtower sign.

The TEAL Web site now has only this message: “Statement on the signage of our National Parks and public lands to come.”

Bagolitas Winter Launch: 10 Days Away! August 22, 2008

As we prepare to officially launch our Winter ‘08 collection on September 1 with the unveiling of a redesigned website, fabulous new fabric combinations (including Bringing Back the Hits!), and several stellar new products (tooth fairy pillow, belts, koozies, etc….).  This weekend we are also welcoming 60ish of our Consultants from across the United States (serious, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Alaska, New Mexico!) for recognition, motivation, fresh new speakers, and FUN! 

So, I am off for a whirlwind day of set-up, finishing touches, and fun.  Josh is participating in the Make-A-Wish golf outing and Miss Zoey is spending the day at doggy day care (we don’t want her to feel neglected!).

Wow, technology! August 21, 2008

For those of you that don’t know, I am a hunter.  I grew up hunting with my Dad, brother, and family friends.  My first hunting memory is sitting in the woods squirrel hunting with my dad.  I wasn’t old enough to carry a gun, but I remember just sitting there, so still, waiting for the little buggers to crawl around a tree or scurry across a branch.  I don’t get out as much as I would like, but I still find time to deer and turkey hunt and occassionally I find an opportunity to duck and pheasant hunt.

Well, yesterday, my brother and I received our annual email (well in advance) detailing the dates of the upcoming deer seasons and when we need to purchase our licenses to avoid any being sold out.  My brother, Nick, and I tend to be last minute purchasers because it takes so much work to drive down to Scheels/Fin and Feather/Wal-Mart to purchase the license.  Between now and the drop dead date, Dad has usually checked up on us and sent us reminder emails making sure we purchase.  Well, not this year!  Yesterday I discovered that you can now purchase your licenses on the DNR website and they will be mailed right to your doorstep…WOW!  No more procrastinating for Jayne.  I can’t speak for my brother though!

200,000! August 20, 2008

Yep, that’s right, the little green honda just turned over 200,000 miles!  I celebrated with McDonalds last night and then went outside to admire the old beauty.  They say a Honda will rust out before the engine ever gives out…our Honda is right on track.

Happy 200,000 miles little green Honda!

Sous Chef August 19, 2008

Tonight I decided to whip up a batch of my grandma’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and chef Zoey thought she might be a good help.  She sure wasn’t any help in preventing me from burning a batch of cookies.  You be the judge!

PSA – don’t worry, no dog hair was used in the making of these cookies!

 

  

Going for a Jog August 19, 2008

Yesterday Miss Zoey and I went on an afternoon walk, which we both love.  She gets to release her pent up energy from the day and I get in a little exercise and fresh air.  As we approached one of the little hills in town a funny idea popped into my head…let’s run UP the hill and see what happens.  We took off for the top of the hill and it was so fun!  It was probably funny to watch too, Miss Zoey pulling me up the hill.  I think she thought we were racing.  We ended up running 3 more blocks and by the time we finished I felt like the weight of the world had lifted off my shoulders and I was relaxed.

Maybe Zoey and I will work out together, they say it’s better to have a support system.  Not sure we’ll be pounding the pavement every day, but it’s nice to know I have someone who can help make jogging fun.

Thank you… August 18, 2008

Last night I received one of the nicest compliments from a good friend of ours.  Instead of accepting the compliment with a warm and gracious thank you, I brushed it off with a quick little, “oh, it’s just a crap shoot” and “it’s trial and error, whatever works.”  On the way home later that night I got to thinking about this…why was it so hard for me to accept his compliment and relish in the fact that I do something well?  The more I thought about it, I realized that it happens a lot.  When someone says something about my hair, shoes, outfit, the way I decorate my home, how I look in a picture, etc.  I think the list could get long.  It’s definitely something that bothers me now that I think about it, especially when I pride myself on treating everyone with kindness and respect.  I definitely don’t want to be rude.  Why is it so hard for me to say ‘thank you’ when receiving a compliment?  This is something I will work on, sort of like a mid-year resolution. 

It’s a fresh week, so there’s no time like the present…Thank you Mr. A for your kind remarks last night!

I’m a Model! August 15, 2008

Bagolitas recently published it’s first sneak peak, call The Preview, of the new Winter line launching September 1.  One of the many perks of working in Bagolitaville is many of us have the opportunity to practice our modeling skills.  A few of us in the office spent a couple of hours in downtown Iowa City changing outfits and capturing some great product shots for our print pieces.  For the first time in my modeling career my face made print!

I’m still waiting for a modeling agency to call…any day now.