This week better rock!

I got pulled over last Thursdayin Prairie Village where I was given a field sobriety test and then had a postivie strep test on Friday, failed a final on Saturday, Ward Parkway got shot up on Sunday and made me scared to go to Chik Fil A today - my daughter was diagnosed with strep as well today.
But hey - Friday, we have the Crossroads, Inaugeration and most importantly - my final birthday of my 20s!!! - Saturday is the Brookside Art Fair, the Urban Tour and most importantly - Cinco de Mayo (my favorite holiday EVER!), and Sunday continues the fun. Once I'm off penicillin - or when I've sobered up after this weekend, I have to register for my LSAT - deadline is next Tuesday. Registered for a Law School Forum in DC in July . . . started requesting recommendations . . . very exciting, friends!!
Too much stuff to post about - but everyone else seems to do it so well . . . I'm a much better commenter. I'll work on it.

Pick Up Line #1

So I promised pick up lines, so I thought I would deliver. Though I am a little shy, so I'll start out easy . . .



Do you wanna play house?

I'll be the door, you can just keep slammin me all night.



Good night.

Please ignore

Okay, without saying exactly where I work - 'cause I don't want you to all bombard the place with tomatoes or leave messages on my voicemail to shut up, or avoid the place completely (or send me flowers, either - that would just be embarassing) - I work in a quasi-community center on a quasi-busy street with quasi-cool people. I love my job. I get to develop programs to get kids involved in their community, their own health and wellness and the other people in the center. I went back to school so that I could get my MPA and maybe run a community center one day myself. It's important to me. I grew up taking dance, baton, cheerleading - name any other girly-activity, I was there! - at the recreation center in our town in suburban Orlando. I went on to a professional dance school and then after my first attempt at college, went on to dance professionally. I always thought I wanted to own a dance studio. But after many attempts at business plans that didn't have an element of subsidizing tuition, or peer counseling programs for teenagers, or added programming for kids that arent' interested in dance - or for the parents who are waiting for their kids, I realized a while ago that it was not a dance studio (well, not a 'Come to my studio where I'll teach your kid how to gyrate in skimpy costumes and make other kids feel they're not good enough because they can't afford my ungodly tuition' kind of studio, at least) but a place for everyone to be together and persue the dreams that they have - not push my own on the unassuming. I own a summer camp program for girls that I can't make money on because I have too much fun spending money on making it the coolest camp ever! I have about 15 business plans in the works for 20 different kinds of ventres that I know would be successful - as long as I dont have access to the check book. I have an entreprenurial brain - and a philanthropic heart. No good.
That's why law school is such a good choice for me. Number one, I'm a dork and need to be challenged and yelled at and unsure of myself. Number two, I'll meet a lot of people who may make a lot of money one day and that I can guilt into supporting my hare-brained ideas and/or sub-adopting one of my causes. Number three, because I will have a marketable skill to help organizations set themselves at a better advantage in the community as well as financially. Number four, I need something to take up threatening free time. Number five - did I mention that I was a dork?
Anyway, just needed a little vention (another new word for today . . .) Head hurts. Must sleep.

Never get married

. . . in April. Danced in a friend's wedding today. Was maid of honor in a wedding last week - my daughter was flower girl in that one as well. It snowed last week - it was outside and we were wearing strapless dresses and flip flops; it was 85 degrees today - we were inside with no air conditioning and I was wearing all black, long sleeves, and tights.

My first real post

The Metro Denver EDC has a 5-year economic development program with 6 initiatives (National Marketing, Tax Reform, Mobility, Existing Business, the Airport, and Special) that guide decisions and policy. Indianapolis has 5 high points it plans to use to attract businesses to their city (Low cost of doing business, strong incentives, business-friendly climate, central location, high quality of life). Atlanta has 7 major goals to achieve its major priorites of significant urban growth, new development and improved quality of life for its citizens. Charlotte, NC, has a vision to be the most prosperous and livable city for all citizens through quality economic development, and a mission to partner with internal and external organizations, within a Smart Growth framework, to retain and expand existing businesses, provide tools and resources to promote small business development, to promote development and investment along business and transit corridors, to attract new business investment and jobs and ensure that a diverse population participates in economic opportunities. Orlando highlights what businesses are offered in their city - Diverse Spectrum of industries, world's fastest growing Airports, world-class telcom infrastrucure, enviable quality of life, young workforce, industry-focused educations syste, competitive pro-business climate. And Portland, OR, (my favorite) has a vision to be a catalyst for positive change in the creation of a world-clas 21st century city; a city in which economic prosperity, quality housing and employment opportunities are available to all. Their mission is to bring together resources to achieve Portland's vision of a diverse, sustainable community with healthy neighborhoods, a vibrant central city, a strong regional economy, and quality jobs and housing for all.
Framework, fellows, that's what they have. That is what Kansas City lacks. There is no vision. There is no mission. Just a whole lot of fucking incentives. You can't just take those away, either. You see our competition up there? They are providing businesses - and their residents - with a whole lot of promise. That's how you get companies to stay AFTER their incentives expire, that's how you get homeowners to invest in their neighborhoods, that's how you build communities.
Mission statements and core values seem to be a bunch of corporate mumbo-jumbo, but they work. They give you something with which to align your decisions. They also require responsibilty - of every employee, but most importantly the executives and management. I work for 2 corporations - 1 publicly traded, and 1 not-for-profit. I know that as long as I am guided by the missions of the companies, I can stand up for everything that I want to do and everything that I see is going wrong. Don't have me memorize a 50-word sentence warm fuzzies and fluff and then tell me profit is what matters! I am empowered by a mission that I believe in and am inspired to carry that out. Imagine if we had that with our city. We know that economic development is supported by big companies, as well as small ones, so we don't throw a fit when some people get incentives that seem a little too much like CEOs on welfare, b/c we know it's important. BUT then we also know that vibrant neighborhoods and safe streets are a goal as well - so if they're getting their tax breaks, we'd better be getting our roads fixed and our grants to improve facades and streetscapes. And if we're not - we say, bitches (not really, but I'm tired - and I curse when I'm tired) - give us our shit. And we have a framework to fall back on. Not just hope we get the right people in office to make these things happen. There's too much bs for them to do.
So I'm putting it on us. The citizens of Kansas City. What is your vision for the city? What would your mission statement be? What would your 5 guiding principles be? What 5 goals would you set for YOUR Kansas City? Please, if you read this whole thing - just leave me a comment. Because I'm going to submit mine, but as my fellow neighbors - I'd like to live in a city that we ALL love. In some way or another at least.

I've been linked!

Hello! If you're reading this, it's probably because you read some inane comment of mine on a good blog. So thanks for stopping by. OR, it could be because I was linked on The Kansas City Post. (If I knew how to add a link, I would - give me some time . . .) That's right, folks. KC Sponge is up and coming. One day, I'll come up with good subject and write something that will merit readership. Until then, keep checking back - I promise it will come. Thanks again, Mark ( I think I love you )! And Tony - link me, baby . . . I'm ready.

-SMACK!-

Today is National High Five Day! Celebrate my favorite holiday by giving everyone and their sister high fives - a way to say, "Way to GO!" or "You look cute" or "What is up? (Besides my hand?)" I love NHFD because everyone knows a high five (one of the first things my daughter ever learned to do) and everyone deserves one, for one reason or another. Yes, even him.
High five.

Makings of a bad country song. . .

Yesterday was the last day of the tax season. Some co-workers and I went out to celebrate afterwards - when what would have been the best way to celebrate would be to get some sleep! But anyway, went to a certain cabaret bar and made some friends (because that's what I do), got a job offer - in DC - and sang a little (horribly). Makes me think how strange life would be if people were always just drunk - but no angry drunks, they would not be invited to my IntoxiContinent - all promises made under the influence of Chambord upheld, people dancing and singing with no concerns, everyone talking just a little too close to each other, no reason to regret anything - b/c tomorrow you'll be too drunk to care. Sounds kinda fun actually, a good way to lead life - minus the having to consume large amounts of colored beverages part. Why does it take an altered state to feel more free? Is life really that constricting? I'm gonna be drunk for the rest of my life. (Good thing I'm not going to medical school)

I got a comment!

So now that I know that my mom's not just padding my profile views, and there actually is at least one person out there reading what I write, I am suddenly wrought with performance anxiety issues. And using words like 'cogently' in my comments - really, do we have to start with cogently? How about 'really smart like' or even 'interesting' - I can handle interesting. . . well, maybe not.
Either way - I'm stoked. I'm easily excitable, this is true, but I hope I don't let you down, Mr. Reader. I will stun you with my excellence - each and every day writing about my passions, my worries, my accomplishments, my sorrows, my foot pain and my pick up lines. Oh, there is glory to be won and giggles to be had. Only if you promise to never leave . . . you were my first - there's some responsibility in that, you know.
Have a good weekend. Oh, the pressure is too intense.

My second try . . .

Okay, so I don't know how to do this blog thing really, but today was a good day to try. I left comments on 2 blogs today and suddenly I have 44 views to my profile - so thought I should write something, you know. But I started this blog to chronicle my journey to law school - and I must stay focused or else I'll start writing about my obsession with troll dolls and koosh balls and people will stop reading entirely (in fact, if you're still reading this post, you're probably in the 90th percentile (not really possible with my total readers equaling two - but I digress) of my readership - so congratulations). So in the 12th day of my journey I have hit a speed bump already - I skipped school today to go to work so that I could get out early enough to help out with a friend's wedding that is this weekend. Slacker!! Will life ever slow down enough so that I can prepare for it properly?
And then Kurt Vonnegut dies and makes me contemplate life and relationships and time. And tax season ends in 5 days and I'm already feeling the post-season blues. bad day. . .bad week. . .bad month . . .

Yeah, I guess I'm gonna do it . . .

So I got on The Princeton Review website today and took the sample LSAT - told myself if I got above a 150 I would apply to law school. Got a 168 . . . was pretty damn proud of myself . . . then I thought, shit, what did I just do? But I can't back out now - spent time on Harvard's website afterwards - I'm a shoo-in . . .

Why not, right? What do I have to lose, I mean, besides $150,000 and the most precious years of my daughter's life . . . my dignity, my sanity, the salvagable end of my 20's . . . ? But just think about it - after all the hard work - I'll be . . . a lawyer. Some things in life you just have to do . . . or I could just write a blog about it and fantasize about all the trials (duly noted . . .) and tribulations that I would encounter over the next 3 years and accomplish 2 things simultaneously - I would live vicariously through my imagination and get to experience all that I would be missing if I didn't do it - and at the same time (implied by the 'simultaneously', I know - but it just flows better to bring it up again) be relieved that I was missing all the crap I had subjected myself to in this imaginary life. But I think I would get confused and emotionally challenged by what was reality and what was just written reality which in reality is really false . . . so I might as well just suck it up and go to fucking law school. For everyone's sake . . . cause that's what we all need - another friggin lawyer.

You're welcome.