Women's Hockey - Some Cool Caps!

The other day I had my first taste of professional women's hockey. If you haven't been out you need to see a game. The pace is quick, the tickets a cheap, and the entire atmosphere is fun and friendly.

You can read more over at my website but some of my initial thoughts are listed below:
I loved hearing little girls giving play by play, telling their friends what was happening with such life in their voices. It was beyond precious.

I couldn't believe that Olympic athletes are my height, have the same purses and favorite sweats and outerwear I do. I know they're human but it was so weird to see these women who have represented their country behave so normally. Our country reveres athletes, well no, our country reveres professional male athletes with big contracts. These women aren't on a pedestal, they have regular jobs to support their families, and are active in the community. THESE are the athletes your children should have as role models.

Hearing from some of the players I found to be the favorites and about the ones I didn't get a chance to talk to my feelings on girls hockey has changed. These women who have pioneered the way for women's hockey played with the boys, it's evident in their stride, their footwork, their puck handling skills, everywhere. When Gigi Marvin or Captain Winny Brodt had the puck you could almost see someone confusing them with a male player save for the ponytail. The way they skated, the speed, everything was just much more commanding and in control. So now that there'd are morre girls hockey programs what do that mean for women's hockey and its future?

Speaking with the Whitecaps I've heard that many coaches are at wits end trying to understand how to coach girls. There a two big differences. Girls don't respond to all out yelling, they do better with explanations of why they should be playing better, discussing expectations and performance, etc. The other? Well girls need to know why they are doing exercises, not to question authority but to better understand how this relates to their game. Coach said I needed to work on quick starts, well he explained that xyz drill targets the muscles we use for quick starts, I'll do those in my extra ice time.

After seeing one game, I'm definitely excited to watch more.

Wayzata Punch Pizza supports "Pizza for Peter"

You know those silly reasons you find yourself unable to move away from a city? Well Punch Pizza is one of mine. Great community involvement, even better promotions, and to top it off the best pizza I ever had the joy of consuming. So here's another great thing the locally founded pizza joint is doing for its community.

Join us for our 4th Annual "Pizza for Peter" Charity Event at Punch Neapolitan Pizza Wayzata this Sunday December 5th.

For an entire month Peter Larson sleeps outside his house in a refrigerator box to raise money for people without homes. We want to help Peter reach his goal of raising $100,000 for
as many as 50 families.

50% of all our sales on Sunday will be donated to Peter and IOCP (Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners) to help them provide affordable housing in our community and help people in need.

For more information visit the links posted below.

Stop in anytime on Sunday at Punch Wayzata for a great meal for
a great cause! As always, your additional donations are welcome
and greatly appreciated. Peter will be helping out and avalabile
from 5-8pm that evening.

Thanks and hope you can make it!

Visit Peter Larson's Sleepout Page:
https://iocp.ejoinme.org/?tabid=220097&joinme=2767

Visit IOCP's page: http://www.iocp.org/

It's Officially Winter

There isn't one specific date when the seasons change. According to scientists it's the equinox, the 21st every three months and the season magically changes. Poof! Presto Change-O! Afraid not, every climate is different and every individual's tolerance is different as well.

My personal belief in the seasons has been if I don't acknowledge it, well it hasn't changed over yet! Stubborn? Yes. Out of touch? Very. But why? One part optimism and the other part perception. You see, winter in Minnesota is very cold. VERY COLD. When people complain of bad weather and are wearing hoodies in climes with 56 degrees as their current temp it makes me cringe. They know nothing about real winter, nothing.

Last night I met with Andrew Sherburne of "Pond Hockey," as well as "The Forgotten Miracle of 1960," and most recently an author of the children's book Ben and Lucy Play Pond Hockey. Andrew and I discussed many of his experiences at length, which can be found over at the hockey website I run, Chicks Who Give a Puck later on next week. One thing Andrew said that stuck with me was how Minnesotans tackle weather, especially winter. Last night it was 19 degrees and today another snowstorm has greeted the Cities with a blanket of fresh, white powder. Brrrrrrr!

Today I sat at my desk shivering and dreading winter when I remembered what Andrew had said, "You're only cold for a little while, and then you get moving and you forget about the cold because you are having so much fun!" and I began a mental list of all the adventures I will partake in this winter. If you stick around, you'll get to join me.

After six years of really living here including the three years I spent attending college here I'm finally going to enjoy winter rather than endure it. I've got a laundry list of things I plan on attempting, and am always open to suggestions, partners in crime, and feedback.

On the agenda this year that I have yet to try:
Attending my first high school hockey game.
Attending my first US Pond Hockey Tournament.
Attempting to ice fish.
Obtaining my snowmobile license.
Skating as many of the ponds, outdoor rinks and lakes in and around the cities.
Learning how to do a hockey stop.
Attempting to ice surf/snow kiting.
Participating in the Winter Carnival scavenger hunt.
Catching the Macy's Christmas Parade in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Snowshoe across Lake Minnetonka.
Trying every single restaurant in the Cities with a Juicy Lucy and rating them all.

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

After trying out Wordpress for my personal blog I have finally returned to Blogspot. The addition of pages and stats plus more freedom and flexibility with the layout are the reasons why I will stay at Blogspot for my personal blog from now on.

To find my online writing portfolio please check out my Wordpress Blog here. To see what I am doing in the hockey world you can check out my site Chicks Who Give a Puck. Even though my name is not on every byline as one of the site's founders I am involved in just about every post or interview that happens. It's my baby and one of the reasons I have been away for so long. But don't worry, I'm back and I promise to write more frequently than I was before!

For more frequent updates you can find me on Twitter here :)

Harassment and the Workplace

If you haven't heard about the female reporter Ines Sainz and her allegations of harassment against the New York Jets; I must ask you, "Where the heck have you been?" This issue is always a sticky one, and a conversation with my friend and fellow CWGAP writer has inspired me to write about my feelings regarding this issue. Buckle up, this piece is going to be long, there's no way to explain how I feel in a short piece.

There are so many different camps when it comes to this story, too many to count but here goes. There's the 'boys will be boys' camp, the 'she gets what she gets for wearing what she wore', the 'a woman should be able to walk around naked and not get harrassed' and then there's the camp I reside in. Harassment should not happen, but I need to live in reality and make sure I behave in an intelligent manner so that I minimize my encounters with it.

I have been harassed, and much worse. I've been sexually assaulted in front of friends, cried out for help and ignored. I've been the victim, and it's a scary place to be. The only story of the many I have is this: I was at a friend's house drinking with friends. A person I didn't know came over, started verbally harassing me, I removed myself from the situation. Then a drinking game started and I sat down. The person reached across the table in front of my guy and girl friends and groped me. I told them to stop and no one did anything. People said I was over-sensitive, that it was my fault because of the fact that I'm not flat chested. I was wearing a cute shirt, but nothing scandalous, nothing overly-revealing. I left the house with my friend at the time and cried the entire way back home. I felt powerless, ashamed that I didn't do more, and embarrassed. I was a wreck. Some people told me it was my fault, and I disagree. I was not flirting with that individual, I wasn't dressed inappropriately, but I was drinking. And therefore it was my fault because he was drinking as well and he couldn't help himself. WRONG. Alcohol is not a carte blanche excuse to behave poorly. Me dressing well or not being flat chested is not an excuse to treat me like anything less than human. Anyone who tells you otherwise, well they need not be your friend, or at least they need not be mine.

That's my story, and it is something of a reality for most women. Stats have been thrown out that some 95% of women will be harassed or assaulted at one point in time. I don't know how accurate that is, but one time is one time too many. No man OR woman should be treated as anything less than human or without dignity and respect. That being said, I do not live in a fairy tale. I know what is realistic and I know what is not. Some say women should be able to walk around naked and not get harassed, assaulted, or raped. They should be able to, but they are not. What is right and what is real aren't always the same, often times they are light years away. Does that mean you stop fighting the good fight? No, but it means you take care of you. It's my right to dress as I want and do what I want within the laws of society. That being said wearing lingerie and walking by myself in a shady part of town isn't smart. It may be my right, but my mother always said, "What's more important, being right or being alive?"

Here's an example. Last year a man in Minneapolis walked out in front of the snowplow. Snow is flying everywhere, the driver did not see the man, but the man technically did have the right of way. Now, that man died after being hit by the snowplow, but he was right. So what is more important to you? Does looking both ways before you cross the street really impede your right as a pedestrian? No, and actually it's your responsibility as a law abiding citizen. So having the right and staying unharmed are your two choices. What do you pick? I pick staying unharmed and alive. But maybe that's just me.

I think what happened to Ines is sad, on many different levels. First and foremost, any person who feels threatened in their workplace should have the right to complain and not be put on trial. We shouldn't be judging her outfits and her behavior and pointing the finger at her. Shouldn't, but do. Second, this sets female reporters in the locker room back. Should it? No. Will it? Yes. So not only has Ines been harassed, she's been critiqued, put on trial, and all the while screwed any female reporter over while doing so. I support her in her claims, she should never be made to feel like anything less than a human being and no one should make her feel uncomfortable at work. That being said there is a reality.

The reality is, no professional work place would allow her to wear what she wears. Wearing lacy tank tops that show off her midriff, arms, etc and jeans that are tighter than tight are not professional. She can wear that in her spare time, and good for her that she looks so amazing. She shouldn't apologize for that. She earned the right to dress however she wants to in her personal life, running to the grocery store, hanging out with friends, going out to bars. But this is her JOB. This is where she is supposed to be professional. Like it or not, people judge us on what we wear. Whether it's dressing professional, dressing provocatively, dressing sloppy, or not caring. People who want to be taken seriously know that their outfit speaks to how they carry themselves, believe in themselves, and whether or not they want to be taken seriously. Telling people that first impressions don't mean a thing is just lying.

One thing to think about is while women are encouraged to dress well to encourage male players to talk to them, they should also do it respectably. There is a way to look good without looking unprofessional. There are plenty of women in power suits that can look sexy. Some of my favorite clothes are work clothes because I feel damn good wearing them, mainly because of how they make me look: Smart, sexy, powerful, and tasteful. I think THAT is sexier than showing up to work in a short skirt and a belly and cleavage bearing shirt. Well, that and I would be asked to change my outfit and my mental sanity for believing this acceptable work attire would be questioned.

So should Ines be on trial for what she wears? No. Are the Jets the ones to blame for their actions? Yes. And unfortunately related, should Ines reconsider her professional wardrobe in the future? Yes. There's no reason she can't rock a skirt suit and nice top while still looking sexy but professional. In the end, this is a mixture of truths: Reality v. what should be. I can choose to ignore reality or I can understand the limitations of my rights and perfect land in a real world situation.

Words Can Break Hearts

I've said all I want to say on the Dan Ellis twitter issue. What I want to address here, on my personal blog, is the issue of cyber bullying.

Bully [Def]: 1. A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.2. A hired ruffian; a thug.3. A pimp.

First let me address one thing. Dan Ellis said something controversial. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and their right to express it to Dan. That being said, when did being rude, self-righteous, and disrespectful become part of the first amendment? People are attacking me because of my views, they're attacking my views, and some are doing it just to stir the pot. Many just like controversy, their lives must be boring without the drama. Money is a touchy subject in a rough economy. Point taken. Wonder how many of you would like to lose as much money as a pro-athlete does and only be able to work for 10-15 years. If you don't make enough money I'm not saying it's your fault, but this is America. This country believes in capitalism, this is where the American Dream comes true. Standing around and complaining about what you don't have does you no good. People come to this country (even nowadays) with $30 in their pocket and they find a way to make it. Nothing is impossible here, and even if you are unemployed the economy will bounce back and you will find a job, a career again. Your personal financial situation is no reason to burn someone at the stake for discussing their financial situation. Worry about your own mess of a financial situation (I know I have MORE than enough on my own plate to worry about) than to attack someone for their earnings and budget.

Moving on. What athletes and powerful people should remember moving forward. There are five things that define people today. Five things that we judge people on whether we like to admit it or not. Five things, that are perhaps the most controversial things out there. 1 - Job 2- Income/Wealth 3 - Sexual Orientation 4 - Religion 5 - Political Affiliation. It is best to avoid talking about any of these five things. While it is your right, one must remember their basic college (if you went) Psychology 101 course. Here's a quick refresher for those who didn't major in it like yours truly.

Mob Mentality: What we know about people in large groups is frightening. Our founding fathers knew about the mob effect, in fact they created the government to allow men (and now women) to help guide the masses. It was believed (and with reason) that the masses lose sight of what is important, are easily swayed, and often times are not educated on the matters that are being discussed. Sociologically and psychologically speaking, there is a reason for this. As individuals typically we take responsibility for our words, our action and our inaction. When the number of people increases the weight of responsibility is believed to be shared.

Examples: Kitty Genovese and the 38 witnesses who watched her death. Kitty Genovese was running from a man. She was screaming and begging for help. Neighbors turned on their lights and opened the windows. The man buggered off. Kitty was still in the courtyard when the man came back and killed her while people watched. 38 people to be exact. Not one called the police during the attack, one person called AFTER she was dead. Not one person tried to help her. All 38 watched her as he murdered her. Why? Each one of the 38 blamed the other 37. They thought the other person would call. They didn't want to call if someone else had. In the end no one stepped up, no one took responsibility because everyone else was waiting for 'the other guy' to do it.

The masses give people anonymity. People are able to get away with bad behavior or cruel words that they do not have to take responsibility for. The moral of the story? When there is no responsibility, some humans show their true colors.

My personal experience with bullying always brings me to tears. I shared some of my experiences on Twitter when other users told me to 'chill' about my thought that cyber-bullying was still bullying. People said they had the right to express their opinions. I agreed, but I said they had no right to be rude. People disagreed and told me they did.

In seventh grade I had great friends, I was doing well in school, I was involved in the yearbook, the band, the newspaper, every sport they offered. I was active, I was happy, for the most part. Seventh grade is when the cliques really formed. A girl who had been a good friend to me in sixth grade decided she was too cool to hang out with me now. She sat behind me in class and when the teacher wasn't looking she'd tell me that my parents bought me. Bought me like a pair of shoes or milk at the grocery store. She told me my parents didn't love me, that I wasn't their child. She told me this every day. Soon other kids were telling me the same thing. My friends started distancing themselves because they didn't want to get associated with me and targeted. I'd be doing a group project and forced to do the entire thing on my own while the other members of the group harrassed me, one member even would take his Adidas athletic sandels off and hit me on top of the head when the teacher wasn't looking. This is what I went through day in and day out. It got to the point where I was planning on killing myself. Jumping off the roof, overdosing on medication, I thought of it all. I finally cracked and told my parents, balling and ashamed. They rushed me to a psychiatrist. I spent three months in therapy with him and time with the school psychologist as well. I left happier and healthier. Enter tenth grade. Two students commit suicide within a week of each other. Principal at the time was approached a week before to set up a crisis prevention program. She said no, our school didn't have people like that. I had an emotional meltdown in class. Went to school psychologist who happened to be my Aunt's colleague from graduate program at Denver University. Together we started an initiative that still exists today that provides help to those who are strugging with the pressures of their peers and courseload.

To those that say they have the right to their opinion, that is true, you do. But your rights end where mine begin. And I have the right not to be harrassed. I have the right to be treated with dignity. If you are proud of the way you behave then you would gladly let your child repeat it towards another child, or worse, have another person's child act that way to your kids.

Just a reminder: Children do as they see, not as they're told. The Bobo Doll experiment in 1961 exemplifies that. Three groups of kids. Two different reactions. Group 1 saw the adults act violently towards the doll. Group 2 saw adults rewarded for acting violently towards the doll. Group 3 saw adults punished for being violent towards the doll. Group 3 had lower rates of violent behavior. The control group that did not see any of the films had much lower aggressive or violent behavior than any of the three groups that saw the films. While there are limitations to any study, including this one, the point is: what you do speaks volumes to your children. I hope you're acting in a way that you'd want them to emulate.

Just remember: bullying is bullying is bullying. Sticks and stones do break bones but words can break someone's heart or spirit. Think before you speak.

Official NHL Business

At around 4:00 p.m. EST the NHL contacted me.

NHLdilo @cabeckham I am working on some things here based on your Tweets and emails. Sit tight and stay tuned. K?

@NHLdilo  You are awesome. Thank you.

NHLdilo @cabeckham Don't thank me just yet. Just know that you have been heard.

@NHLdilo Step one - Start discussion. Check. I am more than willing to wait & work proactively together on this. No need to cause ruckus

@NHLdilo Once a dialog has begun, IMO. So please keep me updated. Thank you much sir.

NHLdilo @cabeckham you guys have my email address - you can always just email me direct

@NHLdilo Sometimes in a fit of annoyance one does not necessarily compute the easiest route to start a conversation. Apologies.

The Tweets That Started It All

The thing that frustrates me the most, is the @NHL simply has to ask what women want & female fans would glady answer. http://ow.ly/2nATo

I regress, the @NHL needs to ask AND listen. I for one, would like to see the numbers on how many they actually sell.

I'm ranting I just don't get it. I can't understand why they can't get what we would like to wear to games. Or that we want more bathrooms

@SC Ugh they're alienating a LARGE part of their fan base when they do.

If all the female hockey fans stopped buying men's gear to make up for the bad women's gear the NHL gives us sales would DROP significantly

I'd suggest boycotting buying ANY new gear as female fans so the NHL can see how much we drive sales in, but that would be hard to organize

@SC Have you seen the crap they try and get us to buy? Do they think we're dumb?!?

@GM I know, it's like second rate fans for the female section.

@SC We just want a women's cut with the same style and QUALITY as the men's stuff.

Drafting a letter to Brian Jennings that he will never read. Oh well, I'm sending it anyways.

If you are a female fan who has had it up to HERE w/the pink, sparkle, BS @ me, @DS & I are starting an email campaign.

Now we're up to 7 emails to Jennings being composed in less than ten minutes. Won't you join our campaign?

Even the crappy, ugly Champagne jerseys cannot ruin my night. Me + 2001 Stanley Cup victory = Happiness. LOVE *my* boys.

Female Gear

What would you, the female fan love to see in the NHL store? You can already buy the men's and boys' sizes so what new item or revision of a current item would you like to see?

Let's keep it positive, we've done enough bashing of the Champagne jersey so let's be pro-active instead.

Take me, the one thing I would improve is I would make a women's jersey the same as a men's EXCEPT it would cut in slightly to show off one's curves instead of looking like a tent. It would be sewn not iron on and the numbers/logo would be the same size The second thing I would pick is to make the sizing more realistic.

Now what would YOU do if you could get the NHL to do one new thing for the female fan section of the store?

You may comment here or if you have my email please feel free to shoot me off an email.

Marketing Question

Hello Mr. Jennings,

I am writing because of recent I have been agitated with the marketing the NHL has been coming out with for and towards women. Agitated is an understatement, however, I take the opinion that I cannot get truly upset if you A) Do not know that you are infuriating the fans and B) If I do nothing to try and change the way the NHL markets.

I would love to think that you have heard of our website, but I will not flatter myself. Our website, Mr. Jennings, is a female driven hockey website. We cover the sport with our unique view, our wit, humor, even a snarky comment or two. Awhile back there was a DailyBeast article that caused mayhem with your comment attributing the growth of the sport to the female fan realizing the good looks of the younger players of today. While many of the youth in the NHL are good looking, it seems to be missing the mark with many female fans, and more importantly the vocal female
fans. I love Jonathan Toews because his style of play and on ice attitude reminds me of Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic, something you don't see every day. To me, that quote insulted female fans everywhere, whether the intent was there or not. It came across as the NHL saying that women were not drawn into the sport for the same reasons as men, and therefore were not equal in their fan-dom to men.

In order to be a female fan these days one has to lose all femininity and know every detail and stat about every player lest she is deemed a puck bunny. For the perception to change it starts at our level yes, but the change at the top must occur as well. Why should you listen? Well sir, because female fans go to games, buy gear, and encourage their sons and daughters to play hockey. They're the ones buying their kids the gear that the NHL players use. Women are working, we have incomes, and trust me when I say 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. Female fans have discussed boycotting buying any gear until the disrespect is ended. You may say, "Why the drastic measures?" To that I answer you with this: We are tired of being treated like second class fans. We are tired of buying Men's smalls or Boys' XL. We are tired of having crap like these new Champagne Jerseys thrown at us. We are tired of feeling mocked. We simply want to be treated with the same respect the male fans are given; the respect female fans have to earn. As female fans we already are in an uphill battle to earn the right to be called a hockey fan. The NHL's help and
understanding would mean a world of difference.

Want to see sales surge? Find a way to give women a cut that allows them to be feminine without giving the first impression that she's there for the wrong reasons. Did you ever wonder why there are a lot of Boys XL and Men's Small that sell? It's us, your female fanbase looking for something to wear.

If you are truly interested in discussing this further I would be more than willing to help. I know many other female fans who are of the same opinion. There has to be a way to market to us that is even more profitable for the NHL AND provides women with what they want.

Sincerely,
Courtney

Single? Mingle + Sushi

I would feel a lot better about this if the age limit wasn't so high. I'm 25 and there's no way I'd date someone 40. If 40 year old men didn't hit on me I'd attend this. For those who are game, check out Tiger Sushi on July 27th. Cheap entry, great sushi, and free parking. What have you got to lose? Just make sure you register beforehand.

Bottle Bombs? *Sigh*

If you find one, call 911. 
Pass this on to everybody you
know. Anybody that sees a plastic bottle
in their yard would think nothing of picking it up to throw it away. Looks
like these things are starting to pop up around the US. Check the Snopes
web site below, it's pretty scary. Also think about this before you run
over a plastic bottle with your car.
1.  A plastic bottle with a cap
(Like a normal water bottle).
2.  A little Drano.
3.  A little water.
4.  A small piece of foil.
5.  Disturb it by moving it; and BOOM (Less than 30 seconds)!
6.  No fingers left, and other serious effects to your face, eyes, etc.
People are finding these bombs in mailboxes and in their
yards, just waiting for someone to pick it up intending to put it in the
trash.
It takes about 30 seconds to blow up after you move the thing.
See "SNOPES" below, it's true. This happened April 27,
2010.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp

Italy Loses We Win

Punch Pizza released this coupon today:

We meant to have the coupon be for winning the "Biggest Looser" competition - which they won (ok, tied with France - but close enough). Coupon is good today!

Italy clearly won "team that spent most time flopping around on the ground crying" competition - so the coupon is good!

Hockey Fun

There are the obvious reasons why I love the sport of hockey. It's fast and fun, there are breathtaking goals and bone crushing hits, the combination of agility and grace, and above all else, the players are good people. I am always amazed when people can't get into hockey. Aside from the actual sport, the players are so much better than any other sport. Want proof? This last playoff run saw the following:

• Eric Belanger lost 8 teeth and had a root canal and went back out and played.


• Duncan Keith lost 7 teeth and went back out and played.


• The biggest scandal wasn't a gun in the locker room, but rather Chris Pronger stealing the 'game puck' and tossing it away.


• Brooks Laich got eliminated in the first round and on his way home in his suit stopped to help a stranger with a flat tire.

These are just a few of the reasons my sport is amazing. Another one? The Stanley Cup and Blackhawks' player Brent Sopel will be marching in the Gay Pride Parade this weekend with Lord Stanley's Cup. Sopel is marching in memory of Leafs' GM Brian Burke's son Brendan Burke who came out and then was killed two months later in a car accident. Sopel will be marching alongside his wife and four kids.

"When Brendan came out, Brian stood by him, and his whole family stood by him, like every family should," said Sopel. "We teach our kids about accepting everybody. Tolerate everybody, to understand where everyone is coming from."

And on a lighter note some members of the NHL Draft Class of 2010 and some players will be on the red carpet for Twilight's Eclipse Premier. While many fans are groaning it's actually a great opportunity for the NHL to get a little press time. While discussing Twilight people go all Team Edward, Team Jacob and pitted Ovi v. Sid. This was interesting bc Ovi looks nothing like Edward, whereas Sid does look like Jacob. So here's a side by side of whom I think should represent Edward and of course Sid next to Jacob.

June YPOTC

Young Professionals of Twin Cities YPOTC

Tuesday's Networking Happy Hour at Fusion (formerly Zeno Wine Bar) in Uptown on June 8 from 5pm-9pm
Grab your business cards and a few friends and check out Fusion in uptown! If you took all the adjectives you could come up with to describe the Uptown neighborhood and tossed them in a blender, what you'd get is a wonderfully appealing concoction that is the essence of Uptown. Liberally splash this essence all over the corner of Hennepin and Lagoon and you get a comfortable, chic, eclectic, vibrant blend of great food and drinks with great atmosphere and nightlife – in a word, Fusion.

Additonal YPOTC Events!!!

Beer Brewing Basics June 29th 2010
Always wanted to try homebrewing your own beer, wine or cider but overwhelmed with where to start, what equipment is needed and have questions about exactly how it is done? Come to this informal learning session to get the basics and explanations from the experts.
Register by emailing Ypotc.educationevents@gmail.com Space is limited Cost : FREE!
Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies 5825 Excelsior Blvd. in Minneapolis, MN 55416

Big Brothers Big Sisters Recruiting Event at Stella's Tuesday, June 22

You Live, You Learn

One of my favorite quotes is: "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn to let go, things go wrong so you appreciate them when they’re right...and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe. That Norma Jean sure knew a thing or two. The truth of life is this: Life is hard, not everything happens the way it's supposed to. Yes it's unfair, yes it's difficult, and yes sometimes it does suck. But there are those few shining moments, when the good guy gets the girl, the villian gets caught, and the little guy catches the break. Those breaks aren't given, they're earned. The sooner you understand that the sooner you can find happiness. Stop being the victim of your own life and start playing leading lady (or gentleman for that matter!)

Nothing is ever 'all your fault', that being said nothing is ever 'all their fault'. Every bad situation we have been in there is a lesson to be learned, a thing to gain, and a gut check to listen to next time around. Saying you got 'screwed over' isn't just a testimony of what the other person did to you, but also a confession that 'Yes, I got duped and I should have known better.' With the recent 'duping' I just mistakeningly allowed myself to get caught in, it reminds me of the 'duping' one year previous that I told myself I would learn from. These two lessons will cost me about five thousand dollars when all is said and done. And while the current lesson is about $450 of that $5,000 - the principle is the same. Trust yourself, check your gut, and remember people are self-serving.

If I am going to be the kick-butt person I always told myself I would be then it starts with me. It starts with the people I keep in my life; the way I treat them and the way I allow them to treat me. It starts with the understanding that it takes just as much work to be happy as it does to be miserable. It starts but it never ends, this is a process that isn't a quick fad diet for the soul, this is a life long decision to understand that similar to what you put in your body has long term effects on your health, so does who you allow to share your time with or give your energy to.

I've gotten screwed over by everyone from family to acquaintances. The one common factor is me. The only way not to get screwed over, is to screw people over first. KIDDING. The only way to not get screwed over, is to not accept less than you deserve. I've been a doormat to those I love, giving away of myself so willingly, giving my time, my energy, my compassion that I found myself at 25 years old out of love. I had slowly given a piece of myself to anyone who wanted it, always wanting something in return but never receiving it.

It took me 25 years to understand that giving a person something doesn't mean they are indebted to you. Taking care of a friend who just expects it and refuses to reciprocate wasn't their fault, it was my own. I had allowed this toxic human to come in and use me. I had given my time to them and let them treat me badly and never give me anything in return. I had let his person make fun of me in front of my own family because I had made excuses for their bad behavior. It's not her fault, her parents are distant and she was just suicidal last week, I should be a better best friend to her. To be honest, it wasn't her fault. I let this so-called friend treat me like crap and still gave. Now she attacks me on Twitter and thinks she has her life figured out. How the heck do I know if she does or doesn't? I have no malice or ill-will towards her, but given her history I fail to see how she'll ever attain the life she wants.

I have to stop taking responsibility for other people's lives and just focus on my own life, which to be honest isn't in perfect shape. I have plenty in front of me to work on, so that's what you'll be seeing me do (if you stick around for the ride.)

Free Cheese!

So my favorite pizza place is giving away the upgraded cheese which I ALWAYS have on my pizza when there. I was just there two weekends ago (as I was out of town this past weekend) and I will be heading over there tonight. Since I'm in such a great mood I decided to share the coupon with you!

I usually do Napoli w/proschuitto Extra DOC style but cut :)

Must Try!

Today my boss is out of town. Today the lady with the Minnesota Timberwolves stopped by with fresh cookies. I went down to the front desk to pick them up and a little sticker on them said "Left our oven at 12:46" It was barely past 1:00 p.m. Heaven! I called my boss and told him he had cookies delivered and they smelled fabulous. I was going to have one, he said go for it, I told him I'd try and leave him the other box but I made no guarantees.

Now let me tell you a little bit about the company, because I had never heard of it before and the cookies were AWESOME. The brand is Tank Goodness and the cookies were Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, a favorite of mine as we have a family recipe of our own similar to it. It is a family owned business and let me tell you, this family knows how to bake!

Another cool thing about these cookies is they were delivered in a box from Print for Change. This company does all the boxes for Tank Goodness. 50% of their profits are donated to providing children with food who live in extreme poverty. In a day and age when people are taking more and more for themselves (and who can blame them?) it's nice to see a company dedicated to giving back.

The phone number for Tank Goodness is: 612.824.TANK (8265)
Their fax number to order cookies is: 612.824.LOVE (5683)
The website for Print for Change is: www.printforchange.info

I truly hope you check them out. The cookies were fresh, delicious, and I love the presentation.

Cinco de Mayo de Queso!

Seems like forever since I last posted about some killer guacamole recipes, so here's a simple family recipe for Queso dip. My cousin in law Ryan makes it, and it's the best. Guaranteed to please!

In one large Crock Pot slowly warm the following:
Block of Velveeta (best if you cut into small cubes)
Large can of Stokes Green Chili
Small can of diced green chilis
Small can of jalapenos
One can of Rotel, drained

Towards the end brown some ground pork and mix that in as well. Never had a better queso dip, and I'm a picky eater! If you need those guacamole recipes check out the 'recipes' section of the blog under 'appetizers'. More recipes will come as my new roommates and I start cooking for dinner parties and roomie dinners!

Music Feeds The Soul

Recently I have found myself in the ever wonderful position of getting royally screwed over. There were many signs which I ignored, against my better judgment, and the biggest one is shocking that I overlooked. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say this: What self-respecting adult lists their favorite band as Creed?

Can you ever really trust someone? Yes. Can you ever really trust someone with awful taste in music? No. While we all have our guilty pleasures, and believe me I like some bad music, people who fundamentally have bad taste in music are to be avoided. Now I'm not talking about people who like music but do not know the name, my Mom has to ask me when a song comes on if she likes it. She eventually knows the answer herself, but she never had a knack for memorizing song titles, unlike my father who was a DJ back in the day. My love for music and knowledge of music comes from my father.

Judge Not.....unless it comes to music. What a person listens to says a lot about who they are and the mood they are in, and sometimes what they value. How can you trust a person who has never sang along at the top of their lungs to 'Don't Stop Believin'/Sweet Caroline/Livin' on a Prayer' with a drink in their hand and their friends by their side? Brown Eyed Girl is the song my father and I dance to at every wedding, and Lonestar's Amazed is the first country song he ever liked. I remember listening to 'Proud to be an American' before September 11th, I remember how that song made me felt back then, which was nothing to how it makes me feel now. Certain songs get your girlfriends into dance party mood like 'How Will I Know' remix by Whitney Houston, and others start the night off right like 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. Some songs make breaking up easier like 'Before He Cheats' belted by Carrie Underwood while others comfort when your heart is broken like 'Break Even' by the Script or 'Dreaming with a Broken Heart' by John Mayer. Some songs have no words at all, but they still strike a certain something within us. What girl doesn't recognize the Sex and the City theme song within three notes? Songs can give us hope for future love, bring back memories from the past, excite us for adventure, set the mood for partying to love making and everything in between.

Music has this wonderful way of sneaking into our mind and creating an influence over us, whether it be positive or negative. Everything we do, sound has an influence over. How much easier is it to work out with your favorite pump up jams going on in your ear? How much better is it to drive with the windows down on a gorgeous day with some rockin' tunes blasting? What would a wedding be like without music? Or for that matter a reception? Why do babies calm to singing when nothing else will do? The answer? Because music is an integral part of our lives, and people who listen to crappy music are usually crappy people.

Ever have a song that brings back a memory? Make a list, I bet you it's over a hundred songs long. Here's just a sample from mine.

Journey - Don't Stop Believin': My all-time favorite song. Memories range from singing at top of my lungs at my cousin Lauren's wedding and at the Shout House with my girlfriends on 80s nights. One can never be in a bad mood when it plays.
Kenny Chesney - I Go Back: My best friend from 6 years old to 21 years old and the time we trekked up to Frontier Days getting lost, standing in that long line, barely able to see over people, suffocated with smoke..... Still, it's one of my favorite country concerts.
Lee Greenwood - Proud to be an American: My Dad made me a copy of that cassette tape and I would play that song over and over again. When the World Trade Center Towers collapsed and that song was played it not only reminded me what it meant to me to be an American, but of a time before 9/11 when life was simpler and more pure.
Earth, Wind, and Fire - September: My cousin Lauren's wedding. The perfect Colorado September day on a beautiful golf course overlooking the entire Rocky Mountain front range. Simply beautiful.
Backstreet Boys - Shape of my Heart: Over the summer some friends and I went to see the Backstreet Boys at the State Fair. Money well spent. All the good memories of middle school/high school without the cliques, awkwardness, or bad clothing. Singing along to tacky music in the summer night with  a couple thousand other girls all whilst reminiscing of one's youth is a great feeling, highly recommended.
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer: I've seen Bon Jovi live, twice. The first time for free, the second time for $5. Not a bad deal, if I do say so myself. They're fantastic live, you should DEF. check them out. Even if their newer songs aren't my cup of tea, every time this song comes on in my car I crank the volume and sing along at the top of my lungs. It's almost better than the concert. Sans Bon Jovi, but also, sans Cougars and drunk girls spilling beer on my stuff.
Matt Wertz - Capitol City: I remember first going to see Matt, he was great. Very awesome acoustic player who has a voice. This song brings me to all the times when I doubted myself. Any time I feel like I am worried about where life is taking me I turn to this song. Every challenge brings the same feelings of despair, but this song reminds me of all the battles I've already overcome to get to where I am today.
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten: This song can get me running whenever I feel like I've hit a wall when working out. It also reminds me of Hawaii. Being in a new place with new friends allows one new opportunities. This song really made me try new things, hang with everyone I could, and be as clique-less as possible. I just wanted to 'soak up' all that Hawaii had to offer me. I'd love to live there, but the lack of NHL team makes it difficult to do so.

Dear Men

Saw this on Twitter & thought of you.  Enjoy.

MiMi Adds to March Happiness From Punch Pizza!

Simply fill in the cat's name, 'MiMi' and get a free Punch Pizza next week.  Gotta love those guys at Punch, constantly taking care of their fans & social media/Punch Pizza lovers!  Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!

March Madness?

With everyone's brackets in the dumpster (Thanks Notre Dame, Marquette, & Kansas) the wonderful people over at Punch Pizza decided to try and make us all happy instead of 'mad'. In honor of the third month of the year, they're offering $3 off any pizza until this Thursday. Definitely made my day a little brighter. I'll take one Napoli w/Mozz di bufala. & prosciutto please!

Young Professionals of the Twin Cities Event!

YPOTC at HILTON GARDEN INN MINNEAPOLIS TONIGHT!
YPOTC will host the March event at Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis tonight! Drink specials and mingle with some Young Professionals during Happy Hour. HILTON GARDEN INN MINNEAPOLIS DOWNTOWN 1101 4th Ave. S. | Minneapolis, MN 55404 | www.minneapolisdowntown.hgi.com

UPCOMING EVENTS!
ROCK N ROLL SUSHI With Chef Ani Tuesday, April 20 6:30-8pm- $28 Sushi, the original Japanese fast food, is not just found at your local sushi bar, or sushi-ya. Become your own itamae, or sushi master, in this fun hands-on class. You will learn about the history of sushi, go over sushi jargon and etiquette and how to select your ingredients. Chef Ani will show you how to make maki, or rolls, and nigiri, little ovals of rice with fish or vegetables on top and then you'll jump in and make your own with a selection of fresh seafood, vegetables, even fruit. At the end of the class, you will take home extra rolls and your brand new sushi rolling mat. This class fills up very quickly, so sign up right away! Pre-registration is required. Call to register: Whole Foods 3060 Excelsior Blvd Minneapolis, MN 55416 612.927.8141

Chicks Who Give A Puck

Check out my new project with fellow hockey lover Sara Lynn.  Click here for the latest news & opinions from two kick butt ladies with a love for hockey!!

LEAD - Metro Mag Event

This is a reminder that Metro Magazine's Fashion Fight Night is only one week away! 10% of all ticket proceeds benefit The LEAD Project, so be sure to come out and support us! Tickets are going fast - buy yours soon at www.metromag.com.
 

 
*Save the Date! The next LEAD event will be held on April 23rd. Join us as we cut the ribbon at an exciting new Twin Cities location and benefit an environmental cause. Stay tuned for further details!

Share the Love, Not the Pizza - Punch Pizza

To help extend the spirit of valentine's day, we are encouraging our customers to share their love of pizza with another with a buy one, get one free deal.

Just bring in, or show on your phone, the coupon below.  It's good through Thursday.

Olympics

If you listen to our podcast, you know that I love hockey and have been waiting for the 2010 Olympics for so long. In general, I am a HUGE Olympic fan, I love that for the most part Olympians compete for pride of country versus money. Granted, many of these athletes get endorsements, and hockey players get paid through the NHL, but there are many who work every day like you or me and find time and energy to train as well.

To get pumped for the Olympics I recommend the following three Olympic related movies: Cool Runnings (Bobsled; great story, loved the ending about finishing what you started), The Cutting Edge (Figure skating; yes they pan away whenever they are truly doing a move, but a great story), and the best Olympic movie and one of the best sports movies Miracle (Hockey; makes me cry EVERY time....Do you believe in Miracles???)

Speedskating
This year the US Olympic Speed Skating team is being sponsored by Stephen Colbert & his Colbert Nation (letting viewers pledge contributions to team USA Speed Skating.)  Apollo Ohno is back for another chance at capturing medals, can the US beat Norway and Sweden in the skating?  Depends on who you ask, but one thing is for certain, this event is our BEST chance at obtaining medals, due to the number of competitions and our history in medal count.  It's been awhile since we've been competitive in figure skating, ice dancing, or figure skating pairs.  Moguls we usually take one of the three spots, and hockey will be a tough one as well.  If you're interested in seeing Team USA capture a sizeable medal count, be sure to check out the speed skaters!

Figure Skating
Sad to say the Americans have not been as competitive in this category as the Chinese, Canadians, & the Russians.  However, we have had a few Russians break off and compete for the US, our best chance at capturing the gold.  Do you remember Salt Lake City 2002?  The Canadians gave a cutesy and less difficult performance but nailed it (didn't hurt that they were both very good looking) and the Russians gave a much harder but less perfect long performance?  The infamous scandal with judging (the French gave the Russians the gold in exchange for their vote in ice dancing.)  Well the Russians and the Canadians both skated off with the gold.  The Russians undoubtedly try harder technical performances and the Canadians give better artistic performances.  Has the sport ever really come back after the judging scandal though?  And what about the Chinese?  Their fundamentals are usually off but they are always trying for the SUPER HARD tricks, do you think they've improved their program enough to nail the fundamentals AND the tough stuff?  We'll have to see.  In terms of Americans, this is the first year the US is not expected to medal for Women's or Pairs.  Sascha tried to make a comeback, but did not even qualify for the team.  The women have medaled for the past 11 Olympics, and the pairs have not medaled since 1988.  Could be a tough Olympics for the US in terms of figure skating this time around.

Freestyle Moguls
2006 is the year I was most excited about this event, Torino Italy. A fellow camp counselor and friend of mine Toby Dawson was competing in this event. The cool thing about Toby was that he just wanted to be treated like the rest of the counselors and give back to the kids at Korean Heritage Camp. I remember being SO nervous waiting for him to compete, knowing that everyone out there works really hard but how great of a guy he was and how much he deserved it. When he won the Bronze I was stoked for him, proud of him, and excited to attend camp that year. Toby brought his medal and let everyone wear it, hold it, take pictures with him, with it, it was a really cool experience. If you're looking for updates on him via twitter click here and if you want to visit his site and find out more about him click here.

Now the reason I love the freestyle moguls is it combines speed (to do the tricks), control (all those moguls require some navigation), and the complexity/coolness of the tricks are pretty awesome. They have to complete two different tricks per round (2 rounds, if you qualify.) I remember watching in 2002 with Jonny Moseley doing the 'Dinner Roll' and thinking, that's pretty sweet, wish I could do that! Athletes perfect previously completed tricks and create their own. Pretty bomb, if I must say!

Hockey
Some important things to note for these Olympic games for hockey are the difference between the NHL style play and the Olympic style of play. In most Olympic games, the players are on International Ice, which means 100 x 200 ft versus the NHL ice which is 85 x 200 ft. While 15 ft doesn't seem like that big of a deal, it certainly opens the ice up for more creative play making. This year, due to cost saving measures the Vancouver Olympic games will use NHL ice. Because they are using the arena that is home to the Vancouver Canucks, changing it over to Olympic ice would cost a great deal of money but more importantly put Vancouver on an even longer away game streak. Due to the games the Canucks are playing 14 games in a row on the road. A difficult feat that I think every other team should have been forced to do as well, to even the playing field. Back to the ice, this is a HUGE disadvantage to the Swedes, as they are less physical of a team and excel in playmaking, great passing, etc. However, don't discount them just yet!!

Another difference of Olympic hockey is the auto-icing call. In the NHL you can get the puck to the other end of the ice and if your teammates are fast enough they can get to it first and create a scoring opportunity. As you know from our podcast, this has resulted in career ending injuries and is extremely dangerous. In the Olympics, if you put the puck into the other end an automatic icing is called without the players having to touch it. This forces teams to get more creative in their playmaking. And one of the other major differences is no fighting. I love this rule, others dislike it. The reason I love this rule is just like the bigger sheet of ice and auto-icing is that it removes the emphasis on strong-arm hockey and puts te emphasis on talent, agility, speed, play-making, etc.

To end this piece, I thought I'd include a link to the 5 greatest Olympic Hockey Moments. I'd like to note that two of the five include the performances of Avalanche Players. 2002 Canadian Mens Hockey (Former Captain Joe Sakic) and 1994 Swedish Mens Hockey (Peter Forsberg). To enjoy the article & the movies from Vanity Fair, click here.

Day of Interesting News

Yesterday the city of Minneapolis announced they were implementing a temporary law for parking on the street in Uptown (where I live) from Thursday, February 11, 2010 until sometime in April.  They are forbidding parking on the odd side of a street.  This means they are eliminating half of the parking spaces that are currently available to residents.  If you live in Uptown you will know that parking is hard enough to find without the current law.  I was thinking about this law on the way over to work this morning and have decided that I will just start taking the bus.  I dislike taking the bus and I have things I need to do in the evening but here's my new remedy.  I will leave my car in the parking garage under our building (safe from snow, tickets, and tows) and just take the bus to and from work.  If I have things to do after work and HAVE to take my car I will park on the street.  If it is early enough, I'll simply return to work and jump on the bus.  This definitely doesn't make me happy, but I can't afford to get towed or ticketed for parking in Uptown (again.)

Last night two teenagers fell into the same spot while snowmobiling.  The first teenager was able to pull themself out of the water and crews were speaking with the individual when the second teenager fell into the water.  This concerned me as it was in MN, and I am going snowmobiling on Thursday night to Lord Fletcher's for their $0.25 wings (which by the way, are AMAZING!!)  Here are some snowmobiling tips to follow this winter:
1 - Stay on a path
2 - If you are snowmobiling on Lake Minnetonka, avoid areas right by the channels, as there is typically a bridge above and the sand from de-icing usually falls onto the ice, making it weaker.  In addition, this is typically a lower water level area, so the ice isn't as thick in the first place.
3 - Let people know you are going out so they will know if something is wrong.
4 - Be of age!!  Unless you were born in 1979 you need to have a snowmobiling license.

Yesterday I was on twitter and say CBS post a link about a bridge collapse widow adopting twins from Haiti.  Being adopted, and living in MN I quickly clicked on the link.  I love this story, this is what makes me regret being pessimistic and gives me hope for humanity.  The people who do for one another without knowing each other.  Here I go trying to be philosophical on life.  I sometimes think that evil exists for good to mean anything.  That in every day life there is good and there is evil.  When awful things happen the good pours forth to balance out the bad.  It is not that people are only good during tragedy but that a percentage of them are good all the time, and the need for good is just increased.

Political Conversation: Emotional or Intelligent?

Last night I had the chance to catch up with an old friend, the kind you care about and had great times with but now live in different states and go through the natural ebb and flows of communication.  We finally got back in touch, and it was like nothing had changed and yet everything was different, but for the better.  Our friendship, mutual respect, all the important stuff was the same, the way I believe true friendships should be.  What was different was us, we were older, wiser, more sure of ourselves, and yet still able to be friends.  We had grown up, but we had not grown apart, it was something truly miraculous these days.

The conversation discussed the usual, what are you doing, how have you been, are you ever moving back to Colorado? There was one yes and one no.  The thing I find so awesome about our conversation is that I lean left, and Kristin leans right, but we both consider ourselves more moderate.  I used to be Catholic, and Kristin has recently taken Catholicism up.  We were able to offer each other differing viewpoints based on intelligent thought, mixed with emotion, and each allowed the other's viewpoint to change their viewpoint.  Now, when I say that I do not mean in the superficial or flighty meaning.  We didn't back down from our view just because someone else didn't agree with us, we simply allowed their viewpoint to broaden our viewpoint, to consider what they were saying and reconstruct how we each thought about healthcare, religion, etc.  It was one of those conversations that in this day and age is so rare, it makes you smile.  Imagine, a political and religious conversation between two friends that don't necessarily agree on everything being held in a civil manner, each bringing opinions and facts to the table and each leaving with a broadened view.  Is that even possible in this day and age?

I ask if it's possible because you will see in the media that politics have become SO dividing.  I find it interesting that these politicians are so intent on fear mongering and hateful propaganda of the other side when their true job is to do what is best for ALL Americans.  They may believe their agenda is the better one, but I don't think either side is doing a very good job at making this a better place for ALL Americans.

When you take away all the dividing factors that politicians put before you to make you choose you should realize that in reality, we all want the same thing.  We all want a safer country, whether it be across the street, the town, the state, the country or the world.  We all want to be healthy, have access to healthcare.  We all want our children to have the best education, to grow up, succeed, etc.  We all want criminals to be punished, the heroes to be rewarded, and to be able to drive without fear of bridges collapsing (I-35W) or guardrails falling off onto their car (E-470).  These are fundamental things we all want.  The very things we all want, are really being sidestepped by emotions, sensationalism, fear mongering, etc. 

I know some Conservatives will blame Liberals, and vice versa.  I see on twitter, facebook, and in the non-cyber world both sides bashing each other ALL the time.  I even saw someone on twitter saying they will tweet on each lie President Obama says during his State of the Union speech.  I thought it interesting that they chose that method, as I am unaware of a fully morally intact politician, I think the two are oxymorons.  So while others blame the parties I blame Lobbyists and Politicians of both sides.  Politicians are so concerned about what they can ear-mark for their state, what deal with the devil they have to do in order to get their bill through they've lost sight of what is really at stake, what's right for us.  Lobbyists only help the matter by paying millions of dollars to convince politicians to vote for what they want versus what the American public wants.   Truly, this is what democracy is all about, and what our forefathers fought so hard to establish.  I think they're rolling in their graves right now.

I remember watching The Daily Show (I do love Jon Stewart, as he makes fun of Republicans AND Democrats) and seeing that 30 white, male Republicans were voting no on Senator Al Franken's amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill.  Now, let's be honest I do not know what qualifications Al Franken has in politics, and I didn't vote in the Minnesota elections but rather the Colorado elections so I had no part in getting him to that office.  However, the amendment was in regards to female workers of government contracts over in the Middle East could at the present moment not file charges against their male co-workers or bosses if they were raped or gang raped by them in court but were forced to go through arbitration.  I fail to see how this is a partisan issue.  I wonder how these male politicians can even disagree with this amendment.  Several stated that the government has no such business in terms of enforcing or regulating employment contracts.  While that might work in any other case, these were government contracts, the government was paying these companies to perform a duty.  These employees were then raping their coworker while under contract with the government and being paid with government dollars, or more importantly TAX PAYER DOLLARS.  Many of the opposers stated that they felt this took away a woman's right to arbitration if we made it so they could also file a suit in open court.  This was not the case and was more than likely a cop out.  The most frustrating part of all this is if you just listen to the politicians twist it they make good cases, and then you have to fact check .  Jeff Sessions said he opposed the bill because it would put the will of Congress on individuals and corporations in a retroactive fashion.  However, this particular bill is for the 2010 fiscal year and cannot be activated retroactively.  Nice try Senator.  Senator Cochran of Mississippi said that it was not the government's business and that he would think about voting yes if it only covered rape and did not extend to sexual related abuses.  Senators Chambliss & Isakson of Georgia state that it's unfair to the rape victim to have to go through the court process as this amendment dictates and strips them of their arbitration rights.  Again, this is untrue, this amendment simply opens up the option of an actual court process like any other United States citizen is entitled to, while allowing them to choose arbitration as well.  One noteworthy bit - the Department of Defense also opposed the amendment.  This example only shows the Republicans who were twisting the truth and providing cop outs to voting no.  I am not saying Democrats do not do the same thing, I am simply using this case as an example because it infuriated me as a woman.

In the end, I have become less and less involved with politics.  I find that no one wins when politicians are up for sale and do deals with the devil.  I don't trust any one of them. To those Libertarians out there, your ideas to me sound great in theory, but it requires 100% committment from 100% of the population.  I apologize for sounding pessimistic but I do not have faith in humanity, or rather in fellow Americans to deregulate.  Like communism & Reagonomics,  deregulation is a great theory if people weren't stupid, greedy, evil.  And while not all people are evil, stupid or greedy, even 1 in a thousand in the population can ruin it for the rest of us.  Sorry.

YPOTC Tonight!

YPOTC at Solera Tonight
YPOTC will host the February monthly event at Solera tonight and in the spirit of Valentine's Day, we're hosting a non-profit fair during the happy hour. Local non-profits, including some of YPOTC's 2010 non-profit partners, will be on hand-- sharing with us the love they have of serving those in the Twin Cities community! It's a great opportunity to learn more about these amazing organizations and the work they do, and sign up to give some love of your own!
Event Sponsor: First Class Mortgage

Featured Organizations Include:
US Bank Skyway Open, Benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities
The 4th annual U.S. Bank Skyway Open will be held February 25 - 27 in downtown Minneapolis. The event benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities and is developed and run by the Downtown Network. Volunteers are needed to help with registration, golf holes and golfer directions. Volunteers receive a t-shirt, parking, ticket for a Subway sandwich and admission to the 19th Hole party at The Hotel Minneapolis.

Bridging, Inc. (2010 YPOTC Non-Profit Partner)
Join YPOTC for the Twelfth Annual SUBWAY® BEDRACE FOR BRIDGING, presented by Cities 97 that will take off at Buck Hill Saturday, March 6, 2010. We are putting together a team of four to race down the tubing hill atop queen-sized mattresses. One hundred percent of registration fees and fundraising efforts benefit Bridging.

Dress for Success (2010 YPOTC Non-Profit Partner)
Brand new to the Twin Cities, Dress for Success promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. At this point, donations have poured in and they need all the help they can get! Please work with us to support our newest Twin Cities-base partner!

Child Neurology Foundation
The Child Neurology Foundation presents the first annual Twin Cities Mardi Gras Event! This costume/black-tie event will be the place to be on Fat Tuesday (Feb 16th, 2010). To include: authentic live-jazz, jugglers, fabulous decorations, magicians, signature chocolate martinis, dancing, live feeds from New Orleans and comedy. Because the event falls on the heels of Valentine's Day, we've made special couples pricing available!

Rotaract
YPOTC and Rotaract have planned a fun and motivating evening with business strategist and keynote speaker Dave Horsager this Thursday. Through his book and program - The Trust Edge - he shares the secrets of using trust to impact the bottom line. There is still time to register for the event online or at the door.
 
Looking for another way to get involved? YPOTC is looking for members to join our Non-Profit Advisory Board. If interested, please contact Dionne for more information: dbraddix@mmm.com.

Who Says You Can't Golf In MN Over Winter?

Ok, while this is indoor put-put golf, it is for a great cause.  Please consider participating in the 4th Annual U.S. Bank Skyway Open Golf Tournament.

Come support the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities by playing a unique 18 hole mini- golf course through the skyways of downtown Minneapolis! Tee-times start Thursday February 25th at 1:00 pm, Friday at 9:00 am and Saturday at 11:00 am. Visit www.skywayopen.org to register.

Favorite New Charity

Thank goodness for Twitter!  Connecting people around the world and letting everyone know what you think about the game, the movie or the President's SOTU speech.  But there are other great things about Twitter as well.  Take the account www.twitter.com/giveyoursole (you can visit their site here) This group organizes shoe collections at races.  Simple enough, donate moderately worn shoes to one of the collection sites this group puts together and help the shoe-less around our country.

LEAD Project Board Opportunities

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS:

MinnPost: 2 board positions available

MinnPost,  a not-for-profit providing high-quality journalism online for people who care about Minnesota, is looking for one or two board members.
The MinnPost board works with the founder/CEO Joel Kramer on strategy and major tactics to help this two-year-old enterprise grow and ensure its sustainability. 
One major focus is to increase our connections with Minnesotans who are under 40, so a board member who has a broad network in that age group and is willing to help us tap into it would be a great asset.
We are also looking for a chair of the board finance committee.  This person should be knowledgeable about financial reports, and would work primarily with our business manager, Bryan Powell, in reviewing MinnPost’s finances and reporting to the board about them.
For more information, contact Joel Kramer, jkramer@minnpost.com.  For information about MinnPost, visit www.minnpost.com, and read our year-end report.
Global Citizens Network/Intercultural Student Experiences: 2 board positions available

In the fall of 2009, GCN and ISE formed a strategic alliance.  The new structure operates with two boards, yet the same individuals serve on both boards and the meetings are held jointly.  One Executive Director leads both organizations.
GCN: Global Citizens Network seeks to create a network of people who are committed to the shared values of peace, justice, tolerance, cross-cultural understanding and global cooperation, to the preservation of indigenous cultures, traditions and ecologies, and to the enhancement of the quality of life around the world.  GCN facilitates short term, cross cultural travel for participants (individuals, groups and families) in 1-3 week small scale community development projects in 15 indigenous communities around the world.
ISE: ISE inspires and educates students of the world through experiential learning across cultures. ISE sends high school students on short term language immersion trips abroad.  ISE students travel to Spain, France, Germany, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Mexico.  New programs in development or being considered are in China, Taiwan, Ecuador and Africa. 
Board Search Specifics:
The skills and capabilities desired in board candidates include:
International and/or intercultural experience, a second language, and/or international network a plus.
Commitment to the mission of peace, justice and the societal value of intercultural and international experiences.
Sales and marketing experience, particularly with respect to youth and social networking.
Experience in the training, education, and/ or travel marketplace.
Workplace experience in change management and work with various generations.
See both websites at:  www.globalcitizens.org and www.isemn.org
Please contact Peter Wagner (peter_c_wagner@yahoo.com) if you are interested or have questions.
Kantorei: 1 board position available

Kantorei is a nonprofit, professional, a cappella choral ensemble based in the Twin Cities and conducted by Dr. Axel Theimer. Kantorei specializes in singing unaccompanied choral music from Austria and Germany, and has collaborated with a number of organizations and ensembles in the Twin Cities. Recently, Kantorei was featured as part of Classical Minnesota Public Radio's Holiday Sampler.

Kantorei’s board is structured as a “working board,” which means that much of the work is done in between board meetings. Kantorei is looking for one new board member.

Please contact Raj Chaphalkar (raj.chaphalkar@kantorei.net) if you are interested or have questions.

New YPOTC Event

Young Professionals of Twin Cities

Upcoming Events

YPOTC February Meeting at Solera
Date: Tuesday, February 09, 2010  Time: 5:30pm   add to Outlook   view details
Venue: Solera  - 900 Hennepin Ave.  Minneapolis, MN 55403   view google map
We'd like to invite you to join YPOTC as we venture back downtown to Solera for our February event.
 
The Trust Edge: Leadership & Professional Development of Young Professionals
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010  Time: 5:30pm   add to Outlook   view details
Venue: Neighborhood House  - 179 Robie Street East  St. Paul, MN 55107-2360   view google map
YPOTC and Rotaract have planned a fun and motivating evening with business strategist and keynote speaker Dave Horsager. Through his book and program - The Trust Edge - he shares the secrets of using trust to impact the bottom line.
Non-Profit: Twin Cities Rotaract Club
 
An Introduction to Painting Art Class
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010  Time: 6:30pm   add to Outlook   view details
Venue: Simply Jane Sudios  - 4801 Nicollet Ave. S.  Minneapolis, MN 55419   view google map
Time to find your inner-creative and test your painting skills. Join other young professionals on February 25th for a painting session.

Podcast

For those who don't know my friend Charlie & I have started a podcast.  We only have two episodes so far but we will be recording every Saturday.  Due to some requests from friends and family we are working hard to do the following things:

Separate Podcasts for Each Topic Grouping - This would mean Sports lovers could only listen to sports and entertainment lovers wouldn't have to listen to sports or news.  We're going to try it out and as always post a full version as well.

iTunes - Apparently I am less technologically advanced than I would like to believe as I am struggling as if my life depended on it.  I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get our podcast onto iTunes.  I may have to enlist my brother Brendan's coworkers, as they are good with technology and I am clearly not. FAIL.

And remember you can always let us know what you would like to hear more of via comment on our site http://popculturetherapy.wordpress.com and follow the show on twitter @courtnchuck or follow us individually @cabeckham or @cmitch21

Thanks for all the support guys, it's really a lot of fun to do!

Great Deal!

You know I am a sucker for great pizza deals! For whatever reason I cannot help but love it!  Well HomeMade Pizza Co has this great little deal Monday - Wednesday.  $3.00 for a 9" pizza and $3.00 for a small salad!  I got a Pepperoni pizza (it was delish as always) and a large Cobb salad.  The Cobb Salad is the only one not featured in the salad deals.  It's so tasty I couldn't resist.  I ventured away from the Caesar dressing and tried Creamy Garlic.  WOW.  I have 2/3 of my salad for lunch today.  I'm pretty excited!!  Remember to sign up for their loyalty card so you can get pizza and salads for free if you buy enough :)

Music

Remember the days before iPods & iPhones and any mp3 player?  Remember when we crammed 18-20 songs on a mixed cd (or mixed tape for that matter) and we had just those twenty songs?  I've found that with the abundance of music I take music for granted.  So yesterday I decided that I was going to figure out what songs I really do love.  If I were to somehow, mysteriously get stuck on a deserted island and only had a cd player with one cd (like Hurley from LOST), here's what' I would have on it.

Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
Carter Burwell - Bella's Lullaby
Ben E. King - Stand By Me
Snow Patrol & Martha Wainwright - Set The Fire To The Third Bar
Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone
Glee Cast - Keep Holding On
Glee Cast - Smile (Lily Allen Cover)
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
Debussy - Clair De Lune
Pachebel - Canon in D
The Killers - When You Were Young
Camille - La Jeune Fille Aux Cheveux Blancs
Camille - Ta Douleur
Coldplay - Fix You
John Mayer - Something's Missing
John Lennon - Imagine
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
ABBA - Mamma Mia

Quick Beauty Tips

Here's a quickie.  Have you run out of eye make up remover & haven't had a chance to run to your favorite beauty salon and grab a new bottle?  Well a cheaper, just as effective product might be in your household as we speak.  No I'm not talking about baby oil (although great for at home pedicures) I'm talking about petroleum jelly.  The item that works great on homemade manicures, also removes eye make up on your cotton swab.  An added benefit?  Vaseline or petroleum jelly also helps eyelashes grow thicker & longer.  Plus you can get a tub of petroleum jelly for a fraction of the cost of eye make up remover, and it lasts longer too.

Prayers For The Haitians

Life is funny. It appears to me that within every tragedy there’s hope, every dark cloud a silver lining, every bad experience a lesson to be learned. The tragedy in Haiti is no different. Many look at this devastation and are left without words, I (as always) have a few.


The thing about tragedies is that even in their horror they create this space. Space for the yet to be discovered, space for us, as humans, to unite and come together. Space for us to reach across and fill the void that another has. This sounds morbid, but it’s not meant to be. The wonderful thing about tragedy is it gives people the chance to take away the suffering of one of their own. It gives each of us the opportunity to reassess what is important in our lives and to help others in need.

If you look at all that the world has suffered through you could become overcome with grief and dispair or lifted up with hope. Look at the last ten years, despite all the economic turmoil, the tragedies we have endured are nothing compared to the humanity that has risen above it.

9/11 – This tragedy was the worst terrorist attack our country has ever faced. In the midst of it all neighbors came together, strangers helped each other, and men & women gave their lives for their fellow Americans whom they had never met. Firefighters and police officers ran into the terror when others were running out, jumping out and doing whatever they could to get out. The American spirit could not be broken, not by plane, not by bomb, not by hatred. The stronger the hatred grows the stronger we are. Some times we forget this and get complacent, but our enemies should never take that as weak or uninterested. They simply attack and we will be there, ready to defend our country, protect our neighbors, and lend a helping hand to whomever needs it.

Hurricane Katrina – This tragedy was awful, there’s no denying it. They are STILL working hard to fix everything, and yet the outpour of kindess from Americans and the world alike was ground breaking. Celebs & common man alike donated as much as they could to help those who needed it.

This story of devastation is one we have heard before, but just as before we are prepared to act, willing to help, and despite all differences Americans and the rest of the world come together to help those in need. Sometimes tragedy has a funny way of bringing us closer together, if only for a few days.
 

Prayers for the Haitians

Life is funny.  It appears to me that within every tragedy there's hope, every dark cloud a silver lining, every bad experience a lesson to be learned.  The tragedy in Haiti is no different.  Many look at this devastation and are left without words, I (as always) have a few.

The thing about tragedies is that even in their horror they create this space.  Space for the yet to be discovered, space for us, as humans, to unite and come together.  Space for us to reach across and fill the void that another has.  This sounds morbid, but it's not meant to be.  The wonderful thing about tragedy is it gives people the chance to take away the suffering of one of their own.  It gives each of us the opportunity to reassess what is important in our lives and to help others in need. 

If you look at all that the world has suffered through you could become overcome with grief and dispair or lifted up with hope.  Look at the last ten years, despite all the economic turmoil, the tragedies we have endured are nothing compared to the humanity that has risen above it.

9/11 - This tragedy was the worst terrorist attack our country has ever faced.  In the midst of it all neighbors came together, strangers helped each other, and men & women gave their lives for their fellow Americans whom they had never met.  Firefighters and police officers ran into the terror when others were running out, jumping out and doing whatever they could to get out.  The American spirit could not be broken, not by plane, not by bomb, not by hatred.  The stronger the hatred grows the stronger we are.  Some times we forget this and get complacent, but our enemies should never take that as weak or uninterested.  They simply attack and we will be there, ready to defend our country, protect our neighbors, and lend a helping hand to whomever needs it.

Hurricane Katrina - This tragedy was awful, there's no denying it.  They are STILL working hard to fix everything, and yet the outpour of kindess from Americans and the world alike was ground breaking.  Celebs & common man alike donated as much as they could to help those who needed it.

This story of devastation is one we have heard before, but just as before we are prepared to act, willing to help, and despite all differences Americans and the rest of the world come together to help those in need.  Sometimes tragedy has a funny way of bringing us closer together, if only for a few days.