Catch Up Lady

Put Me In Coach

Loving this picture sent to me by fellow OPR-er Ian from Flagged for Follow Up. 

Rule #9458: When preparing a meal with a near-empty bottle of ketchup, make sure your back up is never far.   (Same goes for you Mustard...)

Pure Michigan

I'm totally loving the new Pure Michigan ad campaign that's been running in major markets.  I got chills the first (second, third, fourth, fifth...) time I watched them.  Not only do they feature Michigan in the summer which is truly heaven on earth, but they include the music from "The Notebook" trailer which ensures that you tear ducts are turned on before the narrative even begins.   (That calm, soothing voice is non other than Detroit native Tim Allen.)
Here are some of my favorite Pure Michigan moments with some of my favorite people:

With Catch Up brother and sister at Cottage Weekend on Gull Lake, MI:

Digging life at this moment

If docks could talk...we'd all be fucked.

Top of the Dunes with @awshannahan, Lake Michigan in the background:

Prepping out in Saugatuck, MI:

Walloon Lake, MI, where my ashes will one day be scattered.  Watch out water table.

"Pi-High Til You Die."  Which may turn out to be when you fall off the motorized rides outside Coral Gables in Saugatuck at 2am.

You can imagine my total shock that so far no one from the Pure Michigan ad campaign has inquired about using the picture above - or this footage from our Super Hero party  on Gull Lake, MI last weekend.  (The only thing that would make this even more Michigan is if Charles was smoking a Black & Mild instead of waving a giant sword.)

Yes, I'm Judging.

13 Year Old Time Travels Back To Age of the Walkman

Holy crap.  You have to love this BBC News article in which a father asks his 13 year old son to trade his iPod for a Walkman for one week's time.  Engadget does a great job pulling out the most relevant slash hilarious quotes in their story entitled, "13 year old trades iPod for Walkman, reports on mysterious ancient artifact":

• "It took me three days to figure out that there was another side to the tape. That was not the only naive mistake that I made; I mistook the metal/normal switch on the Walkman for a genre-specific equaliser, but later I discovered that it was in fact used to switch between two different types of cassette."
• "I managed to create an impromptu shuffle feature simply by holding down "rewind" and releasing it randomly - effective, if a little laboured."
• "When playing, it is clearly evident that the music sounds significantly different than when played on an MP3 player, mainly because of the hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises on the Walkman."

A few weekends ago I actually discussed the days of the tape with some girlfriends - we reminisced about staying glued to Top 10 countdowns on radio stations in desperate attempts to record a new song for a mix tape.  Which brings me to mix tapes.  I love iTunes, I love iPods, but I miss receiving mix tapes and CD's - both of which seem to have fallen by the wayside.  I'm going to start an advocacy movement to bring these back.  Paging Blue State Digital...

Bar for Incorporating Bad R&B Into Weddings Continues to Rise

This wedding march to Chris Brown's "Forever" has been making headlines this week - rivaling the famous Brubaker first dance from last summer.  You only need to watch the first few minutes, turns out "Forever" is exceedingly long when you're watching awkward midwesterners dance down the aisle.

All I have to say is that I'm now feeling incredible pressure to incorporate a bad R&B or rap song in to my future wedding.  Wherever the future Mr. Wilkins is, I hope he's already started thinking about this. 

(Sidenote - the best part of the Brubaker's Wedding Dance was when I saw them interviewed on some talk show. The husband goes, "I was at my wedding, and I should have been enjoying every minute of it - instead I was in the bathroom alone stressing out and practicing "The Spank"...)

Ford's What Women Want Quality & Tech Event

As many of you know, Ford is one of my clients.  You may wonder what I do all day.  And now you have your answer.  I hang out outside Ford World Headquarters and pose on Ford vehicles.  That's right, I'm a car model. 

Tawny Kitaen would be jealous if my usually absurdly skinny calf didn't look like Tom Brady's for some odd reason in this photo.  (Or not.  But props to the Plaid Nation crew for snapping this beaut during their visit to Dearborn to pick up their sweet wrapped Ford Flex for their Plaid Nation 2009 Roadtrip.)

In all seriousness, one of the big social media programs I've been working on for Ford is an event that happened today in Chicago - the What Women Want Quality & Tech Event with BlogHer.com.  We worked with BlogHer to bring 60 of their awesomest* bloggers to Chicago a day ahead of the big BlogHer Conference for an all day event at the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant. 

The day was jam packed - and the women got to rotate between a number of different hands on modules around Safety, Sustainability, Technology, and Manufacturing.  Even though I helped organize the social media side of things and knew what was coming I was still impressed, as I was still seeing it all for the first time.  Some highlights included:

• One on One Access to Ford Insiders:  Various modules were lead by the actual movers and shakers at Ford - from Amy Marentic (North American Car and Crossover Planning Manager),  to Sheryl Connely (Global Trends & Futuring Manager), to Carrie Majeski (Sustainability, and 25 year veteran of Ford - at right.) It was truly amazing to hear these kick ass women speak about their passion and transfer their excitement to others.

• Technology Demos:  There were hands on demos set up for all Ford's latest and greatest smart technology - including MyKey, Active Park Assist, and Cross Traffic Alert.  Check out this video below for a demo by one of Ford's steering engineers, along with blogger reactions.

• Tour of Chicgao Assembly Plant: After receiving eye protection, yellow safety vests, and a small head set so we could hear our tour guide we were walked around the 2 million + square foot Chicago Assembly Plant where Ford manufactures Lincoln MKS and the new 2010 Ford Taurus.   If you ever have a chance to do something like this, jump.  It was really amazing to see how a car is put together - a total marriage of technology, machines, and humans.  Also, very impressed with the extent to which Ford goes to maintain quality.  If there is even the smallest quality issue on the line they shut it down until it's resolved so that no other vehicles are impacted.  Additionally, if you call your dealer with a complaint it takes less than 24 hours for that to travel back to the plant where your vehicle was manufactured.  I'll spare you the hideous picture of me in the plant tour get up, and instead give you this rad picture of cars in the air...

• Test Drives: Getting the chance to test driving 2010 vehicles that haven't hit the road yet was also a big hit.  Check out this great video of the BlogHer ladies test drive reactions:

• What Women Want Brainstorm: The day ended with break out brainstorms so that Ford could listen to what the bloggers learned from their readers and their day, and take the insights back with them to Dearborn.  Be on the look out for our What Women Want Vehicle Check List - which will summarize a lot of this great conversation.

• #fordblogher:  And finally, what would a blogger event be without a sweet hash tag and a constant stream of Twittering?  As always seeing reactions, suggestions and questions in real time helped make the experience all the more interactive. 

*I am aware this is not a word.

How To Get Me To Go On a Date With You

Send me a Facebook message like this...

What's cookin, katsup girl???

Just in case you've forgotten who I am - I'll do a quick recap of our fledgling relationship:

1) January 2009 - Caps/Red Wings - OV Scores, Caps Win. We hit it off - like honey bunches and oats. You enjoy my company more than the company of your then boyfriend. Was it flirtation? A mutual love of hockey? The innocence of one of us being attached? I was stymied.

2) May 2009 - After ensuing break-up with said boyfriend, we rendezvous for appys and spirits. More chemistry. More larfs. More ball breaking. Slew and Abby sabotage the courting and you press the eject button before I can call in Mariano to seal the deal.

3) Later May 2009 - The facebook debacle. How sketchy is this? Does you appreciate rich email banter?  The Response: blow off or genuine rain check? The question is debated for days by the Robert H. Smith class of 2010. Everyone but Scooter: Blow off. Scooter: Genuine rain check.

4) June 2009 - Crickets...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I heard there's a Bloggers convention in Chi-town in late July. If true, you gonna be bringing your A-game? The Nati is in for a weekend tilt with the Cubbies and I'd like to pencil you in for Saturday. Cubbies, Old Styles, cute farm girls. Could be a little bit glorious.

Also, continue taking your time sending me your contact information. I'm down in the Thick Stuff on loan and not back in DC till summer's end.

So, yes Scott.  I will go on a date with you.  And I'm making it public so that you can brag about your analytic superiority to your entire business school class, who seems deeply invested in this situation.  Victory is sweet, is it not?

Hilarious Text Messages + Little Used iPhone Features = Return to Blogging

Remember when I used to blog on a regular basis?  Yeah, that was fun.

I thought I'd ease back in to it with a totally random, irrelevant post.  So, with that I give you the two best text messages I've received in the last few days.  Not only were these hilarious, but they gave me an excuse to use the under utilized screen shot feature on my iPhone.  Thanks Steve.

Text message with John Stauffer, my co-host of That Social Media Show on BlogTalkRadio.

Text message with my favorite geriatric medicine eating robot, Paul McEnany of HeeHaw Marketing Blog.

Paul, I do know why I should know that.  It's because I'm the only Midwestern white girl you know who can rap all of Montel Jordan's This is How We Do It, including the throw down refrain.  That is all.

Fancy Fast Food

Totally digging the site Fancy Fast Food, which takes the junkiest of food, and turns it in to... beautiful gourmet junk food.

Exhibit A: 

White Castle Snack Meal #1

Can be transformed in to Tapas de Castillo Blanco


Bravo!