May 27, 2009

Mahnahmahnah!

Posted by Grendel's Mother under laughter
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Do you ever have those days when you feel blah? You don’t know why but you just can’t seem to pick yourself up? Sometimes I blame the rain or the economy or the sun or whatever. Yeah, that’s not too productive. Well as the proverbial saying goes, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

So let’s talk about what to do to get ourselves out of the slump. Today as I was scanning through my “favorites” to find all the various job sites I’ve bookmarked, I saw this video that I had saved just for laughs. I used to love hearing this song and now whenever I need to smile, I just play the video. Don’t let the rain, your job, your significant other, or anything else get you down—at least not for the next two and a half minutes. Seriously, how can you be down and say mahnahmahnah at the same time?

So as I was playing that video I saw another one that also made me giggle. One way to get out of a slump is to exercise. In this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E8xMcXmI9E, the dog puts on some pretty cool moves. Not sure he’d make it onto dancing with the stars though. Try it out. I did. And then I closed my curtains and danced around some more. My neighbors already think I’m weird enough. Enjoy!

 

May 25, 2009

Don’t eat the billboard.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under marketing, travel
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Since I’ve started writing this blog I’ve tried to really take in what’s going on around me—looking for topics to write about—observing things. And because my background is in marketing, I tend to look at various signs and billboards. Recently I’ve seen a few signs and ads that have made me giggle a bit. Here are a few. I know some are hard to see—I guess I’ll have to actually stop the car instead of doing the drive-by photography.

 I love this McDonald’s billboard ad. Clean, easy to read, and funny.

 McDonald's billboard ad

This church in Dagsboro, DE had the following message on their marquee. It says, “Guess who is coming back.”

church sign 2

For anyone who may not know, the message above is referring to the second coming of Christ. The second coming will mark the end of the world as we know it and will start a new beginning. At first there will be devastation but then literally—heaven on earth.  So I thought it was funny that just a bit further up the road was a sign for Coffin St.

Then there was this restaurant. It’s sign out front says, “Come on in and EAT. We can seat 144 people, 16 at a time.” I love it—witty and good marketing.

 eat diner seating

I’ve mentioned Bridgeville, DE in a previous post but wanted to save the message on the fire house marquee for this post. The sign changes each trip but on this one it said, “It’s not hard to meet expenses, they’re everywhere.”

 Bridgeville Fire Comp.

And finally there is a hilarious sign outside the Baptist church in old town Alexandria, VA. This is the same church that rings its afternoon church bells to songs like Kum Ba Yah.

 church baptized

Listen to the song and see even more “sign, sign everywhere a sign.”

 

May 23, 2009

Life in lower, slower Delaware

Posted by Grendel's Mother under states, travel
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I love to travel and won’t be getting overseas this summer, so I’m going to do a series (not in any kind of order) about various states. Since I’ve been driving back and forth to the beach I thought I’d start with the first state. Delaware is a mighty little stamp lodged smack in the middle of a megalopolis. In the north there’s the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple. In the south there’s the ego busting, political maneuverings of the DC Beltway. (All the Bostonians are upset with me right now for leaving them out but don’t fret; we’ll talk about the People’s Republic of Massachusetts another time.)

Ahhhhhh Delaware. Companies love to incorporate in Delaware because of the tax laws. Most of us in the area just love it because of the beaches and the no sales tax shopping. It can be traversed in about two hours by car and I swear that everyone in Delaware knows everyone else in Delaware. Forget the six degrees of separation; it’s more like two degrees. Northern Delaware is home to the University of Delaware’s fighting blue hens. It’s also home to the person of focus of the “what’s he going to say next fan club,” our current Vice President, Joe Biden.

Living in the fast-paced society of northern Virginia, I really have to adjust my mind-set when in lower, slower Delaware. Not that they are slow witted, it’s just that things tend to move slower there. It’s kind of funny that in Northern VA our cars are stuck in traffic and not moving but our minds are racing with our things to do list. And then when we drive in Delaware, we get mad at the cars that are moving 45 miles per hour in a 60-limit area.

 If you’ve never been to Delaware, give it a try. Here are some highlights.

  • Winterthur
  • Hagley Museum
  • Dover Air Force Base—if you time it just right you can see those massive cargo planes come in for a landing right as you pass by underneath. Those planes can fit six school busses inside them.
  • Bridgeville—this is a cute little town off 113. It has signs that say, “If you lived in Bridgeville, you’d be home now.” The Bridgeville Fire Department is home to some of the funniest guys I’ve never met. They always have a witty saying on their marquee. And don’t miss the 2009 Apple-Scrapple Festival.
  • The Outlets in Rehoboth
  • Historic Lewes—check out the several museums located in the area.
  • Cape Henlopen
  • Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, and Fenwick beaches and towns
  • Lots of fun people
  • Really slow drivers

 If you’ve been to Delaware or live there, what’s your favorite place to visit or thing to do?

 

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