" GODSPELL

I’m in a play!

This will be my first on stage appearance since high school and I’m so super excited!!!

I have to say though I’m a little nervous. Mostly because I think I have a little stage fright, which if you know me, you’re probably like WHAT? Yeah, I certainly perform the best when I don’t know that I’m performing. So like when I’m driving down the Arterial and I’m rocking out to the radio all American Idol style, I’ve got some pretty good moves. Give me the same song and a room full of people and I get a bit self conscious.

From my prior experiences though, once I get on stage with the lights and the orchestra and start moving around, there are no problems. I fully expect this to be the case in t-minus 12 days.

But, last night I was out with friends and they wanted me to sing for them, and I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. They happily reminded me that I would eventually have to sing in front of people, considering I’m in a play and all, but it didn’t help. (I should put a disclaimer in here though that the request was made towards the end of a, let’s just say, very fun night.)

In any case, I’m having such a good time with all the new people I’ve met! The cast is wonderful, the show is going to be awesome, and I invite all of you to come and support your local community theater, the Auburn Players.

Godspell
June 12,13,14 – 8pm
June 15 – 2pm
Irene Bisgrove Theatre @ CCC – Franklin St – Auburn
Tickets available at the door or call 315-258-8275
$14 General Admission - $12 Senior/Student - $7 Children under 12

- Hollywood Harkins :) "

" UGLY BETTY

So, someone recently told me that I reminded them of the character Betty Suarez, from the ABC show Ugly Betty.

At first I was a little taken aback by the comment, because the whole premise of the show is that this girl gets a job at a fashion magazine and she is far from fashionable, and yet it doesn’t faze her one bit. She likes who she is and that’s ok (and I kind of think she doesn’t really know that she isn’t that fashionable too). But then the person went on to say that that wasn’t why they thought I was “so Ugly Betty”, to use their terms.

The reason for the comment was because Betty is friends with everyone in the office. She knows everyone’s name and everyone seems to know her. And she seems to always get herself into these weird situations and then runs around and figures them out. She’s a young professional just starting out and learning about how to work in an office and dealing with her personal life, and figuring out what she wants out of life. She may tend to over think things sometimes and ask a lot of questions but she is a very hard worker. And even though she’s constantly running around, she’s on top of her game, and always knows what’s going on.

Once I got the explanation, I have to say I was very flattered to be called Ugly Betty.

Thank you!

- “Betty” Harkins :) "

" THE GREAT SANTA SEARCH

Do you read?

That might be a silly sounding question for someone currently reading a blog on a newspaper website, but what I mean is reading as a leisure time activity.

What was the last book you read? And possibly more importantly when did you read that book?

The majority of my friends and I are all pretty avid readers. I think that’s surprising for some because when one thinks of my generation and young professionals in general, I don’t think that they generally see us with books in our hands.

Maybe it's just the type of people that I hang around with that we are the “reading type”, but I just feel that there are more young professionals interested in sitting down with a good book than you might think.

To answer my own question though, the last book I read was "The Great Santa Search" as told to Jeff Guinn by Santa Himself. I finished this book right around the middle of January and I loved it. It was the perfect holiday read, it had tons of holiday spirit, it was captivating, and contained just enough magic to make it completely believable. I highly recommend it!

- Harkins :) "

" FUTURE

I’m leaving work in a few minutes to vote in the school board election. An event that has little or no immediate impact on me. I don’t own property or pay school taxes and I don’t have children who would be using the school system.

But I will take time out of my day to vote because I understand that our school board is a very important aspect of our community. I will vote because I want to voice my opinion. I will vote because I know that while this may not affect me now, those who are in office now will make policies and decisions that will eventually affect me and my family down the road.

- Harkins :) "

" VELCRO

If there was one thing that stayed with me from yesterday’s Blueprint update, it was that "Great ideas are like Velcro, they stick."

I couldn’t have said it better myself. There are some truly great ideas floating around the community right now. A number of them are being spearheaded by the Blueprint group, some are being executed by the Auburn Beautification Commission, and still others are being implemented by numerous other community groups.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a lot of progress being made in the city and in the county. We are fortunate to have so many people here who are extremely dedicated to seeing positive change in the area and are working their butts off to see it through.

I know sometimes it seems like nothing is happening and that there is a lot of talk and no action, but the reality is that there is progress being made and there are things going on behind the scenes.

I think we’ve got a bright future ahead, and that this is just the tip of the
iceberg.

-Harkins :)

To read more about the updates from the Blueprint Group go to: http://auburnpub.com/articles/2008/05/16/local_news/news01.txt
"

" MAYOR

A 19 year old college freshman was just elected mayor of his hometown! Not only that, but he won with 70% of the vote!

He claims his success was due in large part to his platform of "openness of government and keeping citizens better informed of city operations".

This is a fantastic example of a young professional challenging the status quo, creating change and not letting his age get in the way of what he can/can't do.

Kudos to him!

- Harkins :)

Read the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/14/freshman.mayor.ap/index.html "

" TOURISM

Being that it is National Tourism Week, I thought I would share my summer list of local places that I want to go to/see to this summer.

I'd like to make another trip to any of the following: Seward House, Cayuga Museum, Frontenac Museum, and the Schweinfurth.

Camping at Fair Haven State Park and hiking at Filmore Glen.

I've never been to the Red Rooster Pub in Skaneateles Falls, but I've heard it's pretty good, so that's on my list.

Long Point State Park - for a nice picnic and wine tasting. Actually wine touring in general will also be welcomed.

I've always wanted to go to a different Ice Cream stand each week throughout the summer and try something new at each one. Which doesn't usually work because I'm a die hard fan of twist ice cream in a cone with rainbow sprinkles, but we'll see.

I also want to stop at as many road side stands for fresh veggies as I can - you can never get enough! On that note, you'll probably find me at the Farmer's Market at least once a week too!

Oh and I definitely want to see a show at the Merry Go Round Playhouse.

On top of all that I have plans to swing up to New Hampshire to visit family and possibly some other random road trips too.

I'll have to highlight my adventures in a blog post or two entitled, Hollywood on the Road. Ha!

Anyone else have local places they want to go/try out this summer?

-Harkins "

" HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Her smile could light up a room. When she gets laughing not only is it completely contagious but she gets a little twinkle in her eye. I think she is the most beautiful woman I know.

She's the woman who was a pillar of strength when I've needed her most. She's dedicated to her family and friends and has a heart of gold.

She is incredibly caring and thoughtful. Her love can be seen in all the little things she does for us, whether it's a lone cherry on top of the applesauce at dinner or sending a quick e-mail to check up on you during the day.

My favorite times are when we're just two gals out on the town. Shopping, day trips, picnics and more. Talking about boys, cute shoes, and just being great friends.

She's taught me more about love, life, and having fun than I think she knows.

I can only hope that when it's my turn, I can be half as great of a mother to my children as she has been to us!

Love You Mom!

- Harkins :) "

" POWER NAP

I'm having one of those days where if I was left alone for more than a few minutes I will fall asleep. So please, if any of my coworkers are reading this, stop by my desk. :-P

I've been going going going for about two weeks now (well more like a few months and two weeks) and I think it's all catching up with me. Late nights, great times with friends, meetings, play rehearsals, soccer games (my new obsession by the way), dodgeball games, more meetings, a 40+ hour work week and random trips throughout NYS can all take a toll on you.

Plus I kind of took a beating at the soccer game last night, but that's what I love about it too! :)

I love what I do and all the things I'm involved in and I love the busy life I lead. Sometimes though, I just need to sleep in late, watch a little Grey's Anatomy and just veg out.

How do you relax and unwind?

- Harkins :) "

" CHEESE FRIES

Rising food costs for restaurateurs has been a hot topic as of late. Not only is the price of flour going up, up, up, but meat, eggs, cheese, rice, and fish are also rising.

That coupled with the increased fuel costs and recessionary times, we'll likely start seeing tough times for restaurants. Price increases, menu changes and the like are not at all uncommon.

With all that in mind, now more than ever, we need to be patronizing our local businesses!

And I'm not talking about Chili's and Applebee's local. I'm talking about Connies and Drive thru Joe's and Daddabbo's and Swaby's and Parker's and Lasca's and Hollywood etc. Places that are owned by local people and are the staples of our community.

By buying local, your money stays in the community so much longer!

As we all try to cut back on certain things and save money, let's make sure our money is going to our local businesses and back to the community!


-Harkins :) "

" A LITTLE VACA

While I was in New York City this weekend, I spent some time on the Staten Island Ferry. Being that it was a 20 minute ride each way, and I rode it four times, I had some time to think.

As we sailed past the Statue of Liberty I couldn't help but think about all of the opportunities I have available to me as a young woman of the 21st century compared to those young women who past by that same spot one hundred years ago.

I was kind of amazed by what I have the opportunity to accomplish in my lifetime, and I think I want to do it all!

- Harkins :) "

" COGNITIVE SURPLUS

We have a lot of time on our hands. Every year Americans collectively watch 200 billion hours of television. Clay Shirky, author of “Here Comes Everybody: A book about organizing without organizations” suggests that if we take just 1% of the time that we watch TV and use that time to create, produce and share information and entertainment on the web then we will experience a revolution of sorts. We will see more Wikipedia’s and more LoLCats and more Twitters.

What if we as a community took 1% of our TV time and used it to make a positive change in our area?

Let’s say you watch on average two hours of TV per day for a total of 14 hours per week. 1% of 14 hours is 8.4 minutes.

Do you have 8.4 minutes per week to make a difference?

How about 33.6 minutes once a month?

If only 100 people out of the 28,000 that live in Auburn used about half an hour of their time to do something for the community, that’s 56 hours of work!

What could our community do with 56 hours of extra time and volunteer time per month?
Support Local Businesses
Clean up your neighborhood park
Plant Flowers
Serve food at the soup kitchen
Maybe even save a historic treasure

I think we’ve all got time on our hands. It’s just a matter of how you want to use it.

-Jessica

Clay Shirky on the web http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010186.html "

" SUNSHINE

I think it's safe to say that we've all been enjoying this lovely summer like weather as of late. I for one can't get enough, I love being outside.

All this nice weather and the hope for many months of the same to come brought me back to those days in college. When everyone is outside in the quad "studying" and school is almost out and the one thing everyone looks forward to is that first piece of Chivetta's chicken BBQ.

In those days, it was easy to be excited about summer. The pressure from classes, extra curricular activities, and sports were winding down and we were looking forward to a solid 3 months of limited responsibilities.

Now that we are young professionals, there are no breaks like that. There are no summer retail jobs. No extended time periods of rest and relaxation.

And for me that's ok. The shock of realizing there are no more summer breaks has certainly worn off. And I think that makes me appreciate my weekends, lunch breaks, and time off that much more.

- Harkins "

" LINIMENT

While I was visiting with my grandfather and his neighbors this weekend a friend of his stopped over quickly to drop off some home made liniment for him to try for his arthritis. After the man left we were all discussing what might be in this solution as it wasn't quite clear. The neighbors said right away that they wouldn't use it and I have to admit, since I personally didn't know this man, I might be just as cautious. But the point was brought up that you don't know what's been put in there, therefore it's not safe to use. But that got me thinking. We purchase products every day that claim to stop your headaches or will make you feel better and we buy ointments to help our aches and pains. Yet, if you read those labels, for the average person, do you really know what those ingredients are?

We put our trust into large corporations who pay people to tell us what we want to hear. These companies claim that the ingredients used are safe for us, but how can we be so sure?

I just find it rather interesting that we would rather trust our health to a company that the average person has no contact with and can't pronounce the ingredients on the label to a friend's caring advice and home made remedy. Not to say that there aren't dangers associated with home made remedies as well, it just seems a little backwards to me.

-Harkins "

" AT EIGHT

Global warming is something I remember learning about in elementary school. I also remember learning about the important of recycling and taking care of the Earth. But I remember that global warming was just something that could happen, but not for hundreds of years, so we don’t have to worry about it too much.

But I did.

I worried about the trash on the side of the road and making sure to sort the recyclables. I worried about cutting holes in the plastic rings from the six-pack of soda cans so the birds and fish don’t get hurt. I worried about oil spills off the coast of Alaska and the hole in the Ozone layer. I was eight years old and I was worried.

Now, 17 years later (wow that’s weird to say), I’m still worried about all that, but I’m more worried about the chemicals we use. I’m more worried about the gas guzzlers that we let idle for minutes at a time, literally wasting gas. I’m much more worried about the amount of useless stuff we all keep and then just throw away. I’m worried that my children won’t see snow, and we live in Central New York. I’m worried that the sunscreen I put on my skin to help protect me from disease may be causing another one.

I’m most worried though that for as much as I recycle, reduce and reuse, there are 100 more people who just don’t care. There are 1000 more people who don’t realize that for every “modern convenience”, there is a larger eco-ramification. There are a million more people who just can’t afford to buy organic, or don’t know enough to unplug the appliances and they don’t believe that any of this makes a difference.

But I do.

I believe that every step I make towards a “greener” lifestyle is beneficial. I believe that every person I educate about the little things that we can do helps. I believe that we are at a turning point where a lot of people are ready to listen. I believe that a lot of people are ready to take action.

I believe that we are on the verge of a turning point so crucial to our history that we don’t have any other choice than to become eco-friendly.

- Harkins "

" GOING WITHOUT

If you had to do your same job, without computers for a whole week what would happen?

First off, I’d certainly be making more phone calls, probably having more conversations and discussing ideas more. I would definitely be bothering my boss much more than I already do with all the little questions that I usually ask via e-mail.

Interestingly enough I think I would probably be using the same amount of paper – or less because I wouldn’t be printing things out.

I think it would force me to be more creative not only in the way I work but also in my communication with others. I think I’d be more careful about the words I used and think more about what I wanted to say before I said it. I might even be more concise in my conversations because I would know that both our time is even more limited and I can’t bog down my message with all the extra comments.

I think I’d probably be more tired from running around all day, but maybe I would end up feeling more accomplished because I wasn’t sitting at my desk just e-mailing either.

I probably wouldn’t be as current on a lot of news because I usually tend to check nytimes.com or auburnpub.com numerous times daily.

Even though I have a note program on my computer I still write things down a lot now, so that wouldn’t be such an issue. In fact I’d prefer to write than type anyways so that would be a plus.

Truth be told, I’ve never worked without the aid of computers, so all of my assumptions here are really just that, assumptions. Even if our servers are down and I can’t connect to the internet I can still draft e-mails and save them and I can still work on projects on my computer, but that’s still different than not having the computer to rely on at all.

Not only are computers a way of life for the majority of young professionals, they are all we’ve known. While I’d like to think that I could probably get by without mine for a while, I’m sure that I know people who really can’t.

So maybe I’ll try this little experiment sometime, but probably not any time soon. :)

-HARKINS "

" AJ, If you look you will see I said "Some said" not I said. I'm referring to the people from that time frame. They did not see the danger in Hitler and they followed him. The result was the Holocaust.

Simply put "Genius" may not always be good, it might be bad or even in the gray between.

Do you know who J. Robert Oppenheimer was? He was an American theoretical physicist and Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Was he a Genius? Some would say yes, he was also "the father of the atomic bomb". The most destructive weapon man knows today. Was his Genius good or bad? How about the gray area?

I believe Hitler was a monster, the same likes as those of the Islamic extremist terrorist our troops fight today in Iraq and Afghanistan. So does this make Bush a Genius for fighting them? I already know your answer AJ, as a Bush hater, you would never consider Bush a Genius. But, what would you say about FDR or Winston Churchill, were they Genius?

Just remember AJ, the "quote" is only as good as the listeners, who may hear it in many different ways. Obviously you did not hear this quote as I did. Instead you were quick to say I was "insane" because I didn't hear it your way, the "Secular Progressive" way.

So AJ, the insanity you believe is not there, unless your looking in a mirror.


"

" Hillbilly wrote on Apr 8, 2008 5:35 PM:

[Snip]

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
-Arthur Schopenhauer
Some said Hitler was a Genius and no one saw what was coming, the Holocaust!


Now you've really gone off the deep end Hillbilly.

The mere suggestion in any form that Hitler was a genius is absurd, er, maybe even a sign of insanity.

"

" I did enjoy them and here are some responses.

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
-Charles Darwin
"Until he waste the hour playing with his children." -Hillbilly


“Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.”
-Gandhi
Like washing your hands after using the bathroom or voting.


“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”
-Mario Andretti
Ask this of a prison guard in a prison riot or a soldier in a fire fight. I will bet they wish for everything to be going a lot slower.


“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
-Arthur Schopenhauer
Some said Hitler was a Genius and no one saw what was coming, the Holocaust!


“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”
-Will Rogers
What if your wife is the town Gossip?


“It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”
-Mark Twain
He's never had someone cancel on him at the last minute did he?


“Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.”
-Stephen King
Then why did they make the thesaurus?


“Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.”
-Ken Hakuta
He must be describing a Politician.


“The future starts today, not tomorrow.”
-Pope John Paul II
I agree 100%.


“Just because your voice reached halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.”
-Edward R Murrow
He must be talking about the left and right wing nuts and the internet. The sorry thing is many people believe what they read on the posts out there. Scary isn't it.

"Remember, a Quote is only as good as the person making it. Because listeners hear it in many different ways." -Hillbilly
As I have just shown and I am sure many others can add too.

Thanks Harkins, I did enjoy this post. "

" “QUOTE THIS”

I’m not too big on poetry and my reading isn’t as robust or as often as I would like, but one thing that I find fascinating is reading famous quotes. I like them so much that I subscribe to an RSS feed on my google home page to bring me new ones every day. I also had a terrible habit of starting every single research paper, short story, and written assignment with a quotation for the better part of my middle and high school careers. Fortunately I learned how to start a writing assignment without said quotations, but I never lost my fondness for them.

So, in no particular order, here is a short list of some of the quotes that I find most inspiring. Enjoy!

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
-Charles Darwin

“Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.”
-Gandhi

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”
-Mario Andretti

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
-Arthur Schopenhauer

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”
-Will Rogers

“It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”
-Mark Twain

“Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.”
-Stephen King

“Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.”
-Ken Hakuta

“The future starts today, not tomorrow.”
-Pope John Paul II

“Just because your voice reached halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.”
-Edward R Murrow


-Harkins :)
"

" AN ATHLETE

I love to be in the competition, especially to play in the boy’s game and then kick butt. I like running hard and being winded and making a fool out of myself when I go to kick that soccer ball and land on my face instead. I like giving my all plus a little more and then coming home exhausted. And if this all sounds a little self-destructive then you’re right, it kind of is. But you can’t be a team player without giving it your all. And if there is one thing I’ve learned from being in sports is that even though you may come home physically, mentally and emotionally broken the fact that you get up the next day only to do it all over again shows a strength that you never knew you had and that you may just be a little crazy. :)

- Harkins "