Posts Tagged work entertainment

Head in the Clouds

On April 4, 2014 / Thought for the Weekend

For the past few weeks, I’ve had my head in the clouds. We decided to switch our company files from the large, stationary whirring server in our Wilmington, NC headquarters to a cloud-based server. There’s been a lot of hype around cloud computing, and, although I don’t think anyone truly understands it (who can explain how the internet actually works?), we’re all using it. If you’ve accessed your email via Gmail, AOL, or Yahoo, you’ve used the cloud. If you buy stuff from Amazon, you’re purchasing in a cloud. We may not “get it”,

Name That Tune

On March 31, 2014 / Just Another Mary Monday

Last week, I told you about our annual Family Spring Cleaning weekend, but I didn’t tell the whole story. Remember that song “What a Difference a Day Makes…Twenty-Four Little Hours?” Last weekend, it took just eight hours to create a massive transformation around the house. We started at 9am and by 6pm, we had washed the entire house from top to bottom, cleaned out the garage, installed a light over our pool table, changed six exterior flood lights (using an 11′-foot pole extender and a borrowed 30′-foot extension ladder), installed a new bathroom light

Superpowers Activate!

On March 28, 2014 / Thought for the Weekend

“Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a superpower.” This unattributed quote sparked the idea for our 2014 sales presentation. We may not have the ability to predict the future, control the weather, or time travel, but when it comes to rare qualities like common sense, integrity, trustworthiness and clear communication, we believe we qualify for the 3PL Justice League. I took an informal poll, asking a few friends and Matchmaker team members to tell me the superpower they most desire. Some listed the powers mentioned above that would

Confessions of a Clean Freak

On March 24, 2014 / Just Another Mary Monday

Thursday marked the first day of Spring, and as someone who likes to have a clean house, that meant this weekend was devoted to spring cleaning. Spring cleaning at our house is a family affair; everyone has to participate. And this year, some of our major initiatives included washing every surface inside the house, cleaning out the garage, changing all of the flood lights, repainting the porch ceiling, and fixing the porch lights too! When it comes to being a “clean freak”, it’s nice to know that I’m in good company. Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett

Tarheel Born, Tarheel Bred

On March 17, 2014 / Just Another Mary Monday

What do I love best about the arrival of Spring? The warmer weather? The blooming flowers? Truth be told, it’s March Madness that puts that extra little spring in my step. There’s nothing like watching all of the college basketball teams play against one another to determine who is #1. Naturally, this Carolina girl will be rooting for her beloved North Carolina Tar Heels. I’m such a fan, I even have the Tar Heel tattoo (on my foot) to prove it. When you’re born and raised in North Carolina, you’re literally taught to be

Fat Bottomed Girls

On March 10, 2014 / Just Another Mary Monday

Our team has been working on a new marketing campaign that’s big on personality. I can’t wait until the grand reveal. Until then, I’m not at liberty to disclose details, but I will give you a hint: In last week’s marketing meeting the word “butt” came up at least 50 times. As someone with an ample amount of junk in my trunk, I consider myself a bit of an authority on the subject. Sometimes I joke that I maintain a healthy-sized backside so more people can kiss it. Call it what you will —

The Daily Burrito

On March 7, 2014 / Thought for the Weekend

Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. This week, that’s been the rule more often than the exception. Crazy stuff, much of it beyond our control, just kept happening. For instance, one of our drivers slipped on a patch of ice while walking to his truck. He bruised his tailbone severely, which meant no sitting behind the wheel all day for him! Once we confirmed that he would be okay, the scramble was on to cover that load again. Despite careful planning and seemingly brilliant ideas, the “best laid plans” can still go

Me and a Nun on the 8-Ball Run

On March 3, 2014 / Just Another Mary Monday

Imagine this: It’s pool league night. My turn at the table. All of the balls are racked in their classic triangle pattern. I tap the cue in the direction of my first solid ball and send it straight into the pocket. I continue to pocket each ball, on my way to a break and run. Any league player who pockets at least one ball on the break, and then proceeds to pocket all of the remaining balls without the opponent getting a turn at the table receives a special “Break and Run” badge. “I

Snow for Sale

On February 28, 2014 / Thought for the Weekend

The Olympics may be over, but one interesting fact is still at the forefront of my mind. Somewhere in between bob sledding and speed skating, I heard that Sochi is one of the warmest locations ever selected for the winter Olympics. Weird, isn’t it? One doesn’t think of Russia as warm…. In order to be prepared for whatever weather Sochi might experience during the 2014 Games, the organizers saved 450,000 tons of last winter’s snow under specially designed thermal blankets. In other words, the Olympic organizers created the largest “snow warehouse” in the world

Hatin’ on Happy Sticks

On February 24, 2014 / Just Another Mary Monday

I hate the happy sticks. “What are happy sticks?”, you ask. They are the system my youngest son’s teacher has to control her students’ behavior. Each student receives three happy sticks at the beginning of the day. A student who behaves all day keeps all three sticks and earns a “green” score at the end of the day. Each time a student misbehaves, a stick is taken away. Two sticks at the end of the day means “yellow”, one stick means “red.” And no sticks? Well, that means a visit to the Principal’s office.