Tag: humor

Blogging

Did You Know I Write For You?

Go Jules Go

Yesterday, the panic settled in – that WordPressurey feeling that’s become all too familiar: Oh god I’m so behind on reading blogs, people are going to think I don’t care about them, and why can’t I find my dashboard, and why is my comments widget missing, and WHAT AM I GOING TO WRITE ABOUT NEXT?

And that’s when I read one of my favorite blogs, She’s A Maineiac. Suddenly all was right in the world. Darla had posed a series of hilarious and compelling questions to bloggers.

I’d found my next blog post. Warning: We’re about to go deep.

Thanks, DP!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Why in the hell do you blog?

I believe in taking baby steps, to JUST KEEP GOING, in order to survive and thrive creatively, and blogging has been the perfect medium for that approach. It’s manageable, yet lets me push myself.

Like this happened.
On the set of the “My Parents Are Crazier Than Yours” pilot webisode shoot, Oct 2012.
He loves peppers and I love...blogging.
Have you heard? He loves peppers.

How did you discover blogging? What was your initial impression? 

Husband #1, Peppermeister, has a blog and urged me to start my own. My degree is in Creative Writing, but I’d let writing slip for many years.

My first impression was, “Um, hello? Anyone out there? Can you please tell me what HTML is?”

Were you shy and withdrawn as a child or gregarious?

A little of both. Still am. In social situations, if I’m with someone shy, I’ll step up to the plate and carry the conversation; if I’m surrounded by extroverts, I’ll take a back seat. I cater to others to distract myself from my own insecurities; it’s exhausting, actually.

How close is your ‘blogging’ persona to the real you? 

I think Rache (Rachel's Table) was really disappointed.
With Rache (Rachel’s Table) in Nov 2012. What was that about shyness?

Oh gawd. I get so nervous when I meet other bloggers in person; I worry they’ll be disappointed with the gal behind the ‘stache glasses. Nevertheless, this blog helped me find my voice, and sometimes I think it’s the most genuine representation of me.

How has blogging changed you or your life?

It’s given me creative momentum, which is huge, but what’s life-changing? The connections I’ve made with fellow bloggers. They inspire me every day – this post is a perfect example.

Do you consider yourself to be a ‘writer’? 

It took a long, long time; I’ve been writing since I was a kid. One day in my mid-20s, it just clicked: I write, therefore I am a writer.

Do you prefer to write, then edit, edit, edit or just throw up on a page and be done with it?

I’ve never written a post without tweaking it at least 10 times. Usually more. Some of it has to do with the visual component – that’s very important to me. I’m still wondering about the text format I chose for these questions!

How confident are you after you hit that dreaded ‘publish’ button? 

I’ve gotten better at letting it go, in part because I can count on such a supportive blogging community. But when I share something personal, or spend another 20 hours making a video, believe me – I’m holding my breath!

Jules-Reated-PG13Have you ever regretted something you’ve written?

I really regret wearing that red shirt in my ‘200th post’ video blog – does that count?

Have you ever been 100% satisfied with something you’ve written?

Yes. Once:

Slide3
The Byronic Man and me. It was his birthday. It was special.

Do you view your writing as good, bad, so-so, or ‘eh, you really don’t care’? Do you ever look back at a post and cringe?

I think my writing has improved VASTLY since I started this blog, but there’s plenty of room for improvement, and there always will be. And YES, some of my old posts make me cringe (note how I’m not linking back to any here)!

When you write, do you have a certain audience in mind, or do you just go with your gut and let the words spew forth without a care who would like it or not? In other words, do you censor yourself at all?

Darla and I actually talked about this last week during one of our marathon phone chats. We agreed blogging [for us] has evolved to where we write with a specific audience in mind – regular readers that we like to tease or make laugh.

I know everyone says write for yourself, but I did that for years, and let me tell you: It’s way, way more fun to write for your friends – yeah, I mean you!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Aren’t these questions fantastic? If you haven’t already, please go check out the source post on She’s A Maineiac – I encourage you to answer them, too!

~*~*~*~*~*~

And the random winner of the 2nd blogoversary ‘stache glasses is… Susie Lindau! She was the 41st commenter (not counting my comment replies)!

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Blogging, Everyone Loves a Braggart...Right?, Giveaway Junkie, I'm Going To Chop My Ear Off Any Day Now, Vlogalicious

It’s My Second Blogoversary!!!

Go Jules Go

You heard me.

Today is my 2-Year blogoversary!!!

Now enough with the words and the reading and stuff.

I love you, Chipmunks. Thanks for somehow making year #2 even more awesome than the last.

Bloggers: Do you have a favorite blogging moment (either here or on your own blog)? Bloggers / All: Anything you’d like to see more of on Go Jules Go in the next year?

To help us celebrate this most chipmunkiest of occasions, I’ll randomly choose one commenter to win a pair of ‘stache glasses!

Just For Fun

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words…OR A SHEET SET!

Go Jules Go

Friends are great.

They laugh at your jokes, celebrate your alcoholism, listen to your white girl problems…

…ENTER YOUR AMAZING BLOGGY SHEET SET GIVEAWAY CONTEST BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT(!!!)…

…And sometimes?

Sometimes when you’re all dried up, fingers cramped and bent from making one too many bacon ornaments, friends write your blog posts for you.

With just one picture.

One of my chipmunkiest friends, Mary (a.k.a. M-Dazzle), just sent me this photo of her husband’s office.

His door is on the right.

Bosco, you do me proud.

Boscos-office

Any wacky work shenanigans happening for the holidays with you Chipmunks?

Blogging, Project Management

I Would Do Anything For Blog Love (But I Won’t Do That)

Go Jules Go

Yesterday, Chipmunks, I could have struck bloggy gold.

My department held another all-day staff meeting. This meant not one, not two, but three “ice-breakers.”

The “Minute to Win It” team-building exercise back in May was such a smash hit, they put a Part 2 on the books.

For those of you not still losing sleep over the story, let me refresh your memory:

COME ON, JULES. Get the penne on the spaghetti or WE ALL LOSE.
COME ON, JULES. Get the penne on the spaghetti or WE ALL LOSE.

So, you see, I had to ask myself a very important question: Would attending the meeting be worth the follow-up post potential?

It didn’t take long to answer that question.

I Would Do Anything For BLog Love (But I Won’t Do That)

  1. Engage in any sort of therapy-inducing torture, including, but not limited to: team-building exercises, Bikram a.k.a. hot yoga (sorry, JM), Magic Mike Citizen Kane viewings, and sober anything.
  2. Accept guest posts from advertisers. I will, however, continue to hope that the makers of Pipe Palz, glass smoking pipes with mustaches, follow through on their offer.
  3. Review reading glasses for a free sample. (Contact me again in another two years when my eyesight is completely shot from checking my blog Stats page every seven seconds.)
  4. Remember to pass along the blogging awards that readers so kindly bestow upon me. I am genuinely thankful. Will you please accept my apology and this picture of Uncle Jesse as a token of my affection?Uncle-Jesse-pillowcases
  5. Plug the living shiz out of my own contest. Just kidding. I will totally do that. COME ON, GUYS! It’s the best thing I’VE EVER DONE. And it’s for a good cause you might get to make-out with The Byronic Man.

Bloggers: Where do you draw the line? Blog Readers / All: What really turns you off about a blog?

Giveaway Junkie, Vlogalicious

Holy Sheet: A Holiday Giveaway!

Go Jules Go

What can we say? Sometimes there are bloggy collaborations (Exhibit A and Exhibit B) too magical to let go not to exploit in the name of holiday fun.

And you’ve GOTTA check out The Byronic Man’s corresponding video blog! Especially because he actually knows what he’s doing when it comes to vlogging. Isn’t he the cat’s pajamas sheet set?

The Rules

Make a card depicting what the holidays really mean to you. You know, the…less-than-pleasant moments or traditions that signal ’tis the season. Maybe it’s hiding in the closet with peppermint schnapps, or your uncle’s drunken conspiracy theories. You tell us.

Use any format you please: a picture, a video, a blog post or drawing. We’ll even consider especially descriptive comments. If you do a blog post, we’ll Tweet it and/or link back on our blogs.

What I’m trying to say is: If your card makes people uncomfortable, you’re probably on the right track.

Submit your entries to Julie.Davidoski@yahoo.com and byronicmanblog@gmail.com.

The Prize

You guessed it – a Go Jules Go or The Byronic Man sheet set! The perfect gift to yourself this holiday season! One size fits all […queen beds]!

Pillowcases-Instagram

The Byronic Man and I will each pick one favorite and award that winner with our sheet set.

We’ll also make a Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund donation in the winners’ names.

The Deadline

Wednesday, December 19th, 12 MIDNIGHT PST.

We’ll announce the two winners on Friday, December 21st, 6am EST.

Seasons-Sheetings-2012-FINAL

I'm Going To Chop My Ear Off Any Day Now, Vlogalicious

The (Power)Point Is… It’s Easy To Humiliate Your Friends

Go Jules Go

Chipmunks, I’ve never been one to hoard knowledge.

Especially when said knowledge can lead to embarrassment and/or blackmail and/or smugness.

Therefore, I give to you the following:

Any PowerPoint questions for me (or any tips to share?)? No? Any cross-dressing questions for The Byronic (Wo)Man? Don’t be shy.

Project Management, Wipe the Drool

So I Work at a Strip Club Now

Go Jules Go

Yesterday was an interesting day at work.

Let’s just say my job makes me die a little inside.

Which is not something I usually get to say. Trust me. I work as a project manager for a pharmaceutical company.

Still dying over here.

Monday traffic and meeting madness aside, things were looking pretty perky by 9am. Because by 9am, I was staring at someone’s boobs.

Let me back that thing up.

I was meeting a brand spanking (ahem) new colleague to explain how great the department was, what kinds of things she could work on, and the dress code what to expect in the coming months.

The woman was in her 30s, attractive and friendly. The conversation started in the usual way: “How long were you without power [because of Hurricane Sandy]?”

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something unusual. Something not quite right. No, no, it can’t be, I thought to myself. I let my eyes dart down.

Yup. Yup. Oh my god. Black. Lace. Push-up bra. Cleavage many would pay to see. I felt my ears turn as crimson as her blouse. Of all the buttons to pop when she sat down…

I’m sorry. This is the best I could do. This is a family blog.

I had known this woman for five minutes. How could I tell her we’d already taken things to the next level? But could I make it through the rest of the meeting without saying something, and then hope she’d use the restroom? No, that was just cruel.

“I’m sorry I’d want someone to say something if it was me,” I blurted in one breath, “I think one of your buttons came undone.”

“Oh no, it’s just this shirt,” she said, swinging the droopy silk collar that dangled over her va-va-voom.

I said nothing and waited for her to look down.

“Oh jeez,” she cringed once she realized what I talking about, and quickly fastened the rogue button. She thanked me for telling her and carried on with her earlier point.

Just like that. I had to give her credit. A little while later, she bid goodbye,

“I’m off to meet with [Mr. Big Boss] now.”

“Great – it was wonderful meeting you!” I replied smoothly, wondering how disappointed the Big Boss would have been if he’d known what he missed out on.

Later that morning, I had time to giggle reflect. I gasped, remembering: This wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone’s bra at work!

My very first year on the job, a middle-aged woman I’d only just met grabbed me and pulled me into the ladies room.

“I need help! My bra!” she whispered, eyes wild.

I watched, stunned, as she freed one arm from her forest green turtleneck. I tried to figure out what was going on. Everything seemed normal. Except for all the parts that were totally fudged up.

I soon realized what she needed me to do. I reached down her shirt, grazing her moist, freckled back, fished out the dangling shoulder strap and re-hooked it to the front of her bra.

I left the bathroom in a daze. Twitter didn’t exist yet, so I saved the story for my sister-in-law-slash-coworker, who still fondly recalls Bra Lady.

You probably think this is the end of it. Oh-ho no. Peppermeister (Husband #1) read this draft post and reminded me of the crème de la crème.

A couple years ago, a coworker in her mid-30s returned from vacation in the Bahamas, eager to show me pictures from her trip. Call me crazy, but I’ve always been fond of vacation photos. Anything to escape the drab, gray cubicle walls.

I walked over to her desk and she pulled out a manila envelope.

“I hired someone to take these pictures while we were there,” she said, shy yet excited. “He said I could be a model.”

Each 8 x 10 photo featured her bikini-clad bod on the beach.

“You look amazing!” I gushed, admiring her toned figure.

She looked up and down the hall and then whispered, “I have to be careful about some of these.”

She flipped to the next few photographs.

And there she was.

Topless.

It’s been two years, and I still don’t have the words.

Anyway. Today I’m bringing a wallet full of singles to work. Just in case.

Crap. Now I’ve gotta stop at the bank. This is New Jersey. I can’t even get gas.

Have you ever felt like a boob at work? Any good wardrobe malfunction stories?

***Hurricane Sandy Update: We finally got power back on Sunday night! My mood’s as boosted my coworkers’ chests! Thank you again for all of your well wishes! …Annnnd just kidding. Power went out again at 5am today (Tuesday).***

Blogging

Behind-the-Scenes: My Parents Are Crazier Than Yours!

Go Jules Go

When I heard Marlene (“Myra”) Rhein from My Parents Are Crazier Than Yours (MPACTY) was turning her blog into a web series, I knew I needed to get involved. Stat.

I emailed Marlene on the off-chance she’d need volunteers during filming. Though hers was one of the first blogs I followed, we’d never corresponded outside of her blog. I tried to sell myself.

I may have used bullet points. And mentioned my days with Dawson’s Creek.

After all, Marlene’s directed music videos for the likes of Amy Winehouse and Tupac.

To my delight, she took me up on the offer, and for two days in October, I got to call myself a Production Assistant. Shortly before the shoot, Marlene sent the script for the pilot episode. Reading it, I got chills.

For those of you unfamiliar with MPACTY, Marlene lost her job a while ago and had to move back in with -you guessed it- her parents. At 40. Feeling hopeless, she turned to blogging, and captivated readers with hilariously horrifying tales of her misfortune.

Her pilot webisode takes us back to where it all started.

Mom? Dad? …F my life.

My main job was handling the canine talent, “Vito.”

Score.

The days were very long, took us all over Manhattan and to Long Island, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The whole crew was lovely and beyond professional.

Right now they’re in the editing stage, but it’ll take some doing to get the webisode out for public consumption. If you’d like to help fund the project, you can buy one of these rad t-shirts:

Thanks, Marlene, for letting me crash the set. I’m happy to say I not only had the experience of a lifetime, but meeting you once again proved that bloggy friends are some of the best you can make.

If you could work with any actor or director, who would it be and why?

***Hurricane Sandy update: I still don’t have power, but have taken refuge at my parents’ house, and they finally have internet! Thank baby chipmunks. And thank you for all of your well wishes.***

Giveaway Junkie

“Hold Onto Your Hats” Halloween Contest: The Entrants!

Go Jules Go

Well, by the time you’re reading this, I may be under water and/or without power thanks to Hurricane Sandy, but luckily, your favorite project manager planned ahead!

A BIG thank you to the below “Hold Onto Your Hats” contest entrants – you just really get it, don’t you? I’ll announce the winner and runner-up at 6am EST on Halloween (Wednesday, October 31st), as planned!

Click on any of the pictures to access the entrant’s blog page. (Yeah. That’s right. We’re fancy at Go Jules Go. Wait’ll you see Wednesday’s post.) Listed in the order in which they were received:

Thanks again, Chipmunks! Stay safe out there – and by that I mean, let someone else check your candy for razor blades. You don’t have time for that. You’ve got blogs to read.

Giveaway Junkie

Halloween Contest Deadline EXTENDED: Oct 27th!

Go Jules Go
I’m ready. I’m so ready.

**The blonde strikes again. The deadline is midnight EST on SATURDAY, OCT 27th. Trying to give folks some weekend time!** 

Oh my. I haven’t seen too many Halloween Contest entries yet, but I’m sure it’s not because you doubt my gourd-cutting prowess. I think all of us Chipmunks are going a little… No. No. No, I’m not going to say nuts.

I am above such feeble puns.

But I am not above this.

And you deserve better.

You deserve, say, a custom jack-o-lantern from your pal Jules! And a pair of Sun-Staches mustache glasses! Yeah!

You can win exactly that if you enter Hold Onto Your Hats: My Halloween Contest!

All ya gotta do is send me a hat picture. If the rules were unclear, I apologize. You can design the hat or use a wacky one you already have.

The pumpkin I carved for last year’s winner (Deb Bryan a.k.a. The Monster in Your Closet). No…it’s not giving the middle finger. We’ve been through this.

If you want to stay anonymous, you can put the hat on a pet or stuffed animal, or I will gladly superimpose a head of your my choosing onto the picture before posting it.

Submit your pictures via email, Twitter, or your blog (just be sure to let me know you’ve done so).

DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT EST Saturday, OCTOBER 27, 2012.

P.S. – I love you so much. If you were a candy bar, you’d be king size and all those crappy little fun size bars would hate you. And you’d be nutty, of course. …Dammit.