Is there such thing as a 'new idea'?

I like to think that every once in a while, I have a good idea...or even better, a "new" idea. The more and more we humans socialize online, I'm beginning to the think a "new" idea is almost impossible!

Example: I noticed a woman getting off the elevator in front of me the other day. Nice suit, nice shoes, nice lady. What detracted from the nice suit however, was a little "X" sewn in the slit of her jacket--either she had forgot to snip it off, or she was one of the many who didn't know you were supposed to. (**Ladies and gents, you are, in fact, supposed to cut that off...it's only there to keep the material from folding up and getting wrinkled when it's in the store**)

I had a nice internal chuckle (which I instantly felt guilty about) and wondered if that little "X" was worth writing a blog about. You know, share with the world (or at least my wonderful readers) this little nugget of truth that many retailers forget to mention. As I walked to my car, I tried to mentally work out an opener: "This little "X" may mark the spot...but it doesn't lead to any treasure. It's an indicator that you are fashion clueless--a fashion faux pas some would say equals that of having your skirt tucked into your pantyhose..." or something witty like that.

However, life, as usual, happened and I didn't feel like writing that night and then of course completely forgot about it. That is until, I found myself reading a new blog post from one of my favorite bloggers (and a fabulous person to know): Cupcakes and Shoes, in which she shared this photo:

I seriously almost fell off my chair! I could not believe that there was not one, but at least two (this was a joint effort with Sassy Marmalade) other people out there (and by out there I mean in the DC area) who had been thinking about the very same thing--those naughty little "X"s. Not only had they been thinking about it, they took the conversation to a completely different level and decided to be good fashionsita stewards and develop little cards to help the less fashion-fortunate out. For the record, these ladies are saints for coming up with the idea!

After reflecting on this little happenstance, I started to feel a little sad and disappointed: so much for having any original thoughts or ideas anymore...**sigh**

I decided I was going to write a blog post about how much it sucks to think it's very possible I may never have an original thought again. Then it hit me: why should I get all bent out of shape about the fact that an idea I had (which I remind you, I did nothing about) had surfaced on someone's blog?

It's because of this social technology that I even know there are so many liked-minded, silly people like me, who have something to say...and share. Instead of being sad, I should be glad. Now, I know that Ms. Cupcake, Ms. Marmalade and I have more fun things in common. That thought should be comforting, not alarming.

Today, I say the hell with new ideas. Find comfort in old ones and instead of a new idea, you may just find a new friend...and who doesn't need one of those now and again?

My Discovery of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (reposted)

Wrote my first blog post for work last week and it went live today. Shared my personal experience with a concussion, also known as traumatic brain injury, hoping to inspire others to either share their stories or talk to someone if they find themselves in a similar situation.

I decided to repost here for a chance to get feedback on the post...so, tell me what you think!

A few things...

A lot of things have happened this week that I've wanted to write about, but sadly I haven't had the time. So, I figured at the very least, I could share a quick list now and maybe go deeper a little later.

On My Mind:

Technology Rocks!
I'm on a mission to get the most out of my electronic devices and the awesome technology available. One BIG win this week was the purchase of an AV composite cable that allows me to hook my iPhone or iPod up to the DVD player in the car...or a TV, stereo, portable DVD player, etc. I can now play movies or music from iTunes, watch videos from YouTube and stream Netflix. So awesome! This is a great companion to my recent AppleTV purchase.

Delta Debacle
Another awful incident of an airline (Delta) charging service members (who were on their way home from deployment) fees for extra bags. Shame, shame Delta. Thankfully, because of the power of social media and customer voice (infused with a healthy dose of patriotism) the airline quickly released a statement announcing a change in policy and offered apologies. While it's disgraceful that it happened in the first place, I applaud Delta for their quick response.


Family Routine Re-Org
In an effort to make sure the Marsh family is functioning at optimum speed, our routine needs a makeover. This also includes some household reorganization (home office, school stuff, art supplies, etc.) and restructuring (clear roles and responsibilities--I make sure bills are paid, hubby makes sure gas is in the cars, etc.)...and I'm open to any tips or resources to help ensure success! I've done a little research for online organizers/calendars and have found a few but I don't feel drawn to any just yet. When I find a keeper, I'll share.

Of course there are a ton of other things floating around my head (at least ten at any given moment) so I'll be sure to share more later.

Wait! 
One more thing to share. I just learned about a 15-year-old girl in England who has terminal cancer. She has come up with a bucket list and is blogging her way through it. Sad, yet touching story. What a great thing for her family to have and to be reminded by the many lives little Alice touched!

Food funk

I'm no Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray or Paula Deen, but I do love to cook, and even more, I love to eat. I'm not too picky (not a big seafood fan though) and enjoy trying new dishes. I've been told I'm a pretty good cook too...I only wish my family would be more excited about that.

The thing is, my kiddos are picky and my hubby has "plain" taste and enjoys way too many condiments (I made the mistake of saying he had trailer park taste buds ONE time because of the sheer amount of ketchup he goes through and I've never heard the end of it!) Up until recently, I chose to look at our differences as a challenge, one that always kept me on the look out for new recipes that would hopefully become a new family fave. My optimism has faded.

Today I have come to the conclusion that I'm in a food funk. I have been in denial (for at least the past year) telling myself it's a phase and we're just still adjusting to our new hectic lifestyle. I have said the following more than I'd care to admit:

• It was a long day at work and I'm tired.
• I don't feel like arguing with the kids about the need for them to try new things. 
• I can't bear to hear "I'm not eating that!" one more time this week. 
• Sure...we can have cereal for dinner.
• I don't know what to cook.
• I don't know what I want to eat.
• Nothing sounds good.

I've blamed my lack of creativity on a slough of reasons, but the fact is, I'm uninspired and tired of the fight. I'm like a zombie in the kitchen these days.

My dinner repertoire has diminished to five or so meals: baked chicken nuggets and fries; noodles with butter and a veggie/fruit on the side; breakfast for dinner; hot dogs (for Thing One) and grilled cheese (for Thing Two); pizza (hubby's fave). Our menu needs an overhaul and stat.

Is it possible for taste buds to atrophy?

I'm waving my white flag. Is there a support group or 10-step program for this? Is there a hotline I can call?

I need a food intervention.

I *heart* technology!

OK, so I splurged today and used my allowance to buy a new gadget...an Apple TV! I'm super excited about it. Netflix, cheap iTunes movies, and burned copies of old DVDs...oh my!

 
I swear my geekiness never ceases to amaze me. We totally have a role-reversal thing happening in our family--I'm the gadget nut, not my hubby.

Truth be told, I'm a sucker for anything with an apple on it! This post isn't meant to be a complete endorsement for Mac, but I honestly haven't been happier with all of our products. The only thing missing from my collection is an iPad. I do have a birthday coming up, so maybe I'll super luck out and get one for a gift...hint, hint adoring friends and family members! :-)


Because I'd like to post an update from time to time about my opinion on my purchase, let me give some background--the reason I thought this purchase was a smart decision. So, I found myself in need of the first and third Harry Potter movie the other day (kiddos are now getting more interested). I popped into BestBuy to pick them up on blu-ray and before I knew it, I had spent +$30. At first I didn't think too much about it, the average price for movies, right? And yet, I had a lingering feeling like somehow I was being robbed...mainly because I knew that at any given moment my lovely children would scratch, muck up, or lose the newly purchased movies (which I hoped would be the start of a collection) and that they were yet another purchase that might as well have wings and a dollar bill symbol stamped on them.

Once home, I decided to do a quick search online to see if I spent too much money on the movies, and low and behold, iTunes was offering a special for the first in the Harry Potter series...$4.99 to OWN. Wait a minute, that's $10 cheaper AND I don't have to worry about a loose disc to keep from getting scratched. Hmmm...so, how do I make this work for us?

I honestly can't say how I happened upon reviews and discussion about Apple TV (which is something I had in fact considered before), but there I was, reading about the convenient little black box, literally not much bigger than my palm.

From what I can tell, this is a total win. For less than $100 (and the only wires include a HDMI and power cable) I can connect to Netflix, YouTube, iTunes (which of course includes all the movies and music I have stored on my computer in my iTunes library) and a variety of other online resources...it's portable, small, simple (it was so easy to set up) and has a really sleek remote...what could be better?

So, I promise to keep you all updated about my latest purchase...share with you pros and cons, if there are any cons.

My goal is to save money and leave less of an ecological imprint (NO discs...yay!) because of our movie-loving tendencies...all while feeding this family's indescribable, and often unquenchable, desire for digital entertainment.

Wish us luck!