It's time to CHARGE DOWN THE STEPS

UC Bearcat Bands at their last marching performance:
December 31, 2011 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee!

You don't want to be late!  Make sure you get to your seats at least 20 minutes before the start of the game so you can see the UC Bearcat Bands CHARGE DOWN THE STADIUM STEPS!!!

For all my Bearcat fans out there, you know what this means!  Today is the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Football opening game and the Bearcat Bands are a huge part of gameday traditions!!!!  All this said, it means I have the pleasure of resuming to my post as the Bearcat Bands Videographer, complete with my season press-box credentials for Nippert Stadium :)

I am a very lucky person to get to work with the awesome people that I get to see each time I help out with the UC Bearcat Bands.  It is an organization that I loved being a part of for the four years I was on the field, and I love that I have been able to continue working with the organization in another role that better suits my skills.  If you're lucky, I might have another band video update soon!

If you want to check out some awesome updates about the band, please visit the UC Bearcat Bands website or the UC Drum Major Society Blog.

How I Saved 30% with Snapshot

You may remember way back to the end of March when I found out how much I was going to save as my preliminary discount with Progressive for participation in the Snapshot Driving Discount program.

No?  Well, fear not, for I have the hyperlink here: <http://hardinln.blogspot.com/2012/03/30-discount-yes-please.html>

The little device was kept in my car for a total of 5 months.  I recently mailed it back and was awarded the full 30% savings on my Progressive car insurance plan based on my driving habits.  This is a savings that I will get to keep as long as I choose Progressive as my insurer!  The grading rubric, as you could call it, is a savings based on how much I drive (miles), when I drive (time of day), and how aggressive I drive (i.e. hard breaking: a decrease of at least 7 mph per second).

This is a sample of what I saw online.  It defined the areas of
judgement regarding my driving, as well as updating me daily
regarding my mileage and number of hard breaks, which made it
easy for me to mentally keep track of my driving habits. 

Before I signed up for the discount, I read about other people's not so positive experiences posted on other blogs.  I don't know all the details about how they drive, but I do know that I signed up anyway because of how little I drive.  I live in an urban environment and I walk to work almost every day.  I bought my car at the end of September last year and have yet to drive 4,500 miles.  My car will last forever at this rate!

You can ask my friends about my experience though, and they will tell you the only reason I stuck it out was because of the possibility of saving money.  I don't have the greatest driving record...so with two tickets and an at fault accident, this means that my 30% savings was almost $300 for a 6 month plan!  However, knowing that someone would be judging my potential discount based on the little info the device sent to Progressive made me a very paranoid driver.  I avoided driving at almost all costs and was very extremely passive when I did drive.

Overall, all frustrations put aside, it was well worth my energy to have participated in Progressive's Snapshot driving discount, because I will save $600 this year alone!

One reason I love going Home...

...is Maggie.

This little girl thinks she is a Queen.  She is in the exact same spot on my bed as when we left two hours ago.  And if the food in her dish isn't up to her standards, she will sit next to it until someone puts some fresher food out for her.  Like I said, Miss Maggie is a Queen!

I know it is Friday, but...

I have decided that Wednesday is seriously the best day ever to have a birthday.  Seriously.

I have always thought that my birthday fell at the perfect time of a month: the end.  This way I had the whole month to get excited for and to look forward to my special day!  Well, this year it also happened to fall on a Wednesday.

My delicious Oreo®  Dream Extreme Cheesecake!

Because Wednesday is the hump day between two weekends, I started early on Sunday by visiting with my little and grand-little (whom calls me grandma-LOL) at our favorite place, the Cheesecake Factory.  I had my leftover sandwitch for breakfast on Tuesday and my delicious leftover Oreo® Dream Extreme Cheesecake for my birthday breakfast--breakfast of champions! Right?



Monday I again dined out.  I partook in Longhorn's succulent bacon covered steak with a loaded baked potato and a brownie ice cream sundae for dessert!  It was a tiny bit healthy.  I started with a salad and had plenty to take home!

By Tuesday, you can probably tell I had a few leftovers in the fridge!  I ate my leftover steak and potatoes for dinner.  It was just as good reheated!  And then I enjoyed the company of a good friend as we went out for UDF deep freezes.

Happy Wednesday was the best day I could have asked for!  I had cheesecake for breakfast, my co-workers brought me cupcakes at lunch, I had an ice-cream sunday at I-Hop (where I was also sung to for the first time in a restaurant and used my first of several birthday email coupon offers!), and was surprised (after a 20 minute car ride filled with 'maybe' as the answer to each and every one of my questions about where and what we were doing) with a M&M Ice cream log cake by Dairy Queen!  And I got to keep the leftovers!

My Godiva birthday truffles, Maggiano's full size
entrees to go, and Tiramisu for the road!

But since I-Hop had not been my first choice in birthday dinner (I got off work late on Wednesday and didn't feel like getting dressed up for a nice dinner), I was able to have a rain check for Maggianos for today!  I had cheese ravioli, spinach bacon salad, and tiramisu! And the best part about our trip to Maggianos isn't the birthday coupon, is the complementary full size entrees to go!

And to top off a week filled with great food, I used my birthday coupon to Godiva to buy truffles!  I got one free truffle as a monthly reason to visit, and ten dollars off any purchase of ten dollars or more.  All in all, I walked out with 7 super yummy looking truffles for $3.60!!!!

Whomever said the last fun birthday is '21' clearly has not met my friends, family, or email birthday discount offers.  My 24 has probably been the best birthday yet AND I still have a weekend with my parents and sister to look forward to, AND a trip to pick out my birthday present with my significant other!  (Sperrys to replace my hole filled moccasins!)


What has your best ever birthday been?                                       

Welp ... It's been a while...right?

Monday marked the official seven month-aversary from graduation!  yay?

But of course on Monday I let the last seven months of job rejection and negativity get the best of me.  Let's just say I haven't been helping myself create worthwhile memories as of late.  The Simpsons and books from the BF's Mom's bookshelf are great and all, but lets get honest--they can't help me solve my job woes.

I have ended my streak of 'every job interview I've ever had ends in a 'you are hired' invitation' streak.  Actually, instead of 'ended,' demolished or decimated may be better choice word.  Let's just say that being a 'student' was the best job reference and excuse for lack of experience I could ever use for shelter.

I am not a student anymore though and I need to figure out how to make a success of myself without the shelter of school above my head.  This is me picking myself up.  I know I have potential with what I spent the past five years wanting to do, but I need to figure out how to turn the potential into something more.

I have a few idea paths in mind for exploration and a few people to talk them over with.  I need your suggestions, your support, and your help.  I don't like asking for help because it implies a sense of weakness, but this is me asking because I want to meet the next phase of my life from a better place than I am in today.  And please, if you have a suggestion, please let me know!  Thanks!