Bait, Tackle, Ice, Advice and Beer Blog » Erin Albano

Life Needs Music

Erin Albano — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Remember that game, Desert Island. Someone asks you what are 3 things you would bring with you if you were stranded on a desert island the rest of your life…well the usually response is a family member or best friend, a cell phone, or a favorite food. One thing that I rarely have ever heard anyone say is some form of music or way to play music. (Maybe a guitar is mentioned every once in a while) Even I am guilty of forgetting to include that topic in my response but now that I have realized it, I will be sure to include it next time I am confronted with that query.

A life without music would be boring and uninspired. I can’t go a day without jamming to some tunes, whether it be online, radio, ipod, CD (yes I actually prefer CDs still, especially the mystery burned ones that you haven’t listened to in some time) etc…but I have to be listening to it wherever I am. Its the first thing I do when I get to the office, home, or in and out of the car. I am never not without music. I just can’t do it, it makes everything better and more enjoyable. (car rides, long walks, exercise, cleaning, painting, conversation starter or doing nothing at all) I leave it playing in my room, so whenever I do run in and out, its always there welcoming me. I like to believe that when you surround your life with music, you are happier and in my case, more care-free. (great stress-releaser)

For me, there is nothing music can’t solve or at least help with:

Bad day? pick an upbeat song to get you out of the funk, or maybe an angry song to belt out and relieve those frustrations (it works, trust me).

Trouble sleeping? light melodies with surely close those eyes.

Bored? Dance tunes! Who cares who sees!

Last friday Catch Your Limit had their Happy Hour, this one included a Jam session. Tom, Michela, and Brock showcased their unbelievable talents by singing, strumming, and plucking away on their guitars. Watching others create music, I become envious and mad that I never picked up an instrument as a child. I know its never too late to learn, look at Michela, she just recently learned to play the guitar and is doing great. Banjo is what I would want to conquer — I mean c’mon how cool is the banjo!! But even though I can’t play anything (currently) just listening and watching others produce these fun and spontaneous melodies is so engaging and inspiring.

Best thing about it, music isn’t going anywhere and there is an endless amount to explore and learn about other eras, cultures, and uses. So I suggest you turn on that favorite song, belt it out, perhaps grab a friend and get up and dance, life is made to have a soundtrack.

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Happy Hour Success!

Erin Albano — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:45:00 +0000

Thank goodness for great team members and planning! This past week Catch Your Limit celebrated our February Happy Hour event with a lovely Wine Tasting and “hopeful” cheese fondue. Michela and I had thought of the idea mid January to throw a wine tasting for February, to mix it up a bit and draw in the crowd. We were both so excited for this delicious festivity and made sure we found a date that worked with everyone’s schedule in the office. Perfect, the 19th! Everyone will be there. I made up the plan with ideas/strategies, deadlines for invites, when and what supplies to grab, making sure everything was mapped out so my first official HH would run smoothly.

…Well everything was set until Wednesday evening when I began feeling a bit ill. I’m rarely sick so I didn’t think anything of it and just got to bed early that night. Little did I know I wouldn’t be getting out of bed the next day and a half. First thing I thought of was Happy Hour, what do I do? I have been in charge of this all month and the moment it arrives, I can’t pull through? This is just perfect timing!

Luckily, my pre-written lists and plan were available to the team on my computer, who were then able to go out and pick everything up and SAVE HAPPY HOUR!! Everyone said it went over really well and they had a great time. I am very appreciative for the teamwork here. It just shows that when there is a plan and things are easily mapped out and everyone is willing to work together you can successfully accomplish your goals even when life tosses you a curve ball!

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Collaborate and Learn

Erin Albano — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:47:00 +0000

In sort of a sequel to Michela’s last blog, I was thinking about the generation discussion and I believe that having multiple generations in the workplace is very beneficial. It also can be catastrophic if everyone is too stubborn in their own ways but that comes with anything you do. When you have a variety of generations and experience in the workplace you can accomplish so much more. Gen-Y’s are obviously considered more “techy” but can sometimes lack in the knowledge of traditional methods that are still being implemented in the company today. Sometimes old fashion methods just work better for certain people/companies, so Gen-Ys should keep that in mind and think of it as a learning experience instead of a waste of time. It works both ways though. The Baby Boomers or Gen-X running the company obviously know whats working but a lot of the times a Gen-Y may notice a way to be more productive and save time, energy, &/or resources. I believe you can never learn too much, even if you consider it useless, outdated, or maybe too advanced, there was or will be a time and place when that information was or will be valuable. Just knowing a little more then, say, a competitor, may give you that edge up you need. And that last point I find extremely important when several Gens are collaborating, the fact that everyone is learning how to communicate. There will never be a time when only ONE generation exists (at least lets hope not). Through out life we are constantly thrown in situations when we have an encounter with with a different generation than ourselves. (clients, shopping, waiters, hotel managers, etc) Already having the experience of working with other generations, knowing their likes, dislikes, interests will benefit you in the long run. So before you pop up your blinders on what the “crazy ipod kids” or “the outdated folks” have to say, try and keep an open mind, you never know what you may pick up.

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Wave Hello to GOOGLE WAVE

Erin Albano — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Google Wave: Love it or Hate it?

This week I have had the opportunity (along with Scott and Michela) to play around with Google Wave, Google’s new real time communication system. It’s self-described as a “personal communication and collaboration tool”. I have personally heard a lot of buzz surrounding it but hadn’t gotten the all inclusive invite to try it out, so when Michela threw one in my direction I was really excited to see what all the hype &/or criticism was about. It was a little overwhelming at first, as anything is for the first time, but there are videos embedded in your first “welcome wave” that can help get you started. When you create a wave with someone, it allows you to see exactly what they are typing as they type it, which I though was pretty cool and would be a great tool to utilize in group projects or meetings. I have had a lot of fun with the Sudoku extension which allows you to compete with other Wavers and rack up points. (Though some just like playing by themselves and getting 400 pts and think they are really cool for it-Scott!) There are a few drawbacks, everyone not having access to it isn’t as fun but with more and more joining each day I think there is a lot of potential for it to be a great communication tool. There are a lot of negative opinions too, saying it’s a fad (like they said about Twitter-which is still going strong by the way) or its the same as Google Talk, etc…I disagree and think that in time, once we all figure out all the ins and outs of “waving” or “blips” the world will be a better place-ok maybe not but we will have a really cool new feature to communicate with others on!

HAPPY WAVING!

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Turkey Catches Of the Week! Gobble Gobble!

Erin Albano — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:06:00 +0000

1. Research finds leadership skills inadequate to meet current and future demand

2. Want to Move Up? Learn to Manage Like a CEO

3. What It Takes to Lead Now

4. The Innovator’s Vulnerability

5.Why Don’t All Entrepreneurs Write Business Plans?

Thanksgiving is next week and those who will be gathering around the table here are some facts to impress your fellow eaters:

91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.
Wild turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
It was not until 1941, that congress declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It was declared to be the fourth Thursday in November.
Here’s one of those funny Thanksgiving facts: Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
Here’s one of the most unbelievable Thanksgivng facts: The Guinness Book of Records states that the greatest dressed weight recorded for a turkey is 39.09 kg (86 lbs), at the annual “heaviest turkey” competition held in London, England on December 12, 1989.
Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated

Have a FUNtastical weekend!

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

No Need to Stress the Holidays are Here!

Erin Albano — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:24:00 +0000

It’s that time of year again…break out the holiday music, decorations, old family recipes and get ready for your stress levels to hit the roof. Why is the most wonderful time of the year have to be accompanied with unwanted stress? All we really want to do is just enjoy the time off with our families and friends. So why don’t we? Especially while everyone is dealing with the difficult times, this is when we need to focus on appreciation and the support of what we already have instead of focusing on material possessions so much.

A good thing to do would be to go into the season realistically thinking that not every single thing will go as planned. That way when something doesn’t go down just perfectly right we don’t freak out on what to do or how to fix it. Stress is usually circling around family gatherings, ready to dive down and swoop you up. But anticipating that something will go haywire during family gatherings is not a good way to start off the evening. Then you are there just waiting and searching for anything that could cause a stir. Having a rather large and not to mention loud family, there have been times where colorful personalities collide, but hey! It happens, and by the end of the night everything is back to normal.

Another thing you could do is switch things up and plan a new tradition with your family or friends this holiday season. Just keep reminding yourself to take each day one at a time and stop stressing over the future of what might or could happen. You have no control of the future until it arrives, so why worry now? Enjoy what you have this season and remember to always have FUN (always the best way to forget your woes)!

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/ .

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Catches of the Week!

Erin Albano — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:43:00 +0000

For those art lovers out there, I came across this artist and was very intrigued with how he incorporates outside spaces into amazing pieces of art. Unlike any graffiti I have ever seen;

Chor Boogie

San Francisco, CA

On his work: The intentions behind my art work are to create timeless dynamic moments of Imagination, Creativity, Originality, Meaning, Style, Self Expression, Audience, Taste, and the Visual Elements of Line, Light, Composition, Form, Space, and Color. This is what defines my work and defines me as an individual, and allows me to still keep an unselfish perspective on “Why do I do this?” Simply because its a talent I’ve been blessed with to give to you. More of his work can be found here: http://www.chorboogie.com/

Now here are some articles to enjoy:

1. How To Write a Mission Statement That Isn’t Dumb

2. 3 New Social Media Studies Worth Reading

3. 10 Leadership Battles

4. How Do I Prepare for an Important Presentation

5. How to make yourself the de facto leader on any project

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

"Spooky Catches of the Week"

Erin Albano — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:48:00 +0000

1.How to be most effective when you take control of a team

2. 3 tips to improving organizational collaboration

3. Developing Your Leadership Presence

4. Are your employees telling you what you want to hear

5. Dont let the organizational chart hinder talent developments

Now that you’ve read those Catches…expand your knowledge with these Halloween Facts!

1. An October 2008 CNN Poll showed:
• A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
• Twenty-two percent of Americans say they’ve seen or felt a ghost.
• Women are more likely to say they believe in ghosts than are men.
• More than half of younger Americans aged 18 to 45 believe in ghosts.
• A whopping 78 percent of us believe in life after death.

2. The next full moon on Halloween night will be October 31, 2020

3. Many historic events have happened on Halloween Day – among them:
834: The first Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is celebrated
1876: A cyclone hits Bengal, killing about 200,000
1918: Spanish flu kills 21,00 people in the U.S. in one week
1922: Mussolini becomes the Premier of Italy
1926: Harry Houdini dies in Detroit
1941: Mount Rushmore is completed
1952:The first thermonuclear bomb was detonated in The Marshall Islands
1968: President Johnson issued a “cease all bombing” order in North Vietnam

4. Adults love Halloween, too. It is estimated that one-third of all adults don costumes and join-in the “spookiest- night” festivities. The 2005 season had almost 4 million of us wearing a “Witch” costume. That’s 16.4% of all adult Halloweeners. And…we like “Vampires” too – 1.4 million wore the vampire cape and fangs in 2005. Costumes for famous people and celebrities tied with monsters at about 7.5 million each. The child’s “Princess” costume was most popular in 2005, almost tripling the sales of 2004’s most popular costume, Spiderman.

5. One of the “most filmed” movie characters (if not the most filmed) is Dracula.

6. What are the “most thrilling” movies of all time? The American Film Institute polled 1,500 members of the film industry. Their Top 10 are: (1) Psycho, (2) Jaws, (3) The Exorcist, (4) North by Northwest, (5) The Silence of the Lambs, (6) Alien, (7) The Birds, (8) The French Connection, (9) Rosemary’s Baby and (10) Raiders of the Lost Ark.

7. Moviegoers consistently vote for Silence of the Lambs, Psycho and The Exorcist as the scariest movies of all time. There’s no clear ranking within these three – we just think they are scary.

8. The Salem Witch trials of 1692 are known for burning so-called witches at the stake. Actually, not one witch died by burning; most were put to death by hanging. One unfortunate witch was “pressed” to death and several died in prison of natural causes.

9. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah, in 2004, had the highest proportion of its total population trick-or-treating in the 5-to-13 year old age group with Alaska following closely behind.

10. A new Guinness world record was set October 1, 2005 for the “Biggest Pumpkin.” Larry Checkon of North Cambria, Pennsylvania is the grower of this 1,469 lb. giant. Checkon’s pumpkin outweighed the 2004 winner by about 23 lbs.

11. The gold standard among pumpkin growers is producing a pumpkin weighing at least 1,100 lbs., which is automatic entry into The 1,100 Club. Numerous professionals hint that you can grow a really, really big pumpkin by planting the Atlantic Giant pumpkin seed.

12. The first “Jack-O-Lanterns” were not pumpkins - they were hollowed-out turnips and originated in Ireland.

13. We love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - so says ExtremeChocolate.com’s survey of our “favorite Halloween candy.” The clear winner is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with 20.8 percent of the vote; second is Candy Corn at 15.8 percent and third is Snickers with 15.3 percent of the vote. One thousand people voted, and results were posted on September 13, 2006.

14. According to ExtremeChocolate.com: “Chocolate is much better than hard candy for you and your child’s teeth. Chocolate contains tannins, which slow down the formation of plaque on the teeth….Further, chocolate usually stays in the mouth a shorter time than hard candy, which is another dental benefit.”

Happy Halloween!!! ><((“>

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

It’s Never Too Early…To Be Happy

Erin Albano — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Recently I posted a picture and caption on facebook stating that I had begun listening to my Christmas music. This was on Monday, October 26th. If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of the holiday season. Everything about it makes me happy, so what’s the problem? Well after posting my comment to facebook, I wasn’t too shocked when I received a numerous amount of negative feedback on my early display of holiday cheer. It happens every year and I always respond, “It’s never to early…” There is no law stating that holidays have designated times, it’s just a socially created time line on when and how long one can begin the celebration of a holiday.

I say NAY to that! I listen to Christmas music because it reminds me of what is soon to come and excites me for the season. It’s not like I am forcing my music upon anyone else, so why do so many people have a problem with it and continue to tell me to stop? Everyone is always so worried in what others are doing or what others think of them and don’t spend time to please themselves. (The music thing was a lighter example, of course, but I’ve come across this problem many times dealing with other situations.) Well I say ignore that! Do what you love and makes you happy because you can never please everyone. I will continue my listening until January and embrace every moment of it!

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Cirque Du Success!!!

Erin Albano — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:29:00 +0000

Today was the TSAE trade show and Catch Your Limit was there in full fun mode with our homemade circus tent, music and performers. We had acts every half hour but really just kept the fun going the entire day. Everyone seemed to love it and we even won an award for our space. It was great seeing everyone work together, doing their thing and pulling off such a great event. From the first sit down to discuss potential ideas and possibilities to seeing it all come to life is always so rewarding. I feel so proud to be a part of the team. (I also enjoyed being a human sponge, thank you to Jeff and his fish squirtgun) Also bringing back some gymnastics moves was fun too, I am hoping I’m not too sore tomorrow. Can’t forget about the other booths which had some very unique things, one had an awesome balloon guy that made a really cool FISH balloon hat for Michela and myself. Who knew there were actual eyeball balloons?
Great Job to everyone at CYL today!! I had a blast!

><(("> Erin Albano

Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.