Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Katie the Yellow Dart's LiveJournal:

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Friday, November 20th, 2009
11:53 am	These ads don't write themselves... So, I recently went on an interview and after finally heading back to WPB (mainly because I never heard from them in the time frame they said I would), I got an e-mail asking for a follow-up interview. I drove back and wasn't quite sure what to expect but I had roughly 7 pages of notes so I felt prepared. First of all, as soon as I met the person who was interviewing me the first time, I felt comfortable. She was excited, bubbly, just generally welcoming. She laughed at my comic relief. She nodded at my answers to each question and took some notes. The second time... not so much. This person was unexcited, uninterested and seemed unimpressed by anything. I got no cues from body language or facial expressions, other than the fact that this person basically didn't want to be there. I sat there while this person basically discredited most of my experience, because "anyone can write an automotive TV spot in 5 minutes." Really? Anyone? Normally, I would expect my reaction to be one of shock and silence. But I fired back. I told her I understood how she could think that, but that automotive advertising was so much more complex than that. It involves a lot of brainstorming and concept-work, in fact even more than other retail clients, because EVERY DEALERSHIP IS THE SAME. The prices are roughly the same, the inventory is roughly the same size. How do you differentiate one dealer from his competitor across the street? And the brands? Do you think everyone on the street thinks that Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are drastically different from each other and would instantly choose one over the other? It's a unique and challenging world, one where everything is due 5 minutes ago and if you stop to breathe, you'll get swept away. Sure, there's a lot of busy work, but that's not what I was doing after about 6 months on the job. When I was managing, my desk was piled high with creative briefs. 'Need a new idea for this dealership', 'Please come up with 3-spot radio campaign', etc. Oh.. but surely anyone could've done that, right? Eventually I think this person realized I wasn't exactly going to let this issue just go away and they conceded that yes, I had a point. Score. But I still felt that I was wrongly judged by someone who had only a sliver of insider knowledge about the industry she deemed "useless". I'm not really expecting to get a call from this company, obviously. But I feel good about defending my body of work. I will not be pushed around. ( discard this message)
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
10:10 pm	( It's been a whirlwind month. ) (1 crumpled paper discard this message)
Monday, September 14th, 2009
11:10 pm	Back.... ....from possibly one of the best vacations I've ever been on, with one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He makes traveling and exploring new places so much fun. Andrew really loved Philadelphia.. he was in awe of the city lifestyle and scenery-- row houses, public transportation, gothic-style churches on every corner.... it really is a great city, full of history. And Irish bars. We did all the touristy things- City Hall, Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Reading Terminal, Geno's Steaks, South Street, etc. My aunt and uncle put together a great family party so that Andrew could meet everyone and enjoy soft pretzels, cheesesteaks and Tastykakes (ok, so the city isn't exactly known for its healthy fare...) We spent a lot of time with my Grandma, which was truly awesome. Andrew met 5 of my mom's 7 siblings, and over half of my cousins. :) He definitely fits right in. On Saturday, we even found the local Gator bar, although the game was already over, and had our fill of college football and oversized Yuenglings. Yesterday, we explored the Philadelphia Museum of Art (you know, where Rocky melodramatically celebrated at the conclusion of his training montage..?), which was amazing. From antique armor to Monet's cheery impressionist works-- there was so much to see. Our last night in town was spent at Citizens Bank Park, where we watched a true pitchers' duel between the Phils and the Mets. The only run was scored in the 1st inning- luckily it was scored by the boys in the red pinstripes. We enjoyed our $6.75 beers and the noticeable breeze blowing in off the river- it was a perfect night for baseball. And a perfect way to end our fabulous vacation. Can't wait to go back! (1 crumpled paper discard this message)
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
10:11 pm	New blog About the fun, exciting rollercoaster that is unemployment. http://pinkslippalace.blogspot.com/ ( discard this message)
Monday, August 17th, 2009
2:10 pm	It's really hard for me to concede that I cannot describe something in words. But this is the best feeling failure I've ever experienced. ( discard this message)
Friday, August 7th, 2009
11:16 am	813 Well, I don't want to get my hopes up, but I had a pretty good interview. The job will require a lot of responsibility and entrepreneurial spirit, as it is the first time this company has had an in-house, hands-on marketing team. I know I can do it, let's just hope that I conveyed that confidence to the Marketing Director. I did leave a copy of my entire portfolio with her, which seemed to be a surprising treat. Tampa was fantastic. I'll be honest, when I was a kid, I kinda had something against it. The only times I remember being there were Busch Gardens 1992-- when my dad forced us to stay in a sleezy Busch Blvd. motel-- and 1998, for the All-State Chorus concert. It's really a beautiful, diverse area. Where Andrew's mom lives, in Carrollwood, it's hustling and bustling with every store you could want, yet the homes are set back from the bustle in a complex network of winding, wooded neighborhoods. Love it. Yet it's not too far from downtown Tampa, which has an actual skyline. Then it's just a short trip over one of the bridges to Clearwater Beach, then down to St. Pete. There's so much going on. Let's just say I wouldn't mind making the move to the 813. That wasn't the most important part of this trip, though... Andrew turned 26! Friday night right after we arrived, we headed out to LoL (Land O' Lakes, but LoL is funnier, obviously) to meet his high-school buddies at Tijuana Flats. Mmmm, $1 beers. Then we headed over to the Chevron, where he introduced me to one of their classic go-to drinks, JOOCE. It's a can of disgusting, alcohol-laden sugary syrup, with ginseng and some other crap. Absolutely disgusting. We brought 'em back to Justin and Veronica's house and hung out there all night, everyone reminisced about "old times", which was great to listen to. I learned a bit about "high-school Andrew". At midnight, we took shots in his honor. Some of the boys smoked black 'n milds as we tried to rid their fridge of the excess Smirnoff Ices someone had brought them. A perfect re-creation of high school life! Saturday, we woke up a little later than we were supposed to. Andrew's mom was having a garage sale, so we headed out, just the two of us, to celebrate his 26th. We stopped by a Tampa favorite- Mel's Hot Dogs, where I had my first Chicago-style weiner. (hehe) Then we decided, last minute, to go to the Lowry Park Zoo instead of Busch Gardens. For one, it was a thousand degrees outside, and on a Saturday in mid-summer, BG is not exactly the most fun place to be. Lowry Park Zoo was amazing. After it rained, the animals were all astir. We sat there and watched elephants wrestling in the water for a good 25 minutes. We saw fruitbats, meerkats, alligators, manatees, giraffes, rhinos, etc. The best part was that Andrew got in free for his birthday! Woohoo :) I love free stuff, as you know. I recommend a visit to the zoo, if you're ever in Tampa. After the zoo, we cleaned up and headed out for the movies. DON'T see The Collector. If you know me, you're wondering why I willingly went to a horror movie. Well, Andrew is a huge fan.. and it was his birthday. But we both agreed it was awful. It was like the 293872nd installment of "Saw". The rest of the weekend, (aside from the interview business) we relaxed. Needless to say, I had an amazing time. Andrew's mom is the world's biggest sweetheart. And thankfully, he takes after her. I feel so comfortable with his family. Simply put, they are amazing people. ( discard this message)
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
11:40 am	Anger. Several months ago, I applied for a job at the headquarters of a large office-supply chain, located right here in South Florida. I knew I was underqualified for the Sr. Copywriter position, but I applied anyway. I received a generic "we have other candidates who more closely match what we're looking for" email. Which was fine, I wasn't expecting a callback or anything. Just applying everywhere. About a month ago, another position opened up, one I was qualified for, so I applied again, with a new résumé, online portfolio, etc. I was volunteering when I got a phone call from someone in HR, so she left a message asking to speak with me about my application. I called her back a few hours later, left her my name and number, and requested she return my call. Days passed, with no phone call. I wondered if she'd gone on vacation. I contemplated calling again, but why should I? I had left her a perfectly good, detailed message, and didn't want to be pushy. I found her email address and sent her a quick followup, asking if she received my message and linking her once again to my online portfolio. No response. Until a few days later, when I got the generic "we have other candidates...." email again. WHAT? What a waste of time. Please do not call someone if you do not intend on actually speaking with them. I do not understand a business that does not return phone calls. At least have the common courtesy to dial my number and speak the words directly into my ear if you don't think I'm a match for your company, ESPECIALLY if you called me in the first place! That was weeks ago. And the job was just reposted. All I can do is laugh. I'm glad I don't work there. (3 crumpled papers discard this message)
Friday, June 19th, 2009
2:11 pm	I am writing more... but I haven't yet decided whether to share it with the world. There's something about writing just for yourself that makes it so much easier, and at the risk of sounding lame, more special. me: i find you desirable to kiss andrew: what a coincidence, i find you highly desirable to kiss me: ooh we should definitely kiss then and see how it goes andrew: oh that sounds wonderful! me: maybe it'll lead to something andrew: scatagories!! me: oh god i hope so ( discard this message)
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
6:19 pm	I feel like the past few months have been so worthy of chronicling but even I could not seem to come up with the words to describe everything that has been going on. I've decided to do it anyway, even though I know my explanation won't come close to expressing what I feel.... ( If you dare.. read about the beginning here ) (11 crumpled papers discard this message)
Monday, May 25th, 2009
6:12 pm	Busy bee Just call it May Mayhem... Birthday, family cruise, Mother's Day, John & Stacy's wedding, Kat's bachelorette party.. and up next, Kat & Sean's wedding! I have been busy since mid-April, but I've been having a blast. :) The surprise party was amazing.. my Mom and my friends did such a great job. Andrew somehow kept me busy all day and I was too tired to question anything he said.. like how we HAD to go eat first before I went home to shower. I was DEFINITELY surprised when I walked into the house with wet hair and no makeup! The cruise was SO much fun. Swine flu re-routed us to Nassau instead of Cozumel, but we still had a great time. Our 'excursion' was a lunchtime stop at Señor Frogs for giant Yard daiquiris! Andrew, Nick, Joe & Dave enjoyed some male bonding over scotch and cigars, we all saw a hilarious comedian, and our family won TWO contests- the digital camera scavenger hunt and the Cartoon Theme Song Trivia. We won two Carnival trophies, and plenty of gold medals. We're such participators. John & Stacy's wedding weekend was super busy. First, Cal Ripken Jr. was on my plane to Baltimore. Literally a month after he was on my brother's flight (different airline, different departing airport). He is stalking our family. Either that or he's on every flight to Baltimore. Anyway, we went to the rehearsal, then dinner and drinks in Annapolis. Tons of seamen out and about! Saturday we roamed D.C. I hadn't seen the sights since 1995. We saw the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and several museums (Becki was our museum tourguide). Sunday was wedding day. After a night of torrential rain, the temp had dropped about 20 degrees. But the wedding went smoothly, only after an hour delay and last-minute change: a family friend stood in as the officiant and did an AMAZING job. What a fun wedding! Just got back from Gainesville. I can't believe Kat is getting married next weekend. The "Wild-Kat Weekend" was so fun! Had dinner and drinks with the girls, played lots of games with 'interesting' prizes. Helped Joe & Michelle completely overhaul their house by cleaning every square inch. Their pre-memorial day BBQ yesterday was tons of fun. Can't wait to see everyone next weekend for the big reunion/wedding!!! ;) ( discard this message)
Monday, March 30th, 2009
6:05 pm	Andrew & Katie's Enticing Eats ™ (As seen on Facebook...) ( Today's recipe: Chicken Pesto Calzones ) ( discard this message)
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
5:55 pm	A million wishes.... Every Wednesday, I've been volunteering at Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida. It is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done, no lie. I figured, I'm at a decent place financially, I can afford to drive down there at least once a week while I'm looking for a job. So I got in contact with an old friend from college who works there. Actually, she jokingly contacted me about my lifelong dream to write pro bono for a nonprofit when I win the lottery. I realized I didn't have to win the lottery, I could do it right now. So I came in, met some fantastic people, and got my assignment. Every week, Andrea, the development coordinator, hands me a pile of wish kid files. I pore through the files and find out everything I can about the kid, the wish, and the experience they had. Most of them go to Disney. Some of them choose shopping sprees. Others have unique wishes like trips to Paris, laptop computers, and bedroom renovations. All of the children suffer from life-threatening diseases and illnesses. Some of them survive to adulthood, others don't. But all of them enjoy a special experience, even if it's just for a day. With all the things these kids go through, it's amazing and wonderful to know that there are people out there who want to grant them the wish of a lifetime. (2 crumpled papers discard this message)
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
9:58 pm	Run, run, run I guess I should write something every once in awhile, huh? This past weekend I ran my second half-marathon in Gainesville with Katherine. I took about 5 1/2 minutes off of my Philadelphia time. Woohoo PR! We totally rocked it. Didn't walk once, not even for half a second. Finished in 2:22:39. Friday-Stubbies & Steins with Andrew, Joe & Michelle. Mmmm, worldly beer. Saturday- FLORIDA BASKETBALL... it's fantastic! Andrew and I sneaked into the RR section thanks to Kat and Sean. Total Gator domination. Enjoyed free student food. Had an amazing pre-race pasta dinner courtesy of Michelle. Sunday- RACE DAY. It was cooold, but not like Philly. Andrew, Sean and Ryan stalked/found us at various places throughout the course. Topped off the morning with a FANTASTIC breakfast at 43rd Street Deli. After much napping, we all enjoyed Creatures From the Abyss. Yes, my boyfriend owns awful, cheesy horror movies. Lots of them. Monday- Frisbee on campus! Flight of the Conchords. My name is BRAHBRAH! Tuesday- Yes, they somehow kept us in Gainesville 'til Tuesday. Now I need another race to sign up for. ( discard this message)
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
12:45 pm	Merry Christmas, all! :) (1 crumpled paper discard this message)
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
2:11 pm	Oops, I never updated about the race... even after all that suspense.. I'll get around to it :) I'm busy being unemployed....... (6 crumpled papers discard this message)
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
3:30 pm	Ready to run OK, so I just made a list of everything I'm packing. I printed out my boarding passes this morning. Tonight I'm having dinner with Teri and she's bringing me coats and BioFreeze for my calf. I have my shoes, socks, shirts, hat, headband, tights, shorts, watch, ipod.... Just need to remember to pack my confidence! I am SO ready to cross that finish line (hopefully with Joe, making funny faces for the photo), get my medal, get my pretzel and then head out to Jim's for a CHEESESTEAK. I am currently freaking out about: 1. The flight. Not looking forward to getting on that little prop plane from Newark --> Philly 2. The weather. Wind chill of 16 degrees at the start? YIKES. Hoping the sun comes out for the entirety of the race and keeps me from turning into an icicle. 3. Aches and pains. Shins are doing alright, but I haven't run in a few days. Back is hurting a bit. Calf is OK, but Teri's bringing me some muscle cream just in case. I can't believe it's finally here! BRING IT ON!!!!!! PS- I just signed up for the Gainesville Half. Yes, I'm crazy. (1 crumpled paper discard this message)
Monday, November 17th, 2008
8:59 pm	5 days, 10 hours Tonight I bought $70 worth of gear to wear to the race... It's going to be COLD..... Aaahhhh!! (7 crumpled papers discard this message)
Friday, October 31st, 2008
7:03 am	I swear I've been running..... I just haven't been writing. I've been having quite a lot of fun as well. I have a dilemma, but I don't want to go into too much detail. Last night......... I was knocked off my feet... and it feels amazing. Three weeks 'til the big race! And three weeks 'til I go completely crazy buying up WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS gear!!!!! GO Phils! What a wild ride, I'm still in shock. :) Happy Halloween! ( discard this message)
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
12:11 am	I'm back, baby! Ran 2 miles tonight. After having to stop at 2.5 the other night, I learned my lesson and took it slow. I then showered and went to DQ with Jeff.... yup, I ate a hot fudge sundae for dinner. Sometimes I love being a grownup! (1 crumpled paper discard this message)
Saturday, October 11th, 2008
9:00 am	Sidelined By the damn calf muscle. Again. Was supposed to do 8 miles this morning. Couldn't even get past 3 1/2... the pain! Time for a week off... and R.I.C.E. Mmmm, rice. Bridesmaid duties await.. I'm off! ( discard this message)