Nothing makes you feel more like part of an office team than the ability to redecorate. Stamping your personality all over your desk/cubicle/computer/area helps make you feel more comfortable and at home. From time to time, the "stamp of personality" can mean way too many cat calendars and ridiculous amounts of Kermit the Frog paraphernalia (I've seen both in action), but for the most part, family photos, a plant, or small nick-nacks seem to do the trick.
When you are actually allowed to take your desire to redecorate office-wide, that's really something. Jason (designer dude) and I, along with input from the rest of the team, are spearheading the MBM design project.
Now, we're pretty lucky to already have a cool space. It's open and bright with cool art and modern furniture. We only had small tweaks we wanted to make. Mainly, we wanted to paint some accent walls and replace a desk space with a seating area for brainstorming meetings.
We're currently deciding between this color palette:
Wall #1 - some sort bright but not too bright green:
Either GECKO GREEN or GREEN TEA
Wall #2 - bright blue (already in action in a couple other spots in the office)
PEAK-A-BOO BLUE is the official chosen color
Wall #3 - some sort of golden neutral/orange/yellow
We are looking at TOASTED HONEY, GOLDEN MOON, HOMESTEAD RESORT GOLD, or DEL CORONADO AMBER
Who comes up with these names? Must be in cahoots with nail polish namers.
Next week is the painting week (mainly cause the boss lady and second-in-command boss lady are out of the office - we're going to wow them upon their return). I'll be sure to post before and after photos next week.
The search for furniture for our seating area hasn't really hit full swing, but if you see any nifty, comfy, modern furniture, let us know.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Ghost?
Recently, I moved into a new apartment over in the Fan. It's super convenient to MBM - on nice days, I can easily walk. Aside from being convenient, it's also full of 1920s charm, as the building was built in 1926. I live in the apartment with my two cats, collection of hand-me-down family furniture, and too many shoes.
When lounging in the apartment, I typically sport my comfortable ballet-flat style slippers. They're pink fabric slip-ons with a safety-first rubber sole. When the time comes for me to put normal shoes back on, I just rip off my slippers and carelessly toss them on the floor in my bedroom.
Recently, I noticed that my slippers seemed to keep ending up in the hallway just outside of my bedroom. I didn't think that much of it, figuring that my cats were maybe bored and knocking the slippers around.
However, as the slippers continued to migrate from bedroom to hall, I wasn't able to catch a cat in the act. Also, it seemed a little bizarre that the slippers kept moving to the same one spot in the hall and never any further.
One weekend recently, it really began to sink in how often the slippers mysteriously moved themselves into the hall. After finding them in the hall 3 times within a 16 hour period, I opted to deliberately place them for tracking purposes (as any good marketer would do).
I left the slippers sitting on a bench in my room, stacked neatly on top of each other, and went to work.
When I came home at lunch and opened the front door, the slippers greeted me silently from the hall. They were neatly stacked on top of each other, just as I'd left them 3 hours prior.
Quickly, I processed the possibility of one of my cats pulling the slippers OFF of the bench, into the hall, and leaving them perfectly stacked. Determining that this was NOT very likely, I embraced the more likely possibility - my bedroom was haunted!!
After a brief freak-out phone call to my mother, I left the slippers in the hall and went back to work.
Upon leasing the apartment in January, I had been "warned" by the previous tenant that the downstairs apartment was haunted by a 1920s man in a bowler hat. As I replayed the image of my neatly stacked slippers in my head, I was annoyed at myself for foolishly thinking that ghostly occurrences would be limited to the first floor.
Over the rest of the day, I wondered about my next steps. Do I tell my landlord and hope for discounted rent? Does ghostly activity allow one to break a lease? Should I be contacting FX to schedule a ghost hunt television show to come by? Did my ghost have issues with my feet? Would a pedicure fix everything? Is my bedroom the gateway to hell?
After work, I returned home, only to throw open the front door and discover that the slippers had disappeared from the hallway. Fighting the urge to run outside and throw a scared temper tantrum, I entered the apartment, discovering 1 slipper back in the bedroom and the other missing.
The MIA slipper was nowhere to be found. After searching the floors and various low-level knocks and crannies, I began searching inside dresser drawers and closets. Does the ghost really feel that strongly about my slippers?? Had it really sucked the slipper away to the seventh portal of hell?
Shortly after, I discovered the missing slipper under my bed, in a favorite nap located of one of my cats. My hope of an appearance on Ghost Hunters dwindling, I realized I was actually a little disappointed not to have a ghostly roommate.
When lounging in the apartment, I typically sport my comfortable ballet-flat style slippers. They're pink fabric slip-ons with a safety-first rubber sole. When the time comes for me to put normal shoes back on, I just rip off my slippers and carelessly toss them on the floor in my bedroom.
Recently, I noticed that my slippers seemed to keep ending up in the hallway just outside of my bedroom. I didn't think that much of it, figuring that my cats were maybe bored and knocking the slippers around.
However, as the slippers continued to migrate from bedroom to hall, I wasn't able to catch a cat in the act. Also, it seemed a little bizarre that the slippers kept moving to the same one spot in the hall and never any further.
One weekend recently, it really began to sink in how often the slippers mysteriously moved themselves into the hall. After finding them in the hall 3 times within a 16 hour period, I opted to deliberately place them for tracking purposes (as any good marketer would do).
I left the slippers sitting on a bench in my room, stacked neatly on top of each other, and went to work.
When I came home at lunch and opened the front door, the slippers greeted me silently from the hall. They were neatly stacked on top of each other, just as I'd left them 3 hours prior.
Quickly, I processed the possibility of one of my cats pulling the slippers OFF of the bench, into the hall, and leaving them perfectly stacked. Determining that this was NOT very likely, I embraced the more likely possibility - my bedroom was haunted!!
After a brief freak-out phone call to my mother, I left the slippers in the hall and went back to work.
Upon leasing the apartment in January, I had been "warned" by the previous tenant that the downstairs apartment was haunted by a 1920s man in a bowler hat. As I replayed the image of my neatly stacked slippers in my head, I was annoyed at myself for foolishly thinking that ghostly occurrences would be limited to the first floor.
Over the rest of the day, I wondered about my next steps. Do I tell my landlord and hope for discounted rent? Does ghostly activity allow one to break a lease? Should I be contacting FX to schedule a ghost hunt television show to come by? Did my ghost have issues with my feet? Would a pedicure fix everything? Is my bedroom the gateway to hell?
After work, I returned home, only to throw open the front door and discover that the slippers had disappeared from the hallway. Fighting the urge to run outside and throw a scared temper tantrum, I entered the apartment, discovering 1 slipper back in the bedroom and the other missing.
The MIA slipper was nowhere to be found. After searching the floors and various low-level knocks and crannies, I began searching inside dresser drawers and closets. Does the ghost really feel that strongly about my slippers?? Had it really sucked the slipper away to the seventh portal of hell?
Shortly after, I discovered the missing slipper under my bed, in a favorite nap located of one of my cats. My hope of an appearance on Ghost Hunters dwindling, I realized I was actually a little disappointed not to have a ghostly roommate.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Muse is Over
Well, Maggi (the boss lady) and I have been part of the event committee planning the 2009 Muse Awards. The Muse Awards are an annual award (un)gala put on by the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. The VMFA's Business Council organizes the event, which recognizes creativity in Virginia businesses. You can read about this year's winner here.
Maggi and I, along with our illustrious co-chair Karin, spent the last 6 months or so planning the gala that surrounds the awards. I've attended before, but I had no idea what went into planning the party! The Muse Awards typically is a themed party, complete with costumes, and this year was no different.
The last 6 months meant developing a theme and translating into the event. The theme was focused on 3 eras in the museums's history: the 1930s (when the VMFA was built), the 1980s (when the West Wing was added), and 2010 (when the new McGlothlin Wing will be finished). The 2010 era focused on international marketplace and world fusion, with special focus on the South and East Asian that will be housed in the new wing.
We arranged music, dancers, lighting, decorations, invitations, programs, signage, costumes, and more. Are we going to sign up for the craziness again next year? Who knows. But those themed champagne cocktails sure were a sweet reward. Check out some of the pictures below!
Maggi and I, along with our illustrious co-chair Karin, spent the last 6 months or so planning the gala that surrounds the awards. I've attended before, but I had no idea what went into planning the party! The Muse Awards typically is a themed party, complete with costumes, and this year was no different.
The last 6 months meant developing a theme and translating into the event. The theme was focused on 3 eras in the museums's history: the 1930s (when the VMFA was built), the 1980s (when the West Wing was added), and 2010 (when the new McGlothlin Wing will be finished). The 2010 era focused on international marketplace and world fusion, with special focus on the South and East Asian that will be housed in the new wing.
We arranged music, dancers, lighting, decorations, invitations, programs, signage, costumes, and more. Are we going to sign up for the craziness again next year? Who knows. But those themed champagne cocktails sure were a sweet reward. Check out some of the pictures below!
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