December 6, 2011 by Tegan.

I am a huge Packers fan. Always have been and always will be. My Dad owns shares in the team and I have always envied him for this.

Hopefully at this time tomorrow, I won’t have to envy him and I will be a Packers shareholder myself! Packers stock is going on sale tomorrow at 8am!

Packers stock isn’t like regular stock. The value doesn’t go up, there are no dividends and it has virtually no resale value. Stockholders do get voting rights, along with invitations to attend annual meetings where they can meet Packers executives, tour the Packers Hall of Fame and stick around for the kickoff of training camp. For me, the reward is knowing that I own a part of the team that I love.

This is the Packers fifth-ever stock offering and they are making 250,000 shares available to the public. I’m just hoping that Christmas comes early and I can get my hands on 1 of the 250,000. Go Pack!

This is going to be me.

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November 17, 2011 by Tegan.

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hepburn. If I had to choose, one of my favorite lines from the movie is when Holly talks about her sadness:

You know those days when you’ve got the mean reds…. the blues are because you’re getting fat or maybe it’s been raining too long.  You’re sad, that’s all.  But the mean reds are horrible.  You’re afraid and you sweat like hell, but you don’t know what you’re afraid of.  Except something bad is going to happen, only you don’t know what it is. What I’ve found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany’s.  It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits… 

If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name.

Today, I have a case of the mean reds. Writing has always been my Tiffany’s, my place of calm. What’s your place?

Another thing that helps me beat the reds is listening to “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M. It brings me back to the days of my youth when my dad used to blast the song in our Oldsmobile 442 convertible. I was only 11 or so at the time but I would sing my heart out to the song. It is one of my happiest memories.

Other things that make me happy:

Lambeau Leap. And my own version.

 
“Promise me one thing: don’t take me home until  I am very drunk. Very drunk indeed.” Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Gorgeous eyes.

Snowboarding and time with my family. My Dad really isn’t that scary.

  
My dog Rusty. And this Puppy.

Anything yellow. Yes I am a flower child and made that flower crown.

Pictures of me and my friends.

The Chicago Blackhawks.

 
Running. 

Wine. But of Course.

What gets you over a mean case of the reds?

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November 9, 2011 by Tegan.

For those who have never heard of them, Airborne Toxic Event rocks the house! I was first introduced to them by my adorable cycle instructor, Michelle (I’m actually going to the concert with her tonight!) about a year ago and it has been love at first listen. In honor of the concert and because I am beyond excited, this is my attempt to convince you to check them out.

 Some facts on The Airborne Toxic Event (Wikipedia):

• The Airborne Toxic Event is an American indie rock band from Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. It consists of *amazing* Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Chen (guitar, keyboards), Noah Harmon (electric bass, upright bass, backing vocals), Daren Taylor (drums) and Anna Bulbrook (viola, keyboards, tambourine, backing vocals).
• Named after a section of the book White Noise, by Don DeLillo (Awesome)

Initially a writer and essayist, Jollett began seriously writing songs with an acoustic guitar following a week in March 2006, during which he underwent a break-up, learned his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and was himself diagnosed with a genetic autoimmune disease that led to the development of two cosmetic conditions: Alopecia areata and Vitiligo. This quick succession of traumatic events spurred a period of intense songwriting and the start of the band.

The Airborne Toxic Event is a mix of lyrical genius and beautiful instrumentals. I love Mikel’s lyrics and as mentioned above, he was an essayist among many other things, before starting the band.

 As a member of corporate America and a fitness/health junkie, I especially love this essay written by Mikel in which he discusses his journey to lose weight while realizing his path in life.

The essay is titled “Brad Pitt Whipped Me Into Shape.”

On realizing he needed to get healthy:

“You can find the motivation to get in shape in the oddest places.

Some guys find it in a doctor’s office after a sobering chest exam or blood test or biopsy. Others find it at a high-school reunion when That Girl from 10th-grade biology doesnt recognize them through the haze of cheap vodka, male-pattern baldness, and so many forgotten years. As any good Russian novelist could tell you, life reaches a crossroads - and big changes follow - when sex seems less likely than death.”

On corporate America weight gain:

“But by age 25, after 3 years in office purgatory, 3 years of meetings and dinners and lunches and drinks, I was up to 225 pounds. Sitting there, listening to these middle-aged men make jokes about their wives over two-martini lunches, I felt caged, fenced in, trapped, old, tired, fat, bored.

I would find myself walking the flourescent-lit corridors of that ungodly building with reams of green-and-white printout paper covered with endless rows of numbers, a big, round gut hanging over the 38-inch waistline of my green slacks, seething about the budget. “Have you seen these numbers, people?” Every now and then I’d catch a glimpse of my reflection in the office glass and wonder who the fat man was.”

Amazing.

Have I convinced you to listen to them yet?

If I have, here are tracks I recommend:

• Changing
• Numb
• This Losing
• Gasoline
• Sometime Around Midnight (This song put them on the map- beautiful)

Check them out people! You won’t be disappointed!
 

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