Allie

Exciting Announcement!

February 12, 2013February 12, 2013by Allie1 Comment

Hi friends! I’m excited to announce that I have been recruited by IBM to be a part of their #MySmarterCommerce Campaign and join their Social Influencer Think Tank. What the heck does this mean, you ask? Well basically they think I’m cool and interesting (who doesn’t?) and they’ve called me an “influencer” (shudders…) and a “connected consumer” (what the…what?). I think this means that I wouldn’t dare buy something, eat something or go anywhere without consulting Twitter, Yelp, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest…errr yeah, it sounds like I am this connected consumer thing. FOR SURE.

In layman’s terms, they want me to help define what Smarter Commerce means to me, and they want YOU, my loyal readers, family and friends to join in the conversation too! For the next 30 days I’ll be blogging, tweeting, etc. about what Smarter Commerce means to me, and how technology and social media plays a part in my everyday life. I encourage you all to leave comments, tweet me, Facebook me, etc. and tell me what you think and what it means to you. You might even win an Amazon gift card (woo!).

The sky’s the limit with this campaign and there’s a lot of exciting stuff to come. I’ll be featured on IBM’s site and some of my content may be used in presentations at South by Southwest, IBM’s Global Conference in Nashville and beyond. If I’m really ridiculously interesting, I might even get to speak at SxSW (those who don’t know, it’s like Geek Spring Break, see here) and be IBM’s VIP guest and/or be followed around by film crews for part of their Nashville Conference (it all sounds very E-True Hollywood Story). I’m pyched to be part of it all and can’t wait to see what takes shape. Help me get there you guys!

Stay tuned for my first post in which I force myself to relive this weekend’s blizzard and my 39 hours without power (AKA the longest 39 hours of MY LIFE). It will be riveting folks, and if it doesn’t convince you how much I (and all of us really) DEPEND on technology, I don’t know what will.

Check out the #MYSMARTERCOMMERCE hashtag on Twitter to see more of what this campaign’s all about and check back here often to get involved!

Random

A Blogging Identity Crisis…

January 29, 2013January 29, 2013by Allie5 Comments

The more blogs I read, the more I have conflicting views on where I want my blog to go and what I want my niche to be, or perhaps more accurately, do I want/need to have a niche at all??

I started this blog back in 2006 and I’d like to think I was a relatively early adopter at the time. Since my blog was born, its had three different “looks,” the first one being a very cheesy beach scene that was a popular blogspot template at the time. I’d stumble across the same background on blog after blog and feel sheepish about the fact that I was so common place, but to most of my readers (friends and family that barely knew what a blog was) it was still pretty cool.

As an avid journal keeper most of my life, I began my blog as just that, a slightly more edited version of the diaries I’d kept for years. A place where I documented my life just starting out in the world of PR and all the crazy/funny/wonderful/odd/terrifying experiences along the way. I met my current boyfriend shortly after starting the blog (ironically he appears in one of my first ever posts where I mention a kind neighbor who I rode the train home with…) but if blogging had been a thing back when I was single…well I can’t even imagine the direction my blog may have gone. One quick look at my old MySpace profile and the “blog” I kept there is enough to remind myself just how wacky my life was back as a single waitress. Anyway…

Over the years my blog took on different identities and I started experimenting with different kinds of posts. I’ve blogged about social media, I’ve made a lot of public lists and goals for myself and then I’ve gone for months without writing at all.

After I finally moved into NYC, I decided I needed a cityscape design so I spent hours teaching myself basic HTML in order to successfully update my background to a flourescent pink skyscraper scene. It was glorious…and then it wasn’t.

This brings me to my current blog, complete with my own photo and “classic clean look.” I’ve though several times about changing the name of my blog to something more subject-matter related. Is calling it “The Allie Zog Blog” self-serving? Am I important/interesting enough to have a self-titled blog? Is this the equivalent to a self-titled album by an artist??

But what would my new name be? Like a reporter without a beat, I’ve never felt like I had a clear niche, a subject I would want to stick to exclusively or an area of expertise. I prefer to think of myself as a columnist of the new age because after all, isn’t the reason being a columnist was/maybe still is such a coveted job, the flexibility to write about whatever you want?

The options are endless these days. I could write a social media marketing blog coming up with new ways to repurpose the same “breaking” tech stories that hundreds of other bloggers are writing about (I call these the “Facebook releases a new feature – film at 11!” posts) or I could be a “fashion blogger” taking gratuitous pictures of my “outfits” for the day and writing about why I think mint green is this season’s IT color (my most compelling reason for considering this route is when I discovered all the free clothes even the most novice fashion bloggers can receive by simply posting pictures and links to the products) or maybe I should become a food blogger? This one I’ve most seriously considered as I’ve previously written about restaurants and bars, have worked in the restaurant business for a good part of my life and recently discovered a penchant towards cooking and baking. Yup, I thought, I should totally rename my blog “Allie Eats” or something equally catchy and go that route. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that for better or worse, The Allie Zog Blog must remain. It’s who I am and it’s a place for me to write about whatever I want, which, all jokes aside includes a lot of what I mentioned above. It also allows me to evolve, change locations, change jobs and gain new hobbies without needing to start a new blog or change the name. I still find myself blogging about NYC (or at least referring to it) because as they say, you can take the girl out of NYC but you can’t take the NYC out of the girl, but now my “where I went, what I did” posts are almost exclusively New England based, with Newport having the obvious hometown advantage.

The bottom line for me is this, I love to write and I love to do so about a variety of topics. One day, I may blog about how awesome I think yoga is and the next day I may rant about the weather. But like most egotistical writers, my favorite topic is me! To put it less pompously: things that I’m passionate about, experiences I’ve had, and life lessons I’ve learned along the way.

So, a question to my readers: Do you think my blog, or any blog really, needs to have a niche or can it be all-encompassing? And if one day I do decide that I want to blog about one thing (travel, New England, FOOD, not sure just yet…) should I start a separate blog for that, or just keep it all right here on the blog I so eloquently named after myself?

Comment away folks!

Fitness, Newport

Being All Zen and Stuff…

January 23, 2013by Allie1 Comment

I’ve always been more of a wannabe yoga enthusiast, going just enough to sorta know what warrior pose is, but not nearly enough to do a head stand or not wobble during tree pose.

My fascination with yoga began years ago way before it was so popular when a doctor I was seeing suggested I check it out as an alternative to drinking, back when I was just another mono-infested college student who refused to heed the docs warning of no alcohol for a month despite the fact that my skin and pupils had turned a lovely shade of yellow…

Anyway…

Over the years I’ve gone on yoga kicks buying a 10 session pass here and there or attending classes at my gym, and I usually list it as an interest/hobby due to my desire to have cool and unique interests beyond “reading, writing and music” but my point is I’ve never been as devout a yogi as I could be…

Once, back in NYC I was somehow enticed by a damn Groupon or something to try a Bikram yoga class and am still horrified to this day about it. The class is a hazy and sweat-infused memory but the subway ride home remains crystal clear. It was winter and I had worn a puffy coat over my yoga gear. I was so hot and sweaty after class that I just could NOT bring myself to put my coat back on the entire ride home so I braved the subway from the East Village to the Upper West Side (changing lines no less) as a hot mess in my yoga gear holding my coat and wondering if my body temperature would ever return to normal. It did, but I learned my lesson loud and clear, hot yoga was certainly not “my thing…”

Fast forward to present day, where my yoga options are extremely limited due to the fact that Newport has only a few studios and my lack of car leaves those options even slimmer. This past summer I went to a Yoga in the Park session at Ballard Park – a great nature sanctuary off Ocean Drive. That was nice. The class was beginner to say the least but I still felt all connected to the universe afterwards. Since then however, I’ve been waiting for my next yoga opportunity. The gym I attend has classes but they’re never at the right time and plus I’m always a bit skeptical of “gym yoga.” For some reason I find gym classes more focused on doing the movements and getting in a workout but they lack the spiritual experiential part of yoga that’s my favorite part. No soft music, no soothing narrative and no story-telling.

Most of my yogi friends in town attend Newport Power Yoga which is just a short walk from my apartment. I was skeptical of this “power yoga’ thing because it sounded sneakily like Bikram (shudder). Upon further research on their website and at my friends word that it wasn’t so bad I decided it was time to check it out. I attended my first class this past Friday and really loved it. It was a community class so it was open to all levels and the room was set at “moderate heat and steam to get the body loose.” It was hot, yes, but somehow it didn’t bother me (which is strange considering I’m that girl visibly sweating through my blouse in the winter if the heat is too high at a bar…). Somehow even though the class was PACKED and I was thisclose to my neighbors mats, I found the class to be just what I was looking for. I sweat out of every orifice (did you know your ankles can sweat?!), but I swear, it was actually a lot more pleasant than it sounds. The class focused on breathing, strength and balance but the best part for me was something the instructor said at the end of the class. He was talking about how for 50 mins you just show up, give it your best and escape from your everyday thoughts and worries. I realized when he said this that my mind had been completely clear for the entire class. I had been so busy focusing on my breath and following the moves that I literally hadn’t had one other thought for the whole class. For me, this was groundbreaking. I am physically incapable of shutting my mind off. I lie awake at night thinking of the absolute most ridiculous things (just ask my boyfriend if you need further proof) so to have even a 1 hour escape is nothing short of a miracle.

If you’re like me and are looking for that perfect yoga experience to keep your interest and build both your soul and your strength, I’d highly recommend the Newport Power Yoga experience or something similar. One other great thing about the class is that not only was it a lower cost community class (so that yoga can be accessible for people regardless of their financial situation) but this particular class (and every Friday at 7pm) was actually donation based and all proceeds go to a different local charity.

Until my next class….namaste friends!

Livin' and Lovin', Rhode Island

The easy way to start again…

January 4, 2013by AllieLeave a Comment

The new year is always a great excuse to start up the regular blogging again. After being MIA through the holidays, the new year brings an easy no-think idea for a first post to get back on the blogging horse as I like to say. The new year always seems like such a fresh start but I’ve realized my resolutions often stay the same year after year, meaning I either haven’t accomplished them the previous year or am still working on them slowly but surely. My “travel internationally” resolution still remains front and center as well as the yearly “write more.” One clichéd resolution that I’ve actually been sticking to from last year is the committment to working out more. I began running regularly this past summer and once the cold weather hit in November I joined a gym and actually go (gasp!). It’s funny, when I lived in NYC and had a comped membership to a fancy gym 21 blocks from my apartment with every amenity I could imagine, I rarely went but now that I belong to a local YMCA going seems a lot easier. Go figure…

I tried to find my last few years of New Years Resolution posts but as it turns out I’ve been more inspired to share my goals every year around my birthday than New Years. One thing I wanted out of post-30 life was to find a new hobby. While I’m not sure it’s the most glamorous one, I’ve become quite the chef recently and enjoy cooking up new recipes (mostly tweaked from Pinterest or food blogs and given a little zog twist!). I’m thinking of beginning a section on here to share them so stay tuned.

In 2013, assuming I actually stay in one state for a full year, I’d like to get immersed in the New England/RI lifestyle and become as much as a localvore as I can. (Sorry that I just used such a hipster word…) I want to re-learn snowboarding because really, how can you live in New England and not have a snow-sport hobby? Judging by my end of summer yearnings to learn to sail last August, I suspect that might be a possible summer ambition?

As small as RI is, I realized even though I’ve lived here off and on for the better part of 8 years now, I only really know small pockets of the state well (Newport, Narragansett, Kingston/Wakefield) and there are prized areas that remain unexplored. Providence has recently won all kinds of awards for its restaurants and culinary delights yet shamefully my knowledge of the area doesn’t extend far beyond the Providence Place mall, Thayer Street and one recent trip to Federal Hill. A few friends lived there after college and I remember visiting there cute apartments and getting coffee at a place called Zog’s Cafe or something similarly named after me (speaking of which, is that place still there??) but beyond that I think we sadly only frequented lame college bars, clubs, The Cheesecake Factory and not much else.

A new year, a new state, a focus on living local, living each day to the fullest, living out my dreams and living well. Here’s hoping 2013 is my year and your’s too!

Life Lessons

The one about “what is my life’s purpose…”

November 18, 2012by AllieLeave a Comment

For those of you who are Friends buffs, you’ll get the reference in my title. Every episode of Friends is titled “The one with…” or “The one about…” For some reason it just fit for this post. Anyway…

Determining your life’s purpose to some people sounds like a load of crap. There are spiritual people, non-spiritual people and people who just don’t really think too much about it at all. I think I fall somewhere on the side of spiritual-ish/dreamer – if that’s a thing. I definitely believe in God although I’m what you’d call a “fake Jew.” The last time I was in a temple was for a Jewish friend’s wedding and before that, probably my cousin’s Bat Mitzvah. I don’t really do much “praying” in the formal sense but I know there is someone up there watching over me, guiding me and hopefully steering me in the right direction when I stray too far. I celebrate the traditions of my family’s religion and value them very much. Additionally, I love celebrating the traditions of Christmas and I don’t really care if that makes me a bad Jew or not! Anyway…

This post actually isn’t about religion at all, so I digress. A few weeks ago I had a birth chart reading from someone I’ve known for a while. I won’t go into too much detail about how I know her but I will say that she is a true believer and can probably make a believer out of you if you are even slightly “spirit-curious” (I just made that word up but you get the idea…). I have never seen ghosts or heard voices-but I believe others who claim to have. I’ve always believed in Heaven but not Hell (Probably wishful thinking…). I do believe in signs from the universe. I do believe the clichéd saying that was coincidentally my sorority’s motto. “Everything happens for a reason.” I do believe that we are all put here for a reason but I’m not sure many of ever find out what that reason is. You get the idea. I was “spirit-curious” for lack of a better word.

I had no idea what to expect. Was she a physic? Was she going to tell me when I’d die? Was she going to tell me anything she didn’t already know from knowing me and viewing my Facebook profile? Well I can say it wasn’t what I expected. Basically, I provided my exact time, date and year of birth and she did the rest. I had no idea what a birth chart was or what you could determine from it, but apparently it’s a lot. She was able to see my past life (still not sure if I believe in this part honestly, but for some reason what she said DID make sense and just felt like it could be true so who knows…) but more importantly she was able to see my current life very clearly. She could see traits I had, things I needed to work out, when my “windows of opportunity”and the age-old “why am I here.” It wasn’t all what I wanted to hear (she quickly put to rest my belief that I was absolutely meant to live my life on a beach and casually write all day – damn!), but almost all of it just made sense. It also gave me a lot to think about. One thing she stressed was not to spend too much time trying to figure out how you’ll get there but just let things happen. I don’t want to give away too much of what she said but in a way I’ve already unknowingly been headed toward what I’m “supposed to be doing.” One thing I found interesting is that writing may not necessarily be ultimately what I’ll end up doing but it will be a catapult and something I should continue with. She told me not to think about it and just to write. Hence, this blog post!

Recently, I haven’t been blogging as much because I’ve found a lot of my writing to be really personal lately and I’ve been writing more for me than for public viewing. I miss blogging and sharing my ramblings with whoever may want to read them though. I guess you could say I’m egotistical in that way. Good or bad, I want people to read/hear what I have to say. I think this will be something that will come up again and is an important part of who I am.

So there it is folks. I hope I’ve done the experience justice and explained it semi-accurately. There is a lot more to it (it almost seemed scientific to me in a way, it’s kinda like your horoscope times a million…or something…) and whether you’re a skeptic or not, it’s something worth reading about and exploring (in my opinion!). If anyone is interested in getting a reading or just learning more, click here!