The Allie Zog Blog

Cooler and Warmer…

March 30, 2016February 26, 2019by Allie1 Comment

Cooler & warmer. That’s the slogan, along with a new logo, that was unveiled Monday, as the result of a $5-million marketing campaign for RI Tourism. Ok, you’ve finished the sentence but have you figured out what that heck that means? No, not yet? Ok, I’ll ask again later…

When I first heard that my adopted home state (more on that later) would be devoting big money to promoting tourism, I was psyched. I’ve been a one-woman Rhody billboard since first landing here in 1999 and learning the Rhode Island fight song at URI. I managed to convince my now-husband to move back here with me, despite the fact that he’d never stepped foot in the state before. Oh, also my brother and sister-in-law now reside here and my lifelong NY/NJ raised parents are considering spending their golden years here too. Safe to say, I’ve been singing the praise of RI and reveling in showing visitors all that the state has to offer for years. After college and a few years spent living the good life as a single gal waitress/wannabe writer in Newport, I finally caved to the unspoken golden rule that if you want a successful career (especially in my chosen field of journalism/PR) you need to move to a big city – ideally THE big city.

In 2006 I headed back to my parents house on LI, purchased my first pant suit and began my first grownup job in PR. I stayed in NY for 6 more years, transitioning into social media, moving into Manhattan, climbing the proverbial ladder, handing out my business card like I was a rock star, riding the subway daily and spending way too much money on rent. In the back of my mind I always secretly hoped I’d land back in RI one day, but the job prospects seemed slim. No one goes from NYC to RI as a step UP do they? Depends what you’re looking for I guess. For me, I needed to find a place that my now-husband and I could agree on (he was living in Buffalo, NY the last two years I was in NYC), and I knew the beach, the people and the charm of RI would welcome me back with open arms… if only I could find a job. On a whim I applied to a Craig’s List posting and was on an Amtrak to Kingston a few days later for the interview. Long story short, that job wasn’t what I’d hoped for, but it got me back to RI and led me to find that there ARE a lot of great companies, creative talent and brilliant minds here. There are also unlimited possibilities for creating your own opportunities and shaping your career into exactly what you want, especially in the age of remote work.

So where am I going with my long and rambling life story? My message is this. I find it disheartening that RI essentially chose to ignore all this local talent, all the people who may have come from elsewhere but CHOSE to live and work here. All the people who were raised here, educated here at some of the best universities in the country (not claiming my alma-mater URI is one of them, but I think we can all agree RISD & Brown are pretty damn impressive on a resume) and have stayed here to lend their talents to a place they are proud to call home. The designer behind the new logo is Milton Glaser, who’s responsible for the iconic “I Love NY” logo. I think we can all agree that’s a classic. Simple, and to the point. It’s the stuff T-shirts and mugs are made for. Heck, I own a cheesy Christmas tree ornament with this logo emblazoned on it. I think it’s safe to say I will NOT be hanging a “Cooler & Warmer” ornament anytime soon… Plus, THE GUY LIVES IN NY! You mean to tell me in a state brimming with artists and art students (Remember, RISD?) you couldn’t find one local “up and comer” to design something a bit more authentic?

Despite my initial reaction to the logo and slogan (and those of other well-respected locals) I still have high hopes for this campaign and hope to see it succeed and bring great things to our state. I won’t even get into the other well-publicized blunders so far, but you can read about some of them here, if you’re so inclined.

Hey Gina, Betsy and the rest of the team, I live here, I love RI (you can often find me tweeting and instagramming my #rhodylove) and I KNOW I’m not alone. One amazing thing I’ve seen come out of all this is the outpouring of ideas and passion from the creative community here. Let’s work together, utilize local talent and showcase our great little state.

Rhody Love Forever,

Allie Zog

Livin' and Lovin'

Life Updates, Etcetera…

November 2, 2014November 2, 2014by AllieLeave a Comment

Well to make a long story short…the summer of yes turned into the autumn of yes. As in, I said yes to THE question and am now engaged to my roomie/best friend/partner in all things for the last 6 + years. While this is old news by now to most of you (sorry I can’t seem to keep up with those darn “write more” promises…) I figured I’d mention it for any loyal Allie Zog enthusiasts who only read this blog and aren’t following me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other writing outlets…

What else can I tell you? Summer turned into fall as it tends to do, I finally tried my hand at surfing in the actual ocean (in case you were wondering from my previous post) and wouldn’t you know it, I actually rode a wave. Yes just one, but still! My summer of yes also included a promise to explore one new place, however near or far, each weekend and FF and I stuck to it for the final few weeks of summer, mostly hitting up local vineyards, beaches and restaurants that we hadn’t yet discovered. We stumbled upon some cool new spots in the process, as well as a new favorite wine which I’ll share in another post because it may or may not be an embarrassing wine to admit to liking (but it tastes like heaven, I swear…).

So, back to wedding planning/being engaged/becoming a real adult (at the tender age of 33 no less!). I’ve been wearing the rock for a little over a month now and here’s my take so far, or at least the abridged version until I can put it all into more extended form:

– It doesn’t feel so different, yet somehow changes everything…

– The planning will consume your life, if you let it…so try not to!

– Venue hunting is eerily similar to apartment hunting, as FF so kindly pointed out upon our first outing to scope out places. At first I got mad at him for comparing our time of pre-wedded bliss to perhaps one of the most soul-crushing experiences I’ve had to date (possibly this is only true of NYC apartment hunting though?) but after a few rounds of it, I have to concede he has a point. For one, it’s all about “locking it up,” before some other couple throws down their money first. And then there’s the whole “follow-up” process and the panic when you don’t hear back. The million dollar question (at least for us) is even the same!! “But does it have outdoor space??”

So there you have it folks. I’ll be spending the next few months deep in wedding planning land which will hopefully quell my yearly dose of seasonal depression (daylight savings time + windy, cold, rainy, grey days = “blecccchhh, wake me up in May…”). Hopefully somewhere in-between I can also add some more “yeses,” new adventures and life lessons to this little blog o’ mine.

Thanks for reading as always!

P.S. To answer a question I’m sure you’re all just DYING to know – you can rest easy friends. The beloved Allie Zog Blog name will live on forever, even if my legal name one day changes…

Writing

When Not Writing Becomes An Art Form…

August 28, 2014by AllieLeave a Comment

I’m a list-maker. I have lists everywhere. Scribbled on scraps of papers and post-its. Written and neatly numbered in notebooks. Multiples notebooks. Typed in the notes section of my iPhone. And so on. One of the items that is permanently on my to-do list, and appears as an almost daily line item in my planner is “write on Alliezog blog.” I have “blog post ideas” scattered everywhere in various stages of thought-vomit. Lists of potential titles, topics, open letters I wish to write to the world, top 5 lists and so on. But somehow I still manage to go days, weeks and sometimes months without publishing a new post. My drafts folder is full, my notes are made, but I can’t get my sh*t together and hit publish.

Since I couldn’t decide which blog to complete today, I figured I’d take a closer look at all the excuses I’ve come up with as to why I don’t publish posts nearly as often as I want to. As a “writer” I figure I might as well make not-writing into a legitimate blog topic.

1) I have too much “work-related writing” to do and am mentally exhausted at the end of my days and unable to form comprehensive sentences.

2) I haven’t completely decided on my schtick yet. I constantly struggle with what I want my blog to be and whether I need to have more focused, category specific posts on here or whether I can ramble on about whatever strikes my mood one day, and the next day write about my favorite local hangs in Rhode Island. Who is my target audience? Who is my readership? How will I monetize this thing – and do I even want to – or do I want to keep this space all my own…? See the inner struggle alone is exhausting!

3) I tweet a lot. And post sometimes long, preachy messages on Facebook. And write all those aforementioned to-do lists. Sometimes I even type a cleverly worded text, Facebook message, or email or to a loved one. All that counts as writing right? See – I AM a writer!

4) I’m saving up all my creativity for when someone gives me a (rather large) cash-advance to write my novel…based on…the loosely crafted outline in my head, years of journals and occasionally typed and then re-typed outlines. Fingers crossed!

5) I need to travel! When I travel, I’ll suddenly open the flood gates of creative genius. I’ll totally write my first masterpiece in a sidewalk cafe in France (or England! Or in a hut in Bali!). Isn’t that how all great writers do it? I’ll be just like them!

Hopefully my overenthusiastic exclamation point laden sentences reveal the sarcasm and absurdness of my lame excuses. (I’m apparently real good at that show don’t tell thing writers are supposed to do…)

Hopefully airing it all out (and actually hitting publish on something) will get the writing process going again. If not, at least I now know I can crank out some more excuses and call it a blog post… 🙂

Fitness, Livin' and Lovin'

The Summer of Yes…

July 24, 2014by Allie1 Comment

This summer is all about trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone. To do that, I’ve adopted a “say yes to anything” mantra. I figure if an opportunity presents itself, I’ve got to take it, right?

There’s been a couple of things I’ve been saying I want to do for a while now but as life happens, we often push these things, however big or small they may be, to the bottom of the list, putting work, family obligations and everyday “life” first and sometimes forgetting to embrace the extras.

Every since my childhood trips to Cali, one thing I’ve always wanted to do is learn to surf. At (nearly) 33, I realize I may be a bit too late and gravity is probably not on my side. While I was once a gymnast (I swear!) I’m not sure I’ve retained much from my leotard days except for decent flexibility and nice calves (no modesty here…).

Especially after my ill-fated snowboarding debacle (I was truly one with the mountain – as in, I was face-down on the mountain for 95% of the time…), I’ve realized I may be getting too old for my whimsical, wishful list of hobbies I want to start. But I digress…

A few months ago, I wrote an article on SURFSET Fitness, a new workout program done entirely on a specially designed indoor surfboard and funded by Shark Tank – one of my favorite shows. I took a class at Floortime Studios as part of my reporting and thought it was pretty darn cool. When I saw they were offering a summer bootcamp to both get in-shape and take a group surf-lesson at the end, I signed up and will finally be checking off the learn to surf (or at least “get up on a board”) box on my never-ending life to-do list.

I’ve completed 11 classes so far and am hooked. I plan on signing up for the next session and really whipping my butt into shape. It’s an amazing total body workout including cardio and strength work and I am definitely working harder than I ever did before at the gym or on my casual jogs by the beach. Stay tuned to hear about my actual ocean-time happening in a few weeks – hopefully I’ll live to tell the tale!

So what will I say yes to next? I don’t know…try me! 🙂

Newport, Rhode Island, Worklife

Lessons from a Coffee Shop Wanderer

June 7, 2014by Allie1 Comment

I’ve become one of those people. I’m that girl with the headphones, the Macbook and the scattered papers taking up prime real estate at your coffee shop. I’ll totally ask you to switch tables if you’re near an outlet and I need one. You probably think I’m pretentious – sorry about that!

Coffee shop working is pretty acceptable and even common place these days, especially in big cities, but when you live in a destination tourist town and summer is right around the corner? Not so much…

Most of the winter I camped out at my favorite local coffee shop, Empire Tea & Coffee, with no problem. There were plenty of others just like me there. As the nice weather rolled around however, I started seeking out some outdoor spots. I tested out the local Panera which sits across the street from the harbor and has several outdoor tables with umbrellas, a new Empire location which also has outdoor seating, and a downtown joint with no outdoor tables but good people watching never-the-less. This is when my coffee shop wandering started to present a few problems. For one, parking meters downtown switched on for the summer meaning I’d have to trek by foot to the downtown spot, lugging my laptop the whole way. This walk also forced me to walk by fudge shops, throngs of “cruise shippers,” t-shirt shops and vacationers, which can really breakdown your motivation when it seems you’re the only person that actually has a destination and obligation tied to your afternoon stroll. Then there was the sudden crowdedness of my spots. People were actually there to sip coffee absent-mindedly and chat about the weather. How dare they, I’m trying to work!

Maybe I should just hole up in my home office for the summer and leave the coffee shops for the tourists…but what fun would that be? I find it harder to stay focused at home when the sun is shining out my window and if I’m at least out enjoying the ambiance while working, I feel infinitely more motivated.

Since my current work mostly consists of telecommuting from my home base in Newport, RI or posting up somewhere on the Cape, I’ve learned a few tricks for being a New England digital nomad:

1) Tip generously. Duh, I was a hostess/waitress/bartender/shot girl for a good portion of my first quarter century of life, so tipping well has always been my mantra but some people may not realize those baristas need a little love too. If you want them not to hate you as you return day after day for that $2 coffee and a wi-fi password, make sure they see you throw a couple bucks in their cleverly wordsmithed tip jar/bucket/mug.

2) Accept the fact that the majority of people drinking coffee outside on a gorgeous June day in Newport/Cape Cod/anywhere with salty air are probably not concerned with the fact that you’re on deadline. They probably wonder what the heck you’re doing, as they order another scone and debate what they’ll do for the day (beach? shopping? cocktails?) Yeah, their life is rough…

3) Which brings me to point 3. Headphones are key to avoid overhearing the mostly vacation-minded conversations happening all around you. If you let yourself get sucked into people watching *cough* eavesdropping, you will find it extremely hard to continue working and very much want to cut your day short to go sunbathe/sip cocktails/frolic, etc. DO NOT DO THIS – you have bills to pay!

More tips to come, as well as my ever-growing list of favorite coffee shops in little Rhody and beyond. Happy sipping friends 🙂