From the Inside Out

Because I got struck with a massive migraine on Saturday while supporting the Running with Scissors Marathon, I had to go home and crash without posting an update to the blog. But, don’t fear! If you want to learn more about the marathon, check out Gary’s post and pictures here: http://12×12marathon.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/running-with-scissors-marathon-has-begun/

It’s a sad day for employees and former employees of Nortel. Today, the company announced that it will liquidate and sell its businesses, ending its efforts to restructure in bankruptcy court.

After 114 years in business, it’s a sobering end to a company that once had so much life. At one point, the company was valued by investors at $250 billion, but that was before the dot-com bust and accounting scandals. The company is forced now to liquidate in order to pay its creditors and ex-employees to whom it owes severance and pensions. The first piece of the business to be sold off is its lucrative carrier networks division and a wireless research unit. These are being picked up by Nokia Siemens for a bid of US $650 million.

I spent nearly 15 years working at Nortel, starting in college as a paid intern in the corporate communications group. During my tenure there, I managed customer and community relations, enterprise public relations, and product marketing for contact center solutions, mobility, and unified communications solutions. Nortel offered many outstanding learning opportunities and enabled me to develop valuable skills which helped to advance my professional career long after my departure from the company.

I have many fond memories of my time at Nortel. The good times were amazing. The people were top notch. In fact, I have many life-long friends that I met during my time at Nortel.

Even though I’ve been gone for a few years now, I mourn the loss of a company that was once a bright shining star in the industry — a company that brought much joy and career growth into my life.

Although Nortel will continue to exist until its businesses are sold off, this story is quickly coming to an end…goodbye, my friend. You will be missed.

Rehearsals for Hartburn Hotel continue, and we’re having a blast. Below are some new “behind the scenes” pictures from tonight’s rehearsal. If you’re planning to join us for the show, be sure to buy your tickets early so you can get good seats. To purchase tickets, go to: www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org. Also, this is a popcorn-throwing melodrama, so if you bring canned food items for the local food bank, you can get up to three bags of popcorn for free!

Here’s more info about the show:

McKinney Repertory Theatre Presents
HARTBURN HOTEL

Cheer for the hero, boo for the villain, throw popcorn, and sing along! MRT offers melodrama fun this summer with HARTBURN HOTEL!

Faced with losing the Last Chance Inn once again, Ma and Pa Culpepper turn to glamorous Sahara Hartburn. Sahara pays off their loan with money from a “well-heeled admirer” and promptly takes over the inn. Transformed into the Hartburn Hotel, the place becomes a residence for young ladies with a “no men allowed upstairs” policy.

Sahara schemes to find a scandal that will give her new venture some publicity, and finds it when the new school teacher, Polly Sincere, is paid a visit by her dapper and devoted boyfriend, Jasper Jones—in her room!

To escape, Jasper poses as “Jasmine Sincere,” Polly’s sister. Complications arise when a visiting sheriff falls for “Jasmine” and her sudden disappearance leads Sahara to accuse Polly of murder!

An attempt to clear Polly’s name, an outrageous chase scene, and the search for a bank robber all conspire to bring the play to a surprising – and side-splitting - conclusion.

HARTBURN HOTEL
McKinney Repertory Theatre
July 10 - 19
Tickets: $16 adults; $13 seniors/students;
$11 kids 12yrs & under
Tickets & Info: 214-544-4630 or www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org

And now for the pics:

“Ma” trying on her new “uniform”

Loving the hats!

“Sahara” and her big, big hat

Our very own “Fabio”

More costume fittings

What everyone does when they don’t have a scene…juggle!

Singing and dancing — the other things actors do to amuse themselves when not in a scene

And more juggling!

How many times have you reached for your cell phone only to find that the battery was drained or almost dead? That used to happen to me all the time until I got a new phone with a longer battery life. It’s not as frustrating now, but I still have to remember to charge the phone every 3-4 days.

What this world needs is a phone that charges itself. Seriously, we are busy people, and cell phones are a necessity these days. There’s nothing worse than needing your mobile phone and not having it because the battery is dead.

Cell phone owners across the world may have a reason to rejoice in the near future. Nokia is working on an answer to this plaguing problem. They have invented a cell phone that recharges itself by using ambient radio waves from the air. It can pick up all the bits and pieces of waves from TV, radio, and other mobile phone systems and convert that electromagnetic energy into electrical current that can then be used to recharge the phone’s battery.

How cool is that?

Currently the phone doesn’t harvest enough power to keep a drained battery alive during an active call, but it does provide enough juice to slowly recharge the battery while it’s in standby mode. Imagine that…never being forced to plug your phone in again and recharge it! Whoohoo!

The only bad news is that we have to wait about three to five years for the technology to be commercialized, so don’t throw away your charger just yet.

Are you searching for a great Father’s Day gift for your Dad? If so, don’t give him a wimpy tie or cheap cologne. C’mon…you can do better than that. Your Dad is the best. Why not give him a gift that matches his awesomeness?

Lucky for you, this year you can show him how much you really care by giving him a gift that stands above all others. Check it out:

Okay, okay…I know it’s a shameless plug for my company, but it’s also freaking hilarious. I saw it today, and it cracked me up. I just had to share it.

BTW, if you still want to pick up an ASR-9000 (aka “awesome in a box”) for your Dad, I know where you can get one.