Cache of the Day - Working at a "Best Place to Work"

Last week Employment Plus received an award as one of the best places to work in the state of Kentucky (we placed 10th there for our size company), and yesterday I attended a banquet in Indianapolis where we received a Best Places to Work award for the state of Indiana (we placed 21 out of 30 companies there).

A lot goes into winning an award like this, but the primary criteria comes from a survey that our employees fill out about our company. Included in the survey are questions around benefits, recognition, opportunity, community involvement, and training.


Both events were great fun and we were very pleased with the honor!

Cache of the Day - Mixing Music and Movies

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The Bloomington Pops held an "Oscar Party" this past Friday night, and created a concert-going experience that touched all the senses. This is the way classical concerts should be presented! Listeners today will not tolerate sitting in an uncomfortable auditorium chair watching a conductor wave his or her arms for two arms, regardless of how beautiful the music may be.

Before the concert, the Pops held an invitation-only welcome reception at a different location. We walked in on the red carpet, and we were greeted by a starlet in the requisite gold lame ball gown. How fun!

The room was filled with music and movie lovers, so we had good conversation, plenty of wonderful appetizers, and bubbly cocktails. The reception was held in the History Museum, and it showcased movies of the past, as well as our claim-to-fame actors, such as Kevin Kline. The movie "Breaking Away" was of course featured, as it was filmed in Bloomington around the Little 500 Race.

The reception also had quizzes and other activities to participate in, such as "guess the starlet". A photographer was on hand to snap our shots in the director's chair.

The highlight for me was when a piano player sat down and started playing music from movies. I couldn't resist, and I stood behind her and started singing along. She invited me to sit down on the piano bench with her and we just performed song after song. My mommy and I used to always do this when I was growing up. We could do it for hours! Of course my friend Deb and my daughter Taylor and her friend quickly exited stage left. Might they have been embarrassed?

The concert itself was glorious, and included selections from "Pirates of the Carribean", "Breakfast at Tiffanys". and "Star Wars" (what a GREAT way to end the concert!!!). Imagine listening to a LIVE orchestra playing the score while you view one of these movies! This was the closest thing!
What a great evening and truly the future for classical concerts. More of this type of event will create a younger and more faithful audience (and more support and resources to keep the arts alive).

Cache of the Day - Cache of the Day!

The weather was perfect for geocaching today! Deb and Abbey came along, and Deb was the photographer for what was to be her first time geocaching.




Taylor and I had tried to find this hide before, but it eluded us. This time, with the help of some previous loggers, we discovered its whereabouts fairly quickly. The cache itself was loaded with goodies, and we left behind a Travel Bug, although Wasabi Warrior is going to have to help us on how to log that.











Gracie and Abbey had a great time. Although they weren't particularly helpful, they seemed excited nonetheless. Gracie celebrated with a dip in the creek!

Cache of the Day - Business Connections

The Bloomington Chamber of Commerce had its annual Business Expo this past Thursday, and of course Employment Plus had a booth.

This event is like a reunion of everyone we do business with in the Bloomington area. It's fun to catch up with the people from these businesses, and it also interesting to see what their business is up to.

I know that our goal is to make contacts for new business, but I often wonder how productive this is, as we only seem to connect with those we already know. I would love to hear some ideas on how to keep the focus.


Yes, I was one of the worst offenders this time, probably because this was local, and there were SO MANY people I know personally. And here some of the people there(from top to bottom):


Ryan Bass, in charge of Marketing for new spring water company, Walnut Grove (notice the cool bottles).

Dena Marietta, Director of Marketing for the College Mall, a Simon property (don't ask me why we're both leaning into each other).

Jean and Jackie, friends from SOCC


The Employment Plus crew from the Bloomington branch office - Erin, Heather, Rebecca, Katelyn, and me!

Cache of the Day - Musical Theatre

I have decided that heaven must truly be a Broadway musical. Nothing can be better!

Having just gotten back from seeing - for the second time - the touring company of "Wicked" perform in Chicago, I was reminded how much of a treasure these kinds of experiences really are. The show was even better than I had remembered it - great acting and wonderful sets and incredible costumes. And the music - oh the music! - was so awesome, and the voices made the story come alive.



"Wicked" has to be just about the best musical I've ever seen. I had season tickets to the theatre in LA when I lived there, and I had an opportunity to see great shows AND great stars of the theatre perform - Angela Lansbury in "Sweeney Todd", Jim Dale in "Barnum", Michael Crawford in "Phantom of the Opera", Lauren Bacall in "Woman of the Year", and Mickey Rooney in "Damn Yankees".





Of course, there is nothing like actually performing in musicals. My favorite roles include Petra in "A Little Night Music", The Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods", and Miss Electra, one of the strippers-with-a gimmick in "Gypsy" (my entire costume consisted primarily of light bulbs). I also enjoyed many different Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, as well as quite a bit of time spent in the pit with my flute an piccolo.



I'm excited that I've got a couple of other shows to see in the next couple of weeks, including "Nine" and "Aida". I can't wait. Going to see these shows MUST be what heaven is.

Cache of the Day - Favorite Holiday!

Having worked over 20 years in retail, I don't share the same "favorite holiday" as most and in fact prefer Easter. The holiday is more relaxed and generally the weather is warm (although not this year!).


Here are some Easter cookies that Taylor and I decorated. Much easier than decorating eggs (and much tastier!).

Cache of the Day - Beautiful Day!

I've always admonished people for taking pictures of scenery. If you want scenery you can buy a post card. Include people in your pictures!

Today, however, I could not help taking pictures of scenery as it was such a beautiful day in Bloomington, Indiana.

Having grown up in the desert, I never understood the concept of "bulb" plants, but here they are! Planted in the fall and patiently waiting to appear to signal the new season.




I also never understood "blooming". Yes, the cacti occasionally display their flora in the Spring, but it is not as spectacular as these blooming Red Bud trees (my favorite - and they only bloom for about three weeks.)





What a perfect day to sit and read and relax, and here's the place to do it. Of course, I never seem to be able to relax, so I didn't actually sit here, but it WOULD be a nice spot to catch a view of the lake, just a little ways away from my condo.





Days like these are meant to be spent outdoors!