Cache of the Day - Mardis Gras fun

My friend Jackie and I got a chance for a brief Mardis Gras celebration on Tuesday - I had one hous between work and symphony rehearsal - but we made it fun in even the limited time.

We met a few people at Crazy Horse. Jackie brought her beads and masks that her son Zach had acquired recently in New Orleans. I brought my headdress from my fiftieth birthday party.

Fortunately for everyone, I chose not to dress in the entire outfit (seen below).

Cache of the Day - Exotic Felines

Check out the beautiful felines that are being protected and cared for, right here in Indiana (and as you can see, even in the dead of winter). Learn more about them at http://www.exoticfelinerescuecenter.org/home.html.

They provide permanent homes for exotic felines that have been abused, abandoned or for some reason have nowhere to live out their lives, and they also educate the public about these beautiful cats.

My friend Kyle and I made a day of it. She's been there several times before, and I'm glad she took me a long this time. What a wonderful experience!

When we first arrived, we were witness to a trio of male lions in a fight - obviously agitated when a new male was introduced recently to the center.

We spent quite a bit of time, getting personal and as up close as we dared. We saw the animals being fed (poor horses - all that was left were their hooves), and we saw them interact. They stalked us, tried to pee on us (marking territory), and several were very happy to see us.

What a great time seeing lions and tigers and cougars and panthers and bobcats. Oh my!

Cache of the Day - Award Recipient

SCIHRA Board Members of the Year
– Linda Dausend
– Amanda Abrell

SCIHRA Chapter Volunteers of the Year
- Sandy Garrett
- Kara Zemlyak

Student Chapter Member of the Year
- Wendy Wlodychak, President of IUHRA

Bloomington Employers of Choice 2008
– City of Bloomington
– Employment Plus



SCIHRA Chapter Volunteer of the Year
This category honors a person who must be a member of the SCIHRA Chapter. The award is presented to someone who is an example of a dedicated leader, contributor and caretaker of the spirit of the Human Resources profession while serving as a volunteer in the SCIHRA community. The conduct of the recipient must be such that they are considered above reproach with regard to ethics, quality, service and by projecting a positive chapter image.

Student Chapter Member of the Year
This is awarded to the Student Chapter Member who holds a leadership position and has demonstrated exemplary leadership skills. The recipient exhibits the ability to successfully work with the organization, leads the organization with innovative ideas, delegates responsibilities, and provides direction to members.

SCIHRA Board Member of the Year
The Board Member must be a member in good standing with the SCIHRA chapter. The Board Member must have demonstrated continuing interest in and support of SCIHRA through contribution of time, talent or resources to the purpose and objectives of the association. The Board Member must have a record of good attendance at all scheduled board meetings. The Board Member must have a record of attending various Chapter-related activities. The Board Member must have a record of serving or personally contributing to committees established by the SCIHRA board.


Bloomington Employer of Choice
The Employer of Choice goes beyond the traditional view of high salaries and great benefits. The Employer of Choice makes an organization’s employees their most competitive advantage. Employers of Choice are companies that place a high value on human assets and set the benchmark for everyone else in how they recruit, protect, develop, lead and retain their employees.

Cache of the Day - The 70s

Why are all these people so OBSESSED with the 7os and they were just BABIES during the decade??? I was in high school (graduated in '74) and wasn't that crazy about the music or the styles. But it was kinda fun to flashback tonight.

I was invited to a 7os party and - wow - people went all out - renting costumes and buying afro wigs and lots-o-chains.

My friends Ashley and Norm hosted the event and did it up right. They had 70s food (Bugles, CheezWiz, french onion dip, and "Tang-tinis"), as well as the requisite 70s music (gotta LOVE "Y.M.C.A." and the Bee Gees), and most everyone came decked out in bell bottoms and go-go boots.

Check out these pix and here's a link to some more.

Cache of the Day - Getting through 2008

Two thousand eight had a lot of great highlights, many of which are included in this blog. Greatest things that happened this year:

• New Year's Masquerade Ball in Indianapolis




• Skiing in Wisconsin




• Baking in the sun in Phoenix




• Feeling the vortexes in Sedona




• A retreat from the desert while visiting Flagstaff




• Carefree exhiliration on the roller coasters at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio




• Big-city fun in Chicago




• The awesomeness of Washington D.C.

And then, fun musical stuff

• Night in Old Vienna with the BSO in February




• Tap dance recital in May




• Picnic with the Pops in July




• Cowboy concert at the mall with the BSO




• Holiday with the POPs Thanksgiving weekend




• Christmas musical at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church




• Messiah Sing with Bloomington Chamber Singers

Of course, there was the whole thing with Taylor getting appendicitis (see left).

Looking forward to another great year! Merry Christmas to all!

Cache of the Day - Kentucky Conference

We have branches in both Indiana and Kentucky (among other states), so we have a very strong presence at the state SHRM conferences. While we do a have lot of same foundational preparation for conferences in both states, our Employment Plus participants are delightfully different, the "souther" we go.





Here are some shots of our booth, as well as a picture me and our Area Managers (Chrissy Bowman from Lexington and Richmond, and Crystal Meredith from Louisville and New Albany), and a shot of some of our evening activities. Most notable, was our night at a place at Fourth Street Live, in Louisville, called The Rock Bar. They have the COOLEST karaoke ever, called Full Contact Karaoke, where you sing with an actual ROCK BAND!!!! I was in heaven! Here I am singing a John Mellencamp song with my rock band.


Once they figure out how to do Full Contact Broadway my life will be complete.

Cache of the Day - Going to a Professional Football Game

Joe and I used to have season tickets to the San Diego Chargers and we LOVED it! We had them during the era of "Air Coryell", so there was lots of offensive action on the field.

Of course, most of the fun comes from actually BEING at a NFL game. The tailgating, the food, the awesomeness of the stadium. Being within the crowd is always an experience, and The Wave was a big trend during the 80's when we had these tickets.

Time haven't changed much. We went to an Indianapolis Colts game last month, in their new stadium. Tailgating was at the downtown bars, but we still had fun stadium food and the crazy crowd. And, although The Wave was pitifully weak, we did get to experience the new Colts stadium.

Sadly, the Colts lost, but you still can't change that excitement for anything.