Things: TweetDeck, A True Time Saver

At first when I was trying to come up with an idea for this blog, I kept drawing a blank. I've been so swamped with work that I haven't had much time to focus on my own social media presence. However, while working it came to me, so hopefully you'll find this thing as useful as I do!

TweetDeck

As a social media marketer, I find that I'm constantly on Facebook and Twitter for work, however, I also have my own personal Twitter and Facebook account. I found that constantly logging on and off or opening up a number of tabs was growing old. With so many social media accounts, it was becoming time consuming, frustrating  and a little confusing. I took a social media marketing class in college and I vaguely remembered the TA giving a presentation on something called TweetDeck. I decided to check it out. 

I became hooked immediately. I've been using it for about two weeks now and it has proven to be a valuable tool. So what is TweetDeck? TweetDeck is a organizational device for all things social media related. One can put all their social media platforms all on one page. One can connect their Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Google Buzz accounts so that they are easily accessible and all in one place. TweetDeck splits each account into clearly labeled columns. You can also tweet and update your Facebook status directly from TweetDeck, making it so that you never have to open a separate tab again! Unfortunately, Google+ hasn't gotten in on the action yet, but I'm sure they will.

If you aren't really into social media, than this probably isn't for you, but if you are, I would definitely check it out!

Song of the Month: Capital Cities--Safe and Sound

Things: Envirosax, Conveniently Green!

In case you haven't heard, I recently decided to dedicate this blog to people, places and things. For those of you that have been following the posts, I promise this will be the last time I go over this. For those of you that are new to reading this blog, here's a quick run down. Every Wednesday I will update this blog with a review of a person, place or thing. I'm open to suggestions, so if you have a certain someone that you think is worth knowing, or a favorite place, or a great item that you want me to share with the world, just let me know!

So, now that you've been reminded feel free to read on!

Envirosax

I'm sure by now you've all heard of this little thing called Global Warming. Well it turns out that this little thing is actually a big deal! Although it's taken a while, finally people are realizing that we all need to do our part to save our planet. 

Plastic bag littering our oceans

One thing that people do on a weekly (and sometimes daily!) basis is go grocery shopping. By now we are all familiar with the question "paper or plastic?" If you have a choice, go with paper. Yeah, you gotta kill some trees, but at least the bags can be recycled. The plastic bags at the grocery store are not made to be recycled and the majority of them end up littering our planet; hurting our environment as well as endangering the lives of countless animals.  So, when you go to the grocery store and you hear that question, "paper or plastic?" wouldn't it be great to be able to say "neither"? Well, now you can. 

Now it seems like almost any store you go into is selling their own reusable bags in an effort to eliminate this needless waste. Some grocery stores, such as Fred Meyer have even held promotionals; such as a 10cent discount for every reusable bag you used per visit. While I applaud their efforts, most of the time the reusable bags sold at these stores are cheaply made, inconvenient and dare I say ugly? 

I realize that vanity should not be high on the list when trying to save the planet, but let's face it, 9 times out of 10 we're gonna go with the cool looking item over the environmentally friendly one. Furthermore, most of these stores put their logo in big, bold letters all over these bags. I love the environment but I don't necessarily want to be a free walking advertisement for my local grocery store, but now I won't have to thanks to Envirosax!

Snapshot of Envirosax website. 

A few years ago my sister got me my first Envirosax. This was when when reusable bags were starting to come into the mainstream. I thought it was a cool idea, but I was living on campus and so I rarely ever went to the grocery store, and if I did I was buying only one or two items that I could just stick in my purse. It wasn't until she gave me a new Envirosax a few months ago that I really realized just how awesome these things are! Now that I'm home I've been doing my own grocery shopping and I would recommend the Envirosax to anyone, every time. 

My Envirosax after a trip to the grocery store!

So what makes the Envirosax so great? Three things. The first being its durability. One large Envirosax can hold up to 44lbs. That's considerably more than a plastic or paper bag at the grocery store. I've purchased reusable bags at the store and theirs tend to break at the seams when they have more than 10lbs of groceries stuffed in them.

Another plus is that the bags are washable. While they discourage machine washing, a simple hand washing will do the trick! 

The bags have also undergone testing to make sure they are being produced in the most environmentally friendly way possible. This is important to me, and I'm sure to you, because it seems pointless to have the manufacturing process cancel out any good that would come from using a reusable bag!

Size comparison. 

Convenience is crucial as well. I know in the past, although I had reusable bags, I hardly used them because I always either forgot them at home or left them in the car, only to remember them at the check out counter. Not anymore! The Envirosax can be rolled up and is small enough to fit in my purse so I can take it with me wherever I go. There are other reusable bags that are made to be rolled up, but they can oftentimes be a pain and don't fold up as neatly and as easily as they claim. Not the Envirosax, it takes no time at all to roll up and it's easy too. Here's a little picture step by step I took so you can visualize the effortlessness. 

Step 1: Lay bag out flat.

Step 2: Fold handles over.

Step 3: Roll bag up "hot dog" style.

Once you have a long roll...

Step 4: Roll bag up towards the ties on the bottom of the bag.

Step 5: Once all rolled up, just snap the ties around the bag.

Rolling the Envirosax up literally takes no time at all. 

Finally, style. Envirosax makes a large variety of bag styles and prints. There is something for everyone. I love the two I have because they are reusable bags but don't look like reusable bags!

Clearly I like red, but if you can't stand the color red, don't worry, you'll definitely find something that suites your needs and your style. 

On top of all this, Envirosax's are affordable. They range in prices, from the inexpensive $8.95 to the more pricey $39.95. Either way, you'll be able to find something in your price range while helping save the planet at the same time! 

For more information you can check out Envirosax's website www.envirosax.com. Until next time, happy shopping!

Song of the week: Little Boots--Earthquake (Phinz Remix)

Places: The Portland Spirit, Anchors Away!

If you're reading this then you are reading the second installment of my new blog  People, Places, Things. Just To refresh your memory, or if this is your first visit to my blog I'll give you a quick synopsis. Every Wednesday I will be writing a new blog post dedicated to people, places, or things. I'm also open to suggestions. If you want me to write about one of your favorite people, places or things I'd be more than happy! Just let me know :)

So, now that your memories have all been jogged, let's begin!

Portland Spirit

Portland Spirit

This past weekend my Aunt and Uncle visited Mom and I in  Portland, OR. It had been years since the last time they visited so we made sure to pack their trip full of sight seeing. While we did quite a bit of adventuring, the one excursion that really stuck with me was our night out on the Portland Spirit. Although I've lived in Portland my whole life, this was the first time I had been on the Portland Spirit and it is definitely something that I would encourage all current Portlanders and any visitors to do at least once!

Salmon Street Fountain

While there are a number of various cruises you can do, we decided to partake in the Dinner Cruise . Although I'm sure the cruise would be great no matter what the weather, we were fortunate enough to do the cruise on a beautiful, warm evening. We met on the Portland Waterfront; in front of the Salmon Street Fountain where the Portland Spirit was docked. Boarding the boat (ship?) at 6:30, we were lucky enough to get window seats!!!

From left to right: Mom, Me, Aunt, Uncle

At 7:00pm, the Spirit pulled away from the dock and we were off! The Spirit has various routes, but the one we were on goes South along the Willamette River. Once it reaches the end of Lake Oswego (a suburb of Portland) it turns around and comes back to dock at Salmon Street. All together the cruise takes about 2.5 hours. 

Captain Morgan Lime Bite & Strawberry Mojito

Anyway, it's not all about the cruise, but also about the dinner! The Portland Spirit has a full bar. You can really get anything you want, but for each cruise the bartender  creates a special drink. The special cocktail for the night was a Captain Morgan Lime Bite and  Strawberry Mojito, and let me tell you, it was delicious. It was so delicious that I treated myself to two! It was not that strong (probably why I could have two without even a buzz).

After our drinks it was time to order. The Spirit has an option of two appetizers. This night it was prawns and mushrooms. They also have a house salad and you can choose from four entrees, either Chicken, Beef, Seafood or Vegetarian. We decided to start off with appetizers, ordering the mushrooms. I ordered the Beef option since, what can I say, I'm a meat eater!

Mushroom Appetizer

I'm going to be honest, initially I wasn't thrilled with the appetizer options. I hate seafood and I probably like mushrooms even less, but my family wanted to order them anyway. I was blown away. The mushrooms were soooo  good! I don't know what kind they were or what sauce they were in, but I had quite a few! Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised that the Portland Spirit got me to not only enjoy, but eat multiple mushrooms.

Beef entree

Our entrees were great too! Sometimes when you do these cruises you're paying for the experience and not so much for the food, but in this case the food was just as good as the view! My beef option, which ended up being medallions with potatoes and vegetables was very good. It was some of the most tender and flavorful beef I have ever had! The service was exceptional as well. Our server and busser were very friendly and informative. It was great talking with them. Also, the servers sing! You can inform them of any special reason why you're there (anniversary, birthday etc.) and they will serenade you with piano
accompaniment. The cherry on top of this great experience were the beautiful views throughout our meal.

View of Waterfront from window

After dinner came my favorite part of any meal...dessert! They had an option of three different desserts; cheesecake, Snicker's pie and Bailey's Irish Creme pie. My Aunt and Mom chose the cheesecake, my Uncle chose the Snicker's pie and I chose the Bailey's Irish Creme pie. I had a bite of the cheesecake and the Snicker's pie and they were delicious, but I think I made the right choice. My Bailey's Irish Creme pie was to die for. I still find myself thinking about it, wishing I had a slice in my fridge! If you still haven't been  convinced to go on the Portland Spirit, just do it for the Bailey's Irish Creme pie...it will be the best decision of your life. I promise. 

Bailey's Irish Creme pie

Once we were pleasantly fat and happy after our dinner, we decided to go to the top deck and really take in the views and fresh air. By the time we were done eating we had reached Lake Oswego and the boat (ship?!) was turning around to head back. The beautiful evening was turning into a beautiful night and the sunset was gorgeous. Although it was a little chilly on the deck it wasn't unbearable (but I do recommend bringing a sweater, no matter how warm it is on land, it's always a little cooler on the deck of a ship!).

Me steering the ship. The Captain is behind me.

What's really cool about the Portland Spirit is that you have the chance to meet with the Captain and steer the boat (ship?!) yourself! With encouragement from my Uncle I took the helm! Even though the Captain is there the whole time watching and guiding you, it's still a little nerve racking since the lives of over 300 are in your hands (although the chances of anything happening are slim.) It's worth it though. And if you go on the Portland Spirit I recommend doing it, it's pretty fun. You also get a fun certificate signed by the Captain too!

Once my time steering the Portland Spirit was up it was time to walk around the deck and take in the views.

  

View of the deck. Notice the two women who dressed up for the occasion!

Lake Oswego Rail Road Bridge

View of Sellwood Bridge 

Helm of Portland Spirit

Portland City Skyline

Portland Waterfront

Hawthorne Bridge

All in all the night was one that I'll always remember. Having lived in Portland my whole life, it was cool seeing the city and river from a different perspective.  I found a short video that tells a little bit more about the cruise. You can watch it to see the Portland Spirit in action!

If the Portland Spirit seems like something you want to do you can visit their website www.portlandspirit.com. There you can find cruise information, make group or event reservations, look at the event calendar and many other things!

Hope that convinced all of you to check out the Portland Spirit! 

Song of the week: The Hood Internet--Comfortable Up Here (Lil Wayne vs. Royksopp)

Until next time, this is Cassandra McCann for People, Places, Things. See you on the Sea!

People: Malcolm McCann, Happy Father's Day!

So, this is the first post of my People, Places, Things blog, but before I begin let me explain what the deal is.

After blogging for the last 6 months I found that I was struggling to find my niche. For awhile I blogged about social media marketing which is something that I am interested in. Then for awhile I blogged about life after college since I'm a recent graduate of Clark University! Still, as much as I was passionate about these things, something just wasn't working. I knew that I didn't want to just blog about my day, having an online diary just isn't my thing (not that there is anything wrong with that). I love crafts and baking, so having a craft blog seemed interesting but I don't have the time or money to bake or craft something unique every week (although I wish I could!) Then it came to me...People, Places, Things. Bam! That's it.

Here's the plan: Every Wednesday I will blog about people, places or things that are of interest. Sounds lame? Well...it's not. I'm also open to suggestions, if you have a person, place or thing you'd like me to research and blog about it'd be my pleasure!

Now that that's out of the way, let's begin!

Malcolm McCann

Although he isn't famous, Malcolm McCann is a person to know. He is one of the kindest, funniest most genuine people I know and I am proud to call him my Dad. In honor of this past Father's Day I'd like to tell you a little bit about my own Father. 

McCann clan, Malcolm is the little one on his Dad's lap

Born on July 21, 1944 in Montreal, Canada, Malcolm was the baby of eleven! As one can imagine, with such a large family there was always something going on. Since Malcolm was the baby, he knew many of his younger siblings a little better than the older ones since many of the older ones were married and out of the house. The 10th child was David. David and Malcolm were incredibly close, however, being the baby Malcolm took his orders from David. As Malcolm tells it, David had a knack for finding trouble.

There is one story from my Dad's childhood that has stuck with me. Although he's not exactly proud of it, I find it absolutely hilarious and it gives a pretty good idea what Malcolm's childhood was like. Malcolm can tell this story much better than I can, but for this post I'll give it my best shot! 

When Malcolm was about 8 years old and his brother David was about 10 David and Malcolm decided it would be cool to build a clubhouse. Being the ring leader, David summoned the neighborhood kids and told them of their plan to build a boys only club house. Everyone was extremely excited, but being kids, and being from a poor neighborhood no one had any money for supplies. They had hammers but no wood so the boys set out to find some. After wandering the neighborhood they came across wooden crates behind a convent. Making sure no one was looking, the boys took the crates and ran to someones house to disassemble the crates in order to build their clubhouse. Finally, after lots of hard work the clubhouse was finished. For the next few days the boys would hold meetings.  One day there was a knock on the door of the McCann household. Malcolm's Mother Theresa opened the door and there stood a nun. The nun informed her that there wooden crates had recently gone missing and that they had received word that Malcolm and David were the culprits and that they would not get the boys in trouble as long as they returned the wood within the next day. That night David called a final meeting in the clubhouse. Before the meeting started, David told Malcolm something very ominous. David told Malcolm to sit right next to the door and that as soon as he blew the candle out to immediately run and don't stop until he got home. Malcolm knew something was up, but he just didn't know what. Later that night, once all the boys were in the clubhouse David began the meeting. He informed them that this would be there last meeting and that the next morning they would have to take the clubhouse apart and return  the wood. As the meeting began to wind down, David spontaneously blew out the candle, and on cue Malcolm jumped up and bolted out, all the way home hearing screams and protests emanating from the club house. 

The next day as Malcolm and David were taking apart the clubhouse, Malcolm asked his brother what had happened the night before. Apparently David suspected that one of the neighborhood boys had told his parents about the club house and the stolen wood and that is how the nuns found out. Furious, but not knowing who the snitch was, David decided to get back at all the boys. The reason he had wanted Malcolm to run away was because as soon as he blew out the candle he had then proceeded to pull down his pants and pee on everyone! 

Good ol' fashioned fun...you gotta love it!

When Malcolm was 14 his family moved to Santa Monica, California. Malcolm immediately discovered that sunny California was for him, submerging himself in the culture. The Beach Boys  could be described as the soundtrack to his life. A surfer by day and drummer by night (his stage name was Flash too...) Malcolm has always known how to have a good time and not to take anything too seriously. 

This blog is going on longer than expected, but with 67 years under his belt, there's quite a bit to say! If you are still reading this I'll cut this short by saying that Malcolm McCann

Dad and I

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!

Song of the week: The Beach Boys--Wouldn't It Be Nice (The Girls Can Hear Us Remix)