Tag, you're social.

I’ll get right to the point, I want to know what you think about location based social media. It’s supposedly all the rage amidst social media in general right now. Everything seems to have its eye on a location-oriented prize. Twitter (by the way, follow me @kristianmk) recently released the ability to broadcast your location with your tweets. That’s the whole point of Foursquare it seems.


I’ve been dutifully checking in all over Springfield, OH and really don’t feel like as a user I have reaped the benefits of Foursquare. The places that I’m going don’t seem to have any “tips” associated with them. I begrudgingly admit that this is possibly because we are in a smaller city in the Midwest – maybe in NYC, Chicago, or Miami the tips are abundant and hotspots are easy to pick out via Foursquare.

In April I’m travelling to Atlanta for a few days an am looking forward to using Foursquare while I’m there – to see if it really makes a difference in how I’m experiencing the city! I also vow to use Foursquare more the next time I’m in Columbus because I’m positive there’s got to be more at least going on there than here.

Okay – so what do you think? Here are a quick article from Social Media Examiner about ways to make geotagging work for your small b2c business, How to Drive More Customers to Your Local Business with Social Geotagging.

Recipe: No Noodle Spaghetti & Easy Garlic Bread!

Quick, easy, healthy, super low calorie, and filling:


No Noodle Spaghetti (1 Serving):
- 1 cup spaghetti squash (How To Cook)
- 1/4 cup diced zucchini
- 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/8 cup black beans
- 1/8 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
Toss in bowl. Mix it up. Heat it through.


Really Easy Garlic Bread:
- Half of a Whole Wheat English Muffin toasted and sprinkled with Garlic Powder.


The part you're likely to really like is the fact that this whole delicious meal is under 200 calories. Take a peak below. (Thanks Calorie Count for the great database to find calorie content!)

Obey Giant

Last night I went to the the Shepard Fairey / Obey Giant exhibit, "Supply And Demand," at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati and it was fabulous!

To get in early we (myself, my boyfriend, and friends) decided to become CAC Members, which I am very excited about because this means that not only will we for sure come back and see this awesome exhibit again, but it will be a great way to check out new artists throughout the year as the exhibits change! Plus I'm not very familiar with Cincinnati and it's only 1.5 hours away, so it will be nice to get to know the city!

Anyway, so we went in early and I purchased a limited edition print (one of 450) that was signed and numbered! It's the image to the left! During the interview that was occurring live in the building, Shepard Fairey said that the quote on the print was from a Black Flag song ... in case you were curious. :)

The rest of the exhibit was phenomenal, downstairs he had the art layed directly onto the walls and upstairs there were framed prints, original works on canvas, originals from his very early days in the 1980s, and great little snippets of information about why the artist did the different works.

I highly recommend going to this exhibit! Before you do though, I recommend checking out the artist's website: obeygiant.com to familiarize yourself with his work. Also, do a little research if you can find the time.

Here's the super skinny:
You are meant to be alarmed by the things the works say. Obey Giant wants to shock you into thinking for yourself And there's a lot of political commentaries in the works. He's an artist, he can say what he wants. But beyond that, each piece has intention and goals and you should read the little placards because they open the works up into a whole new dimension.

The Rehearsal Process

I haven't taken advantage of my blog yet for advertising a play that I am currently rehearsing for, so I will do that now.

I want to do that by taking a moment to comment on the rehearsal process, not specifically for The Vagina Monologues (my current play), but just in general. I think the rehearsal process for me can be summed up in seven stages:

On Book / Where do I go?

• This stage is more formally known as blocking and is one of the first things most directors will do with their cast. It's when you can barely even remember your character's name and your relationship to the other characters (or which actors are playing which characters) and are frantically scribbling blocking notes in the margins to attempt to decipher later when you finally sit down to do some character research.

On Book / This is what my character would say..

• At this point you've done a little research, a smidgen of character soul searching, and can finally remember who plays the other characters. You are finally finding your character's voice and are experimenting with different line delivery as means of expressing the few deep inner workings of the character that you've managed to consider so far.

On Book / I can't figure out how my character would move with this dang script in my hand...

• This is the stage where you are super frustrated with yourself because you have finally done a good deal of character work and are ready to really let your character drive your moments on stage, but the script in your hand is posing a major imposition. Yet somehow you just can't seem to find the time to learn your lines until the director finally says, "Okay guys - we're off book next week!"

Off Book / What's my line?

• This is the stage in which you're really annoyed that you (and the rest of the cast) did not manage to get off book sooner because noone can remember their lines and this is the most miserable rehearsal of your life. You can't even attempt to channel your inner character because you are way too busy imagining the pages of your script in your mind's eye.

Off Book / Oh yeah I need to move there...

• You can finally breathe a little easier and remember your lines so suddenly you don't look like a robot moving through your blocking. You praise Jesus for this because robot did not look good on you.

Off Book / Embodying my character

• You have been waiting way too long for this day to come - its the moment when your lines and blocking are officially second nature and that character you worked so hard to develop weeks ago is finally taking the steering wheel. You'd think this was euphoria if it weren't for the next stage.

Off Book / Bring on opening night!

• It's tech week, you are wearing your costume, the lights are up, you still remember your lines and your blocking, you are not on stage but your character is. All your ducks are lining up. You'd think this were euphoria, if it weren't for what comes after this stage...

OPENING NIGHT. This was what all the build up was for. This is it. And it is worth it.

Okay, so that was a fairly comedic (but probably pretty honest) look at the rehearsal process. I love the theatre and I love how it feels to be on stage. What I also love are good causes. And The Vagina Monologues, which goes up this coming Thursday evening, has portions of the funds raised going directly to Project Woman, an organization striving to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

All that being said - I invite you out to the show!

Read up on OTG & HBG!

Here's a quick link to our OTG Company Blog where you can read a great article written about OTG's efforts to get Hollandia Botanical Gardens, a local nonproft, up and running in tip-top IT shape!

More of tofu, sprouts, and The Vagina Monologues later this week!

:]