The Trickiest Holiday Party of the Season... the office party

The holidays are undoubtedly in full swing which means so are some of the seasons most awaited festive parties; the holiday office party (no matter how obligatory it may be) being among the many. This particular holiday celebration is somewhat of a time for employers to reward their team/staff members successes, and for collaboration between fellow colleagues while looking forward to the year to come... yet its somehow easily forgotten that this event is absolutely NOT the setting to be the life of the party! Over indulgence and undesirable behavior wont be forgotten once the party commences… The cardinal rule is to remember that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

So before you head out to mix and mingle  throwing caution to wind or ladies letting your hair down here a few words of wisdom to help you navigate the the potentially dangerous festive waters:

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RSVP

Aways rsvp within in 3 days and if you suddenly find out you are unable to attend be sure to give ample notice.

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Dress Code

Dress appropriately for the occasion- find out the dress code for the party and follow it and don’t forget… its business. My suggestion is keep your guard up when deciding on what to wear and stay away from anything that is too short, too tight, too revealing, too casual or that simply looks untidy.

Be on Tme

Never show up early and don’t waltz in 30 mins late. Andn’t be the last employee to leave.

Make Proper Intros

If you are bringing a date or spouse to the holiday party, be sure you are properly introducing him or her to your bosses and colleagues

Limit Your Liquor

Open bar should never be interpreted as an open invitation get to totally smashed… limit your liquor, especially if you’re known to not be the best at handling it… behavior included!

More so, don’t over consume…anything. Whether its food, alcohol or people, its important to enjoy all aspects of the party in moderation.

Dancing

Just because you can get-low does NOT mean you should… especially considering you’re on the office party dance floor, wouldn’t want that picture to fail the two fridge test now would you leading to potentially damaging cyber remorse…

Put Your Phone Away

In our always-on society being mindful of your smartphone use is crucial (practice smartphone etiquette) A holiday event filled with partygoers instagramming, tweeting and just plain virtually sharing just about everything, its plain rude! Memorialize it later or when you’re not in the company of those who deserve your attention far more than your followers and potential likers!

Don’t Talk Shop

Or gossip or talk politics- No matter who you’re talking to keep the conversation light, you and the people around you are there to enjoy themselves.

Know Who to Thank

The planner often times gets overlooked and a simple thank you showing your appreciation can go a long way.   

Moral of the story is, share the spirit sensibly. Follow the above suggestions to avoid falling off the fast track to success or risk damaging your professional reputation in this one night

of potential inadvertent blunders. And once again, remember the cardinal rule that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

Lost Your Waze? Blogger Reboot

This past weekend during a cross town trip headed back to the Westside, I enlisted the ever so trusted help of Waze to get us to where we needed to go when our in car guided assistant sounded off, “In 800 ft turn left on Fountain” Of all the shortcuts and all the redirect possibilities Waze could have offered, the irony of the guided navigation prompting me down Fountain to avoid Sunday drivers got me thinking… Thinking about something else in my life which could benefit from the Waze prompted trip down one of the most iconic short cuts of LA… if you guessed my blog, you are correct.

Usually people quit blogging on a site because they stop enjoying it or because they fall out of the habit… I am not sure which applies here because I don’t think I was really ever “in the habit” and there is no question as to whether or not I enjoy blogging.

I kept a journal most of my life and really I utilized a blog as the adult version of such. Whether its sharing my take on the latest jewelry trend, or musings from a recent outing with family or friends, I have always taken some small comfort in knowing that beyond the memories themselves my blog is where I can recount and share events (even if it just you reading them Mom).  A reboot of anything can seem difficult, daunting and at time even frustrating, but it’s important to remember that its almost always possible to restart, relaunch and refocus your efforts as time allows. And the excitement which follows is a rewarding feeling and who knew Waze would help me get there. This past Sunday, I took Sunset which led me Santa Monica (with a quick trip up La Brea) and I ending up Taking Fountain. 

Music Month By Month: January Playlist

January 2013 from jessburgs on 8tracks Radio.

Lets start by pressing play above...

Do you ever find yourself stumbling backwards in time after hearing a certain song from your past? Whether that past the song has taken you to is a particular afternoon cira 1999 or maybe even yesterday, there is something so majestic about how music can induce such nostalgic feelings.  It’s as if we have these memories of events just inaudibly napping inside our heads waiting for a certain something  song to wake them up… and sometimes when those memories are awoken from their afternoon nap they come knocking on our doors bearing good feelings, ones worth reminiscing about. This got me thinking about the importance of music in my life… and how listening to a single song can make such a difference in my day. I’m not sure why but every few weeks or so I kinda get stuck on a certain set of songs… Im sure my nearest and dearest can attest to my cd burning obsession in my earlier days… I literally had a mix for everything… even one for cleaning my room {not a joke and I actually still own the majority of these…} This year I have decided to create a playlist a month… not sure that at the end of the year these playlists will be entirely made up of nostalgia inducing songs, but we shall see… Above and below {below complete list} are my songs for the month of January!  Here’s to a playlist a month {both old and new} of my most played –most listened to-and most loved jams... enjoy!

And that's all my iPhone has to say about it...

One of my favorite things about being home is my Bay Trail run! Its between 6 and 10 miles and sometimes its just what i need... this past trip home i took a spill during one of my afternoon runs which im still suffering for as you can see below {pretty obvi} I also love spending time with family and friends and who can forget about baby kitty my little cuddy buddy! Cant wait to get back to my city by the bay... Alameda!