ryssee's world

Name: LARYSSA Nicknames: RIS Birthplace: PITTSFIELD, MA Current Location: JUST OUTSIDE BOSTON Hair Color: BROWN Eye Color: HAZEL Height: 5'6" (OR 5'7" WHEN I'M 10 LBS HEAVIER) Weight: ARE YOU FOR REAL? 9 LBS LESS THAN THANKSGIVING THOUGH Tattoos?: butterfly on ankle since 1994 Piercings?: EARS. STILL GOT SOME EXTRA HOLES FROM THE 80'S TOO, BUT I DON'T USE 'EM --Your-- Bedtime: 10:30 WHEN RANDY'S HOME. OTHERWISE, MIDNIGHTISH Best Physical Feature: SMILE Most Embarrassing Moment: WHEN MY PANTS SPLIT OPEN ROLLERSKATING AT BROYLES ARENA Most Missed Memory: I CAN'T REMEMBER, I'M MISSING THAT MEMORY First Thought When You Wake Up: YAY, RANDY'S GONNA GET ME SOME COFFEE! Weakness: BARGAIN SHOPPING Best Friends: KAREN, KIM, AND DAVE. CAROLYN IS A GREAT FRIEND TOO! Goal For The Year: GET TO MY GOAL WEIGHT, WHICH I USED TO BE TWO YEARS AGO BUT IT HAS SLIPPED AWAY Greatest Fears: LOSING THE PEOPLE THAT I LOVE --This Or That-- Pepsi or Coke...DIE...

The big story at Outdoor Retailer? Sustainability. Wikipedia says of sustainability, "It is intended to be a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals in a very long term." Excellent idea, and most outdoor-related companies have gotten on board with using everything from recycled polyesters (as in fleece), organic cottons, Merino wools, recycled rubber, bamboo, even coconut, to build their products (My company will have several items made incorporating bamboo and wool.) A couple companies showed up with brand new booths made with everything from wood to cardboard. Very cool! And our company purchased Carbon Neutral Energy credits for our team. It's a pretty cool concept. It would be really cool if airlines and ...

I miss you, and I love you. Love, Ris

So, now it's 9:17am and I should be in the air but my flight got cancelled. Spent an hour in line getting re-booked, but yay, now it's a nonstop to SLC on Delta which is the flight I wanted anyway, but it's not until 4:45 now so I lugged the big bags to the curb and took a cab back home. Got six hours to wait to get a cab back. It's nice to live a couple miles from the airport. Sure would have stunk to get up at 4am and drive for 2 hours to have this happen! Instead, I get to eat breakfast at home, and pet the kitties, and watch The Price is Right.

Going to Salt Lake City tomorrow for the Outdoor Retailer trade show (click title of this post for the link). Always a good time the first two days-they have most of the biggest to littlest suppliers of outdoor gear, footwear and apparel. There's even one company that puts up a huge blow-up pool and holds kayak and canoe demos. It's really cool to see what's going to be out in the marketplace two seasons for now. We're all showing our Fall 07 lines to retailers from all across the country. It's make-or-break time for the Product and Design teams. Must be a lot of pressure to see if your concepts and designs are what the people (we consumers) really want to buy a year from now. So, there are always these great parties thrown by the biggest names in the industry - last year I missed the Black-Eyed Peas in a bar, and OR sponsored a concert by one of my 80's faves A Flock of Seagulls. It seems I only get to see the local bands. The best I've done so far is ...

So, I'm a believer in diversifying your investments. I'm not so great with money myself; I balance the 401k and the Roth whenever I take an update class at work. Mostly I invest in my appearance in the workplace. Randy has as part of his portfolio now a few very beautiful collectible guitars. Last weekend I tuned a guitar as old as he is! And, from my guitar lessons in the 6th grade, I can play three chords and Mary Had a Little Lamb on them. (Thanks Mom!) I love the music room. Lots of people have home theater systems or pool tables, but we have a red room with all things music. How cool is that?

These people from Seattle SUCK! And they're freaky! I thought people from Seattle were supposed to be hip and cool and musically inclined! What the hell was up with "Hotness" and the chick with the bleached blond hair who brought her mom into the audition? It's almost as scary as that God woman coming back on Trading Spouses. Or camping in The Apprentice tent. Or watching Paula Abdul give interviews.