On the road to my PMP

The confirmation came today—I am officially a member of the Project Management Institute! In addition, I've registered to join the Atlanta chapter of the organization, and another component for Women in Project Management. I'm really excited—this is my first step toward networking with other project managers and working toward my PMP certification.

The paperwork for UCDA is still being processed, so I'll post an update when I get that confirmation!

UFC Update

I just heard about an update to the fight card for UFC 119! Here's the word:

Former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira has been forced to pull out of his upcoming UFC 119 rematch against fellow former champion Frank Mir with an undisclosed injury.

A source close to the Brazilian fighter told Fighters Only that "Big Nog" suffered an injury in training that will require surgery. Nogueira is apparently expected to be sitting out until 2011 at the earliest and is "incredibly frustrated" at having to pull out of the fight.

The UFC has already found a replacement for "Big Nog" and that fighter is Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Cro Cop, a Croatian kickboxer and former law enforcement officer in the elite police Special Forces tactical unit, is a legend in the sport. A former K-1 and Pride fighter, Cro Cop holds notable wins over Josh Barnett, Eddie Sanchez, and Wanderlei Silva. He is on a two-fight winning streak after defeating Anthony Perosh and Pat Barry. At the age of 35, though, Cro Cop doesn't have quite as much spring in his step. Still, Pride fans nationwide still reminisce about the Cro Cop of old; the Cro Cop who won Pride's Open-Weight Grand Prix tournament in 2006.

Frank Mir is known for his brutal submissions. He holds notable victories over Tim Sylvia (armbar), Antoni Hardonk (kimura), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (TKO punches), Cheick Kongo (guillotine choke), and Brock Lesnar (knee bar).

Mir has all the tools to win this fight, particularly if it goes to the ground. Mir certainly has the ability to take it there. Mir's fight strategy will also determine where this fight will go. Cro Cop brings years of kickboxing and boxing experience to the table and is stronger on his feet, but Mir is practically unstoppable on the ground.

NASCAR

Though we haven't secured the tickets yet, I'm planning to attend my first NASCAR race in a few weeks!

The Great Clips 300 will take place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway just south of ATL. I'm not quite sure what to expect yet, but I hear that night races are a lot of fun—and I can't wait to tailgate! I just hope that I don't get addicted to this like I did with UFC—I don't have time for another hobby!

Movie 16: Inception

I loved Inception! This is definitely a movie worth seeing, and I think the big screen adds something to it. The concept was great, the visual effects were amazing, and the acting supported it all. I'd definitely recommend seeing this one!

I Painted Something!

I left "paint something" open-ended for good reason—I wasn't quite sure where this item would take me, but I was confident that it would be interesting enough to blog about—as it turns out, I was right!

Last night, my dear friend Lisa and I attended Sips n Strokes. It's simple: bring your favorite beverage and paint a picture along with an instructor as they show you step-by-step how to paint a beautiful masterpiece—and you can take it home at the end of the evening!

The website offers a calendar view with thumbnails of the painting for each day, so you can choose your date based on the type of painting you'd like to make. Most of the options are abstract, as that's generally easier for beginners to paint—we chose a beautiful cherry blossom tree.

We had such a blast, and everyone there was really nice. This would be a great place to have a party, too—we sipped some wine, but noticed that many of the other groups brought picnic stuff and munchies. Check out the website if you're interested: www.sipsnstrokes.com



Here's a photo of us with our finished products:

Movie 15: The Other Guys

The Other Guys wasn't BAD, but it wasn't good either. There were a couple funny parts, but it's not a movie I'd want to see again or get on DVD. If you're in the mood for some mindless activity—this is your movie.

3/11 Day Update....Already!

That was fast! The announcement has been made: 3/11 will be celebrated with a 311 Cruise!

"You are invited to cruise with 311 for 4 days & nights through the Caribbean! 311 are taking over the Carnival Destiny Cruise Ship! This will be a party unlike any party we've ever thrown!! The band will rock a few shows on-board and cruise from Miami to the Turks and Caicos Islands with you – and a few other great bands & DJ's! Are you ready to hit the high seas with 311 and friends?! Let’s do this!!! Get on board with 311 on 3-3-11!"

The ticket price includes:

• Roundtrip cruise from Miami to Grand Turk (Turks & Caicos islands)
• Cabin for 4 nights
• All food (restaurants & 24 hour room service)
• All Non-alcoholic / non-carbonated drinks
• 311 shows
• Shows from support bands & DJ's
• 311 Q&A
• Photo with the band
• Other on-board events for all 4 days & nights.

My wheels are already spinning trying to figure out how to get myself aboard this cruise and check two big items off my list!

3/11 Day Breakthrough?

You may remember that I missed 311 Day this year and was completely disappointed.

Well, I have a couple pieces of good news:

1. I attended their concert this summer in Atlanta and it was wonderful.

2. I have tickets to attend a special show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on Halloween, where they will play their first album—Music—it its entirety, and promise other hits, classics, and special surprises.

3. Their website says to stay tuned for a very special announcement regarding a 4 day event in the first week of March 2011! I would imagine that this special event is because March of 2011 will also be 3/11. So—this event might count as a 311 Day celebration and get checked off the list. I can't wait to hear where it will be taking place—I hope I can make it.

I'm headed to Indianapolis!

It's official—I'll be headed to Indianapolis in September to attend UFC 119!

I've always wanted to see UFC live, but never thought I'd have the opportunity until recently when they began moving the fights away from Las Vegas, and closer to the east coast.

I am particularly excited about this event because one of my favorite fighters—Frank Mir—is participating in the main event with Minotauro Nogueira.

The rest of the fight card includes:
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Ryan Bader
Matt Serra vs Chris Lytle
Sean Sherk vs Evan Dunham
Melvin Guillard vs Jeremy Stephens
Matt Mitrione vs Joey Beltran
TJ Grant vs Julio Paulino
Mark Hunt vs Sean McCorkle

I'm also really excited to see Indianapolis—I've never been there before, but it looks like a great place to visit! We're staying right downtown by Monument Circle, so I'll be sure to take some great pictures!

Change is Good!

You may have noticed a couple changes in my Thirty Before 30 list today, so I thought I’d write a quick post to explain—there are two reasons for the update:

First: when I created this list in January, I had a lot of good ideas, but kinda ran outta steam around 27, so there were a couple of “filler” items in there. Over the last few weeks I’ve been presented a couple of new opportunities that I think would be fun to blog about, and would have possibly been on the original list if I’d thought they were affordable/doable back then.

Second: it’s my blog and I can do what I want. Enjoy!