: 
![[Facebook]](http://www.fredflare.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.fredflare.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.fredflare.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.fredflare.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.fredflare.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Email]](http://www.fredflare.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
My biggest resolution of the new year is to just let go. Let go of things that have happened because they can’t be changed. Regret nothing because feeling bummed about something that’s already long gone ain’t gonna do jack. And most importantly, because this is a big one for me: don’t take situations, yourself and DEFINITELY others too seriously! I know that’s totally a problem I have sometimes, but hey at least I’m acknowledging it and want to change that. So here’s some things to have a laugh about: Ridley’s classic jokes set is always a fun time and the Farts book never gets old (#10 is a killer). And in regards to not taking myself so seriously, I should bust out the Best Dance Moves …Ever! book(really good & really funny illustrations) so I can finally learn to do that that CUSSING moonwalk. Oh and I also shouldn’t be afraid to get my knees scraped up every once in a while, so I’ll be sure to have the wacky bandages(bacon plz) ready for action when I get back on my bike/board this spring. SO, the bottom line is, be yourself, but try to be a better person, don’t give a flying cuss what anyone thinks about you, don’t regret anything unless you’ve wronged someone then just apologize for it like a human being, don’t hold grudges cause no one’s perfect, dance more, frankie says relax, and hide your kids, hide your wife. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! CHEERS! XOXO
 | ||
 | ||
We went to Albany. Met up with one of CJ’s friends from college at this country store bake shop, one of those family-run places with lots of charm and they sell cider donuts and sandwiches and knick-knacks. Food was served kinda cafeteria style where you’d order your turkey club at the counter and then they’d deliver it at this other counter, a paper plate on a tray. And they’d yell out, TURKEY CLUB!!!! I found it a little confusing.
I hate when people come into our store so confused like What is this place? I’m like, Uh, we’re a store? And we sell stuff? And then when we were at Jingle people would just wander off with items from our shop, thinking they could pay for everything elsewhere I guess? And all day long we’d have to explain. No, each shop is different. You have to pay at each register. Seemed silly that we’d have to explain such a thing and we got a little annoyed by it. Who couldn’t figure that out?, CJ would ask. But here we were, and I was like, How does this work?
And then I had to keep asking to pay. They’d call out the dish and I’d go up and I’d want to pay for it – I guess I was just nervous I’d forget – so I’d be like, May I pay for this now? There was a sign that said something like Pay For Your Items Upon Delivery so I was trying to Follow The Rules but they kept being like, Sure, whatever. You can pay now or you can pay later. Was kinda stressing me out.
I ordered chicken fingers and this old lady brought them out and I was like thank you may I pay for these and she was like the girl who does that isn’t here right now. You can pay for it when you’re done.
And then after eating we started shopping. Chris and I had been talking in the car about how much we love vintage Christmas and how we’d like to explore this world more and how maybe we should buy some Holiday stuff now while it’s still around for inspiration for next year and there they had all these wacky xmas decorations 50% off. Little cardboard trees and figurines and ceramic snow villages and a mini holiday RV that lights up in its own little bed of snow.
I reached for the RV, 50% off after all, and then saw that it was covered in cobwebs. I think it’s been 50% off for a very, very long time. There was this super cute like mountain of sparkly snow dotted with little trees and it had two skiers on it and you plug it in and the skiers are magnetized and they go up and down the mountain. 50% off. I had to have it.
Sometimes, and I haven’t had this feeling in a little while and it’s usually only when I’m manic, but I get to shopping and I cant stop it feels so good. Was like that today. Got stuck in these old racks of greeting cards and couldn’t stop. I need to have this faded card with flowers on it that says Happy Belated Birthday. I need this one with two fuzzy kittens in a mailbox that says Merry Christmas to You Both. And here, this other card has a cat that looks just like Mittens. I have to get this for SJ. And this card with the unicorn my dad would LOVE.
Oh, and this package of candy cane Pop Rocks is 50% off. I didn’t know that Pop Rocks came in Candy Cane. We should sell that in our store. I’ll buy it for research. And this box of ribbon candy totes has a vintage feel and I asked for the price of the handpanted Santa Claus sign but they said it wasn’t for sale. And the chocolate chip cookie lamp? How much is that? They said it was $289. I said I’d think about it. Forced myself to stop and I checked out at the counter and at the end the lady is like Is that everything and I was like, Uh, I also had chicken fingers and a Diet Coke?
| ||
| ||
| Thursday 6:59pm, 12/30/10 | Tweet |
DJ Earworm has done it again with this epic mashup of the top 25 hits of 2010. It is all about the party! party! party! from Bad Romance to glitter-soaked Ke$ha jams. Perfect music for dancing your way out of this year and into the next. Thanks for being awesome, 2010! Can’t wait to see what 2011 brings. xoxo, Bee
| ||
| ||
| Thursday 2:22pm, 12/30/10 | Tweet |
**IT’S ABOUT TO GET REAL / SUPER LONG POST ALERTZ** This is my official “I love you!”, “Thank you” and “Stay Gold Ponyboy…” letter to this year’s holiday staff. As you’ve all read in the December Diary entries from Keith, this year has been kinda insane. It was hard, it was exhausting and it was NON-STOP. Not just for us managers, but even our part-time associates kicked it into high gear to make every second count. To be completely honest, everyone really blew me away. I’m so thankful for each and every person I get the honor to work with and I just want to introduce them to you… (The stars next to their names indicate the amount of Holiday’s they’ve wrestled their way through!) If you get a second and you’re so inclined, please leave a comment for this outstanding set of peeps. Now, for the intros:
You all know Mo… Our fearless leader, my right-hand man and the most thoughtful and focused person I’ve ever met. I look forward to seeing him every single day. To know him is to love him (and he’s also kind of a babe, right?)
Next to Mo is Eric. There were a few days this Holiday that we had different days off and he wasn’t here when I was… Those days were the worst. Eric is the life of the party and the warehouse and is constantly impressing me with his insight, wit and sincerity. Truly a gem!
Then there’s Danit! Hilarious, fun and always there for you when you need her. I’m still caught off guard when she starts speaking Spanish to our international customers… It’s so awesome and I LOVE it!
Next is Bilgin, our Store Manager and also, one of my favorite peeps on Earth! She’s beyond talented and even when you’re having the hardest day EVER, she can make you laugh and turn it all around. It’s like you can’t help but want to be around her!
Jenna, the newest member of the Customer Service team is one of Mo’s friends from back-in-the-day and I’m SO happy he brought us this gift of Jenna! She’s charming, enthusiastic and genuine. She’s so bright-eyed and kinda loud… in a good way! I love it! I adore her!
And duh… BEE! My lil’ Bee. The coolest person I know. (That’s true.) She’s beautiful, she’s so fun and she’s so smart! Like really smart. Bee just turned 21… I’ve known her since she was 17… She makes me feel especially old but I love her so much!
Okay… Diane. The most incredible person I’ve ever met. She’s stronger than most the boys in the warehouse, she works harder than everyone and she’s getting more hilarious ever day! This year, she started watching Beavis and Butthead (thanks to Eric) and she quotes them on the regular. She’s reason enough to come to work. Diane has always had a special place in my heart but this year, our 5th holiday together, I feel closer to her than ever before. I’m so proud to be on her team.
Caleb and Jon are total newbies but they’ve definitely become a HUGE part of the FF family. I’m pretty sure the level of bromance has increased substantially since these two have joined the team. Caleb might be one of the smartest and funniest people I know and Jon has the best ipod here (in my opinion) he’s also got the best hair…
Sarah is Diane’s assistant and she’s been such a big help! Also, on Diane’s bday, she made her a cake (best cake ever) AND an apron that Diane wears everyday! Diane said she likes it because it’s like the ones they have at Home Depot 
She also made me a necklace that I wear A LOT! Such a sweetheart! Her bf Freddie (love his name) was here for holiday too. He’s the quiet storm… Super great, so helpful and really nice!
Tim came back for his second holiday here and when he walked in we all SCREAMED “Tim! We missed you!”. He’s got killer style, the cutest family and unbelievable stories! Having him back was such a treat and he better plan on coming back next year!
Julius is Tim W.’s assistant in the photo department but I totally stole her to pick orders and work in the store… Kind of a dream come true! Sweetest girl in the world with the mouth of a trucker! A gal after my own heart.
Speaking of Tim W., he was a life saver this year too! He helped build and breakdown our Jingle pop-up shop AND he helped the shipping department every chance he got. While all this was happening, he somehow found the time to get married!!!! CONGRATULATIONS TIM!!!
Brigitte, who I’m sure you’ve heard about from Keith, was incredible! She worked in every location! Store Cute, the warehouse AND Jingle! She worked insane hours and ALWAYS had a smile. I can’t wait to be this girls best friend. She’s here from Germany until April and there’s so much to do! We’ve already given her Taco Bell and Four Loco… I can’t wait to introduce her to Shake Shack with Keith. I love Brigitte!
Pierre… I’m pretty sure every girl at FF has had a 3yr long crush on Pierre. He’s always smiling, he’s so friendly and he’s a super talented tattoo artist. Pierre always works crazy hours for us during the holiday season and we know when he’s here, the days gonna be a little easier. I really hope he’s back for a 4th holiday!
Gabe a.k.a. the Box Master, is Danit’s brother and he’s definitely our unofficial box-runner. He’s adorable and a genius… no really, he works at the Apple Genius Bar. So he’s got great tech advice to boot! On top of all that, he was also writing copy for us! Triple threat!
Guillermo is friends with Tim and came in at the end of Holiday… He’s prolly the most adorable boy evz! Super funny, sweet and he totally runs when he picks orders… That’s my favorite thing for people to do!
Mark is Mo’s childhood bestie and he was here a couple years ago. Ain’t he handsome?! He’s so fun and has great taste in music (that means he like my ipod haha). Having mark around was fun bc he told fun childhood stories of Mo, which of course, we love!
Lauren** is in Chicago, but somehow managed to be a HUGE part of our holiday craze. LAUREN WE MISS YOU! WE DEMAND YOU MOVE BACK TO NYC RIGHT NOW! Video chatting is getting old and we need you here to regulate! (not pictured)
Carolyn**, Holly*** and Julian** are total weekend warriors! Gift wrapping, customer service and box packing has never been so fun! Thanks you three! (not pictured)
Ben and Caroline somehow managed to escape the camera, but trust me, they were very important team members and I can’t wait to have em back so they can earn their stars! (not pictured)
This year was hard, but worth every second. Spending time with these people has been such a treat and I cannot thank you all enough. Our customers, our families and the team… Thank you. You all make this job amazing. Chris and Keith… Thank you for bringing us all together for the love of fred flare. Everyone killed it and I can’t wait to party with ALL of you at our year-end closing party!
| ||
| ||
Waste not, want not! This year, I will utilize more fine reusable housewares. No more plastic bags for carrying my lunch…unless there’s a high risk of spillage. I’d like to cut down on paper/plastic coffee cups, so it’s BYOC for me. For these *coughmiserablecough* cold winter days, I’ll use the eco coffee cup for piping hot tea/coffee. When that warm weather is finally back and I can welcome it with arms outstretched, the eco cup on ice will be my go to for iced black coffees and lemonades of the summertime. Ok, so let’s all rally together in an effort to be less trashy, please. Thanks.
| ||
| ||
I need to save $$$. I feel like I spend money on things that could be SO much cheaper if I just did it myself. I hate to say it, but those weekend brunches I enjoy so much are burning a hole in my pocket. French toast is my faves, but really, it’s just thick slices of bread, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon. All of which are in my kitchen. Plus, I can add some Paris chic to my breakfast avec le french toast stamp! I don’t know any brunch spots that’ll do THAT for ya. Oh, COFFEE? I can just brew that shiz at home, sippin from my fisticup brass knuckle mug. And there ain’t nobody that’ll try to charge me $.50 extra for some damn soymilk in my house, so sip on that, coffee shops. Finally, there’s booze. Drinks are wicked expensive. Just hit up Bottle King, stock up and tote it around in the wine monkey on your way to your friend’s place! This is GREAT, now I’ll have more moolah for my other vices…
| ||
| ||
Today just evaporated. I got nothing.
Gonna try and write one paragraph. That’s all you have to do and then you’re done.
Today. Slept in. Groggy. Hiding from the day a little bit. Kinda blue, actually. It’s just so grey and as much as I’m enjoying the time off truth be told I’m a tiny bit wary of 2011 and it’s in the back of my mind a lot, mostly What If It’s Not Any Better Than 2010?
We went to the gym. That was good. Ran and it was hard but was good. Glad to be back. Nothing makes any sense to me most of the time but working out exercising somehow makes total sense. You just keep at it and you start to feel stronger and that feels amazing.
After the gym we went to Sue’s for breakfast. I haven’t seen Sue in so long. I miss her. Where is she?
I had an amazing pear muffin, so great I could nearly cry. With butter and a touch of strawberry jam, so smooth and comforting and familiar, like an old friend. I took a bite and the feeling barely felt real. I love the muffins there.
We sat at the counter. The town feels like I imagine some little town in Alaska would feel, all covered with snow and the roads tore up muddy rough.
Next door we went to the old pharmacy so I could buy some gold stars. I’ve run out. I use them on these charts I made, to help remind me to take my medicine. I always forget so this helps me keep track. It’s kinda like in school. You know how you’d have some project and there’d be a chart and somebody in the class would always be way ahead of everyone else and would have stars nearly all the way across the poster board? Well, that person was never me. So now I get a star for the morning and a star at night and I try and go as long as I can with perfect attendance and I love to see them add up down the page. The chart I made on the computer and it has an image on top, wanted it to have a visual element. I’ve added bits of art or illustration up there but have found hot boys work the best, more motivating. Omg the new boy for January is amazing. Just keep thinking about that and don’t be so afraid of 2011. It’s gonna be hawt.
I’d run out of stars in December so I’d just put little X’s but that’s not the same at all. So today I stocked up. The package of stars has 440 and for some reason I thought, Well I’ll get three and then I should have about enough for the year ahead. Somehow confused I guess the 12 in 12 months with the number of days and I counted 1200 in my mind. 1200 days in a year, can you imagine?
| ||
| ||
My friend and I have come to the conclusion that we are starting a band. SO, 2011 New Year’s Resolution 4: Start a band and play a lot of shows. And all that’s in between. Oh and check it out, we’ve got some gear to start it up. Ridley’s retro harmonica for the hidden blues track. Check. Flexible roll-up piano for practicing on the road? Check. Right, so check back in a few months, we’ll be playing at a house party, quinceanera or barn show near you. And then we’ll go MIA for a while to secretly record our album in Hawaii.
| ||
| ||
