Red or Blue-- This Party is for You

We may all be sick of election coverage, but next Tuesday, McCormick and Schmick’s is making it all interesting again by hosting an Election Night Happy Hour so you can watch the election returns with your friends on a full stomach. The menu consists of a number of election themed appetizers and entrees ranging from $1.95 to $4.95 (that’s right—entrees at less than $4.95!). And if you need a drink, you can relax with a "Love on the Ba-racks" or the "McCain Mavrick-tini".

WHO: McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant

WHEN: Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
5:00 p.m.

WHERE: McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant
719 Shades Creek Pkwy
Birmingham, AL 35209

Young Professionals Help Girls Set Goals

The Leadership Circle, a group of young professionals who support the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, will be hosting a Career Development Workshop for girls in Birmingham’s inner-city troops on Saturday, November 1^st from 9 AM-Noon at the YMCA Youth Center.

The workshop will consist of 6 stations (3 for Brownies and 3 for Juniors) hosting up to 90 girls, and each station will have a speaker and an activity in which the girls will complete to earn badge. Speakers will talk about their field, and what goals they had to set for themselves to get into their field, and talk about what the girls can be doing NOW to reach their career goals.

Stations will include Computer Science station, where girls will learn how to take a part a computer and learn the inner-workings of it, and then put it back together to see how all pieces work in unison. Also, the Financial station will teach girls how to comparison shop for the best deal to make the most of their budget.

About the Leadership Circle

Founded in 2008, the Leadership Circle consists of 30 young professionals, ages 25-35, who support the Urban Initiatives of the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama through service and fundraising.

About Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama
Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama is a United Way community partner and serves more than 13,000 girls and an additional 5,000 in special programs across 36 counties, ages 5-17, who are developing crucial life skills that help them grow courageous and strong so they can make wise choices in today’s world and beyond. For more information, call 800-734-4541 or log on to www.girlscoutsnca.org.

Musings on Conferences and Traveling

This week, you might have noticed the lack of posts. I have been at a conference since last Monday (and traveling a little on the side), which—alas—leads to a lack of material regarding Birmingham, specifically. However, if you do not travel frequently or go to work related conferences, here are a few things I learned along the way:

1) Take a bus tour, especially if you don’t have a lot of time in a mid-sized city. You can get everything out of the way in 90 minutes. It’s fantastic, and the $20 is definitely worth the attention I was able to give my work later on.

2) Don’t be that guy (or girl). Show some respect to your speakers, even if you don’t agree with them.

3) Make friends. Cities are particularly less intimidating when you have someone to disperse that anxiety with. That doesn’t mean getting trashed at every opportunity (side note: I actually heard of a company—in Birmingham, nonetheless—that sent their employees to training in order to see who would party too much. Those employees were promptly fired. The lesson? Watch the booze, kids).

4) Bring one suit—mix and match. You will need that luggage space for the 8,000 pieces of literature your boss wants you to bring back. Also—bring a pair of jeans. And a scarf. You will find somewhere to wear them both.

5) Take lots of notes.

6) You have to be at the airport one hour before your flight. Delta will not let you on a flight without your checked luggage on board, and the Philadelphia Airport is not a comfy place to campout.

7) Make sure you bring a comfortable pair of shoes. Just because your flats are 'broken in' in Birmingham does not mean they are comfortable in New York. FYI.

Fancy Art

Last week, the Birmingham Museum of Art’s Jr. Patrons hosted another lovely event at the Museum, complete with wine tasting and glorious after work weather in the sculpture garden. However, this social gathering centered around an exhibition that no other museum in America has experienced in it’s entirety-- Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin.

Birmingham natives have until November 9^th to experience this showcase, which features da Vinci’s celebrated notebook Codex on the Flight of Birds. The best part? Thanks to various sponsors and partnerships, the exhibit is free of charge. Anyone who works downtown can take their lunch break to visit a great display by one of the best art museums in the country with little or no hassle—and I urge you to. No one should miss the opportunity to view da Vinci’s work in their own backyard!

Note: the viewing area has to be kept at below normal temperatures to preserve the pieces, so bring a sweater; magnifying glasses are provided.

Museum Hours:

Tuesday—Saturday
10 a.m.—5 p.m.

Sunday
12 p.m.—5 p.m.

http://www.artsbma.org/

Right on Track

Friends of the Railroad Reservation District have extended an invitation to all the Young Professionals in the region to their Neighborhood Party next week-- Thursday Oct. 16, 2008, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be free drinks, food, and live music, as well as information about this exciting downtown revitalization project!

FORRD has risen over $26 million dollars for the project, which will include an amphitheatre, open lawn, walking trails, lake, and shaded pavilions. The projected completion date is roughly October of 2009—so Crawfish Boil 2010 will certainly be a great party!

If you want to stop by 1st Avenue South and 18th Street next week, you can RSVP: (205)458-1020 or rrparkcampaign@gmail.com

http://www.railroadpark.org/

Oompah-pah

Perusing AL.com this morning I found a blog post announcing Homewood’s very own Oktoberfest celebration this weekend—Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Why has no one mentioned this!?!?!

While beer may not be my drink of choice, I think it’s a pretty cool opportunity (AND all proceeds benefit the United Way Food Bank!). Considering Cullman’s Oktoberfest it dry, this might be a great fall opportunity (especially for all the ‘Bama fans that don’t have a UA game to watch this weekend).

Click here for SOHO Oktoberfest Information

Furthermore, Birmingham’s has been host to an Oktoberfest celebration ranked in the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” four times! The FDSK (Freunde Deutscher Sprache und Kultur) has hosted a traditional Bavarian-style Oktoberfest in downtown Birmingham annually since 1969. Oktoberfest 2008 will be held at the FDSK German Culture Club on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11, 2008 from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Location: 2318 2nd Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203.

Admission:$5 per person (children under 12 free).

Click Here for Birmingham Oktoberfest Information

So much Oktoberfest, so little time!

The 411

Over the last 10 months, Americans have experienced an avalanche of information and stories regarding the 2008 Presidential Election. While I wouldn’t dream of writing a blatant political post, I did experience my first bout with being a transient young professional—changing my voter registration information for the first time.

It’s actually quite easy; you can both register to vote and change your voter registration information at the City Courthouse or any of the Satellite offices around town without even waiting in line or using a stamp!

However, my real reason for posting is all the questions I had after re-registering: Where do I go to vote? What time can I go? All questions people new to the area like transient young professionals might encounter. I found http://www.vote411.org-- a great resource for all voting information, from where to when and they even link you to maps so you can plan your own Election Day commute. My favorite tool? A sample ballot so you know exactly what offices you will be voting for next month.

Now you cannot plead ignorance. Go vote!