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Roughly 3 months ago, I was in a fantastic relationship with a wonderful girl from the Texas Valley. Unfortunately, much like the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end”. We went our separate ways and I was down in the rut for a while. One of my good friends told me I needed to get back out there in the dating game, meet new people and start over again. He then sent me a link to a very interesting article titled “Your Bachelor Pad”. I chuckled at the notion that I could turn my simple and modest one bedroom / one bath apartment into my personal Love Shack. As I read that article, I began thinking of all the possibilities and minor changes I could make to my place and how simple I could make things work in my favor. After much thought, recollection of my previous eligible bachelor times, and a bit of research, I comprised the following list of what I PERSONALLY think every man should have in their abode. This list is merely a suggestion if items and changes you too can make to your life. It is imperative to note that the items here are very simple, but the subtleties behind the reasoning are what make a world of difference.

Intricacy and Sophistication are the names of the game
(photo courtesy of www.home-designing.com)

Refreshing Scent

Congratulations, you have successfully brought a partner home, but you are not home free just yet. Your home is but an extension of yourself, and it speaks VOLUMES of what kind of person you are. Let’s start with what should be the first things your partner notices. The second you open your front door, you should have a welcoming, refreshing scent that’s not too strong, but powerful enough to leave a lasting impression.

Live Plants

In this day and age, women all over the world are becoming more and more independent. I commend these women, and highly respect them too. That being said, just because a woman can take care of herself does not mean she doesn’t want to be taken care of from time to time. That’s where the plant comes and its own subtleties come in. The fact that you are able to nurture and maintain a plan in your personal “Batcave” demonstrates the mature and compassionate side that many women simply can’t resist.

Artwork

Sophistication and class might not be the words you use to describe yourself, but they better be the words that describe your walls. Throw away those old Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, and half nude super model posters and upgrade to something with a little more substance. Browse around a local art gallery or even Amazon Art section online and buy yourself a unique, but eye-catching painting. It’s a guaranteed conversation starter!

Sporting Equipment

Do you have any hobbies? Any interesting hobbies? Maybe you like playing soccer, basketball, football or even baseball? Maybe your interests are a little more “out of the box” than most? What I’m getting at is that you should make your hobbies visible to people that come into your home. I can guarantee you that she’ll be more impressed with sports equipment laying around in your living room than your collection of Xbox or Playstation video games.

Wine Glasses

Dual wine glasses are the coup de grace for any bachelor pad. After she’s immersed herself in your home, after her senses have completely been enraptured by the sights and smells, comes the time to incorporate the most sensual of senses. You pop open a bottle of red wine you bought earlier that day just for this special occasion. You pour two drinks, one for you and one for her, and make your way to your couch and hand her… a DIXIE cup?!?  Again, the subtlety of having two authentic wine glasses for you and your date will subconsciously trigger in her mind that you are a man, sophisticated and worldly.

I cannot stress the following disclaimer enough: This list has been comprised off the relatively SHORT time I have been an eligible bachelor while I owned my own apartment. Perhaps this list is completely off target; perhaps it leads to many, many unforgettable nights. Whatever the case may be, take this literature with a grain of salt and a light hearted approach. However, the one lesson every bachelor should take away from this post is that your habitat is a direct reflection of your own persona. It’s not a necessity to hang intricate artwork on your wall, have random sports gear strewn across your living room, or even to own wine glasses, especially if you don’t even like wine! A bachelor pad is, like I said, a representation and extension of oneself. Be who you are, and live how you like. Godspeed Bachelors!

These are a few of the tools from my personal tool box

If you are moving or have recently moved into your first apartment, pick up your smart phone and add a calendar event called “Pick up a tool box”.  It does not matter who you are, what your gender may be, or what you do for a living.  If you live on your own you should have a tool box. There are certain Continue Reading »

 

Ahhh, the peace dove… find your happy place :)

If you had the opportunity to read part one of this blog you’ll know that neighborhoods aren’t like they used to be and that’s no lie! These days it’s becoming more common for neighbors to be complete strangers, even after years and years of living only a few steps away from each other! Camden promotes neighborly love at every point of contact so here are a few ways how you can help promote the love too! Call me crazy but I believe there’s an infinite river of universal love and kindness you can tap into at ANY moment. It’s like that thing that connects us all together. We are all bound by our biology, our nature – our need to drink, eat, and most importantly our need to love each other.

Who is with me?! 

But I also feel something’s missing (as mentioned in blog #1). A disconnect. Let’s pretend that at this very moment I’m mentally tapped into this universal stream of love, can you feel it? I think vibes carry most often times without us knowing it. When trying to meet your neighbors, remember to focus and have a good vibe. I don’t know about y’all but I want to become friends with my neighbors, and try to create a stronger sense of community. If disaster strikes, who will I band together with if not my neighbors?

Change has to start with you. It only takes one person who is willing to reach out to make a big difference.

1.) Introduce yourself - It’s easy and so simple, yet most people are afraid of introductions or even being friendly for that matter. Break the mold! Spread kindness! Take the initiative and introduce yourself to your neighbor at the dog park or even in passing, you will be glad you did. You never know who you will meet. Help your neighbors too! The rewarding feeling that comes from helping others is priceless. At Camden, we have gorgeous fitness centers at just about every community and working out is a great source for finding common ground with your neighbors. Chances are, if you go to the gym regularly you see the same crowd in there day after day, try breaking the mold and introducing yourself and help each other with working out! You might learn something new while opening up this opportunity to help others!

2.) Emanate positive vibes- This is the easy one! Don’t be nervous, put yourself in a happy place. If you’re feeling good, chances are the vibes you give off when speaking to others feel good.

3.) Give a compliment-One thing I have noticed as i’m growing and getting older in this crazy world is how we are ALL so terrified of giving other people compliments! Why? Sure, we can all tell our co-workers and friends who we’ve known for 10 years that we think they look nice today but how come when it comes to people we randomly meet throughout our day, we shy away and/or freeze like a deer in the headlights from compliments? Is it because we are afraid the other person will think we are a creeper?In my line of work , I deal with HUNDREDS of people every single day. I love it. Why? Because I get to meet a unique and interesting person every single day. Just recently, one such extra unique person and I got into a deep conversation over the phone. When she was ready to go, she told me I was “genuine” and awesome. Needless to say, I was in the best mood all day after that. I felt a new river of positive energy go through me and it was good.

This power all came from ONE little compliment. We all have that kind of power. We can share it with everyone we come in contact with.

Table of awesomeness

So what your car is cooler than mine! People have tons of things that are cooler than mine but there’s one thing that can’t be beat when it comes to my level of coolness. I have THEE coolest night table ever! My night table is not just you’re normal catch all but instead a curated little enjoyable work of art.

What makes it so special you might ask? Well let’s start with one of the hottest magazines ever, Sweet Paul. This wonderful read features tons of fresh DIY recipes, craft projects and information about some of the coolest vendors in the world for all things special.

Next I have a special pair of my grandmother’s glasses. She wore these vintage little beauties when I came home from the hospital. I plan to have my own prescription put in them. Not only will I be super stylish but I’ll smell like a million bucks thanks to my new Spring scent Lime Basil by Jo Malone. (That’s what’s in the awesome ivory box behind the glasses.)

I basically have the city of Atlanta on my night table too!  What better way to commemorate some of the best times of my life than with

my cool coasters that feature some of my favorite Atlanta spots. (I didn’t go to the lounge though I pinky promise!)

Lastly but not least even though they cost the least, I snagged these cool little anitque candle holders at my local Micheal’s. I love the pop of glass color.

So yes you may drive  cooler  car than me or even wear cooler clothes, but your night table better bring it! Best of all I get to enjoy my night table in my super spacious bedroom just like the ones at our Camden communities.

The Camden Birds

The Camden Birds

It’s that time of year again when all Camden Managers gather together to celebrate the successes of the previous year, and get motivated and build on our leadership skills for the year ahead.    From team building that takes place prior to the event with preparation for “skit night” to break out sessions that give us a chance to share ideas and rejuvenate our passion.  It is three days that as someone put on Twitter, is more like a family reunion!  Those words couldn’t be more  true!!  (YES – Camden has a Twitter Account for the management conference – find us at #CamdenConf).   Now, don’t be so shocked that we have a Twitter Account – this is Camden and we also have our own band, The Camden Birds!

I’ve worked at Camden for 4 years and my first official day with Camden was day one of Camden Management Conference 2008 – what an introduction to an amazing “family”!   Every year we gather, is truly like a family reunion.  We see our family members from across the country – some we’ve never met face to face until management conference, but talk to on the phone, or socialize with on Facebook regularly.  It is amazing to me the lengths that our company goes to in order to celebrate our successes and keep us a close knit family.   Management Conference encompasses all of our Values into one annual gathering!

I’m counting down the days until my flight leaves for Galveston – looking forward to seeing everyone next week.   Until then – be sure to get on Twitter and give a shout out at #CamdenConf.  And, if you are not yet part of the Camden Family, be sure to check our the available Career Opportunities!  I will be sure to post a follow up blog after I return from the conference!

Australian Shepherds love agility courses!

Australian Shepherds love agility courses!

Hi everyone!  It’s me, Gibby!  I’ve been really busy since I last blogged for my human, but we had an exciting day today and I just couldn’t wait to tell everyone about it!  There was an amazing event going on at The University of Phoenix Stadium  and us fur people were allowed to bring our humans with us today.  It was the 2012 Pet Expo.  (I’m kind of insulted that they called me a “pet”, but I guess it’s better than being called a dog, I’m just a furry family member!)

Anyway – this place was AMAZING!!  They had Hug N Pups there and they were giving us free pedicures!  And I got to socialize with a lot of other fur people too!  There were doctors there, and they were giving discounted shots to fur people,  I’m really glad I didn’t have to have any of them, my mom says my doctor took care of all of my shots for me!  My favorite part of the day was when I got to watch the Agility Events – my mom says when I grow up that I will be able to work  like this too…it sure didn’t look like work to me, I’m an Australian Shepard and this looked like lots of fun!  There were a lot of foster parents there too with fur people not as lucky as me to have a permanent home.  I wish that some of the nice people who live where my mom works at Camden would adopt some of my new friends!

My mom goes to work at Camden everyday, and she says that is a lot of fun too!  (Maybe not as much fun as me doing Agility, but still fun).   Mom says that a lot of Camden Apartment Communities will let you have pets.

So if your human is reading this, and they are looking for a new home, be sure to have them click here to find the best home for all of you!

Have your human mark the calendar for next years Pet Expo in February!

Hometown Pride

Working in student housing my career offers me the opportunity to travel and live around the nation.  Camden gave me the opportunity to live in Corpus Christi, TX.  I love it here: it’s warm, the people are friendly, and my work is fun.  Still, whenever asked where I’m from my answer will forever be, “Boston.”

Image

Say what you’d like about the Boston area, most likely you’re right.  To outsiders we are terrible drivers– it’s only because you don’t know how to navigate Newton Corner or the Parkway or rush hour, neither are an easy task.  We do speak a little funny but we just extrapolated Ralph Waldo Emerson’s sentiment that true genius is expressed in the least amount of words.  We express it in the least amount of letters, 25 (who needs ‘R’ anyways?).  Our lexicon is a little different too, we know what packies, parlors, bubblers, and frappes are (Liquor stores, a front room, a water fountain, and a milk shake with ice cream, respectively).  Above all else we are prideful– After all we have a lot to proud of.

I could talk about the Red Sox but this year is a rebuilding year.  I could talk about the Patriots but I don’t want to hear the comments about the Superbowl.  The Bruins just got knocked out of the playoffs by the underdog; I am still to upset to recap hockey. And I know little about Basketball.  So you’re saved from rambling about sports, to an extent.

I am going to talk about the fans.  Specifically, the Red Sox fans.  Fenway Park seats just over 39,000 people and the only opinions that the fan base share are that Tek was a great leader, Grady Little Left Pedro in too long, and the Yankees Suck (Boston’s battle cry no matter who we are playing or how talented a team they have).  Well, this last sentence was true until several days ago.

The Red Sox organization does a lot for local charities and raises awareness for important causes.  Most recently the Sox recognized the struggle of disabled people on national Disability Day.  As part of the ceremony a grown man with Autism was slated to sing the national anthem.  Autism is a social disorder which causes those with it to struggle with social cues and in some cases lose control of their behavior especially under stress.  What is more stressful than singing in front of 39,000+ people?  Maybe playing Russian Roulette but at least that’s over quickly.

The gentleman singing was doing a fantastic job but started to get nervous.  Then something magical happened…

It would have been easy to stand there and let him struggle through the remainder of the song.  Instead he was supported and an entire ballpark helped one man accomplish something.  Messing up the national anthem in that big of a setting isn’t forgotten (think Christina Aguilera at the Superbowl).  Boston helped one man turn a humiliating moment into one that he will carry as a happy day for the rest of his life.

So why are we proud?  Because we stick together, we help those in need, and we support our fellow Bay Staters.  Thanks Fenway for restoring my faith in Humanity (at least for today!).

Tell me, what makes your city great?  What is special about your home town?  Why are you proud to say ‘I’m ____ and I am from _____!’?  There is a  lot to offer everywhere so I’d love to know what to look for when I eventually visit.

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