In Response to COVID-19
A CASE STUDY
SOMETHING WE'VE LEARNED
AN UPDATE
Released in 2004, World of Warcraft has been something I've played pretty much every year since. As you can imagine, a game that has been out for 15+ years has evolved quite a bit. Blizzard, the company who makes the game has decided to take it back to the beginning and re-launch the original world (but for modern times). It should bring back a heavy dose of nostalgia and generate a new time suck in my life. Can't wait.
I've been looking for something to help pass time during my commute and I've been loving audible so far. I was never the most avid reader, so I'm excited to have found another way to get back into enjoying books!
I definitely feel that I'm making a far more productive use of my commute with audible.
This August I’m talking about an American classic: Dispatches by Michael Herr. Dispatches is a personal account of Michael Herr’s experiences as an on-the-ground correspondent in the Vietnam War. He’s also responsible for helping write Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, two incredibly powerful films about the Vietnam War. I’m going through the book for a second time this year: it’s a fast-read that’s hard-hitting and has unforgettable, shocking, stories of the bedlam that American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians experienced in the '60s.
Sometimes it feels like I’m on a rollercoaster oscillating between being depressed or being pleasantly entertained, but it’s addicting and ultimately brings me a sense of happiness that can only be found by accepting the entirety of the human condition.
I'm excited this month for The Greenish Jacket golf outing. This is a scramble tournament that my friend puts on once a year in Austin, TX. This will be the fourth year for the outing and my first year participating. It has a Masters meets Caddy Shack theme. The coolest part is that it benefits a foundation started by my friend, whose mother suffers from an autoimmune diseases. The mission of the foundation is as follows, "Since 2016, we've been on a mission to use our passion for golf to bring awareness to Scleroderma, a rare chronic connective tissue disease generally classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases." Over the past two years, they've been able to donate over $15,000 for scleroderma research at the Mayo Clinic. They're expecting this year to be the largest turn out to yet! Hopefully I'll be able to slip on one of the winning Greenish Jackets at the end of the round.
I'm pretty stoked to get a puppy! My girlfriend and I just put a deposit down on a 7-week-old Golden Retriever, and we're soliciting name ideas!
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Hard to think about much else right now other than our upcoming long road-trip to move back to Connecticut. Very excited to explore several new places along the way, including Napa, Tahoe, Salt Lake City, and Nashville. Sad to leave our life in LA, but excited for the next adventure! Don't despair either—still going to be at ToneDen, and with my move east now we'll be able to provide support during the earlier EST hours too. :)
If you have enjoyed Quentin Tarantino's past films, as I have, you'll find his latest release, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, very 'on brand'. A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
I'm a huge fan. The show is about how the FBI developed their Criminal Psychology Department in the 1970s to improve their ability to catch repeat offenders—aka "Serial Killers."
The new album from Oso Oso (a solo project from Long Island's Jade Lilitri) is one I've been looking forward to all year. His album the yunahon mixtape, which he self-released in 2017, built a name for himself in the "emo revival" scene and judging from the lead singles from the new album, he's taken a serious step forward into reflective, yet energetic, fun pop-punk. At the very least, "Impossible Game" is the most fun song I've ever heard that included the line "well most times I feel like shit".
I'm actually super excited to head over to Louisville in Kentucky next month for Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival! It's a unique type of fest—it not only focuses on great music, but it also highlights bourbons from around the world. This will be my second year going out there, and I can honestly say it's one of the best music fests I've gone to in a long time! This year's lineup is full of awesome girl power—from Joan Jett to Jenny Lewis, attendees will be able to find something to dance the weekend away to.
My favorite frozen yogurt spot is also some of the best people-watching in Los Angeles. College kids, couples on dates, families, and firefighters (four trucks-worth, once!) all line up in this tiny, cash-only spot on Olympic and Westwood. Marvel at the weird assortment of fat-free salad dressings for sale while you wait, but be sure to order your toppings (vegan cookie dough) on the side, like the regulars do.
ToneDen hosted a Women in Tech & Music event last week at our HQ, located in the Bradbury Building. Needless to say, it was a magical event for women. We shared stories, exchanged knowledge, and enjoyed live music with incredible, 126-year old architecture as the backdrop. It literally took my breath away.
Going back to school is an awkward and scary time for everyone, but it can be a real challenge if it's you are a recent immigrant. This month, I'm thinking about all of the kids that are starting their first day of school in a brand new country. My partner Iyla is a teacher for these specific group of newcomers, helping them learn how to not only adopt to a new culture and society, but also educate them on being successful in their community and beyond.
These recently arrived youths usually don't have many resources, starting with the basic school supplies that they need for the classroom. Please help Iyla provide the classroom essentials for her immigrant and refugee students by going here: https://www.donorschoose.org/ms.ollinger
It goes a long way!
Released in 2004, World of Warcraft has been something I've played pretty much every year since. As you can imagine, a game that has been out for 15+ years has evolved quite a bit. Blizzard, the company who makes the game has decided to take it back to the beginning and re-launch the original world (but for modern times). It should bring back a heavy dose of nostalgia and generate a new time suck in my life. Can't wait.
I've been looking for something to help pass time during my commute and I've been loving audible so far. I was never the most avid reader, so I'm excited to have found another way to get back into enjoying books!
I definitely feel that I'm making a far more productive use of my commute with audible.
This August I’m talking about an American classic: Dispatches by Michael Herr. Dispatches is a personal account of Michael Herr’s experiences as an on-the-ground correspondent in the Vietnam War. He’s also responsible for helping write Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, two incredibly powerful films about the Vietnam War. I’m going through the book for a second time this year: it’s a fast-read that’s hard-hitting and has unforgettable, shocking, stories of the bedlam that American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians experienced in the '60s.
Sometimes it feels like I’m on a rollercoaster oscillating between being depressed or being pleasantly entertained, but it’s addicting and ultimately brings me a sense of happiness that can only be found by accepting the entirety of the human condition.
I'm excited this month for The Greenish Jacket golf outing. This is a scramble tournament that my friend puts on once a year in Austin, TX. This will be the fourth year for the outing and my first year participating. It has a Masters meets Caddy Shack theme. The coolest part is that it benefits a foundation started by my friend, whose mother suffers from an autoimmune diseases. The mission of the foundation is as follows, "Since 2016, we've been on a mission to use our passion for golf to bring awareness to Scleroderma, a rare chronic connective tissue disease generally classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases." Over the past two years, they've been able to donate over $15,000 for scleroderma research at the Mayo Clinic. They're expecting this year to be the largest turn out to yet! Hopefully I'll be able to slip on one of the winning Greenish Jackets at the end of the round.
I'm pretty stoked to get a puppy! My girlfriend and I just put a deposit down on a 7-week-old Golden Retriever, and we're soliciting name ideas!
Hard to think about much else right now other than our upcoming long road-trip to move back to Connecticut. Very excited to explore several new places along the way, including Napa, Tahoe, Salt Lake City, and Nashville. Sad to leave our life in LA, but excited for the next adventure! Don't despair either—still going to be at ToneDen, and with my move east now we'll be able to provide support during the earlier EST hours too. :)
If you have enjoyed Quentin Tarantino's past films, as I have, you'll find his latest release, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, very 'on brand'. A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
I'm a huge fan. The show is about how the FBI developed their Criminal Psychology Department in the 1970s to improve their ability to catch repeat offenders—aka "Serial Killers."
The new album from Oso Oso (a solo project from Long Island's Jade Lilitri) is one I've been looking forward to all year. His album the yunahon mixtape, which he self-released in 2017, built a name for himself in the "emo revival" scene and judging from the lead singles from the new album, he's taken a serious step forward into reflective, yet energetic, fun pop-punk. At the very least, "Impossible Game" is the most fun song I've ever heard that included the line "well most times I feel like shit".
I'm actually super excited to head over to Louisville in Kentucky next month for Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival! It's a unique type of fest—it not only focuses on great music, but it also highlights bourbons from around the world. This will be my second year going out there, and I can honestly say it's one of the best music fests I've gone to in a long time! This year's lineup is full of awesome girl power—from Joan Jett to Jenny Lewis, attendees will be able to find something to dance the weekend away to.
My favorite frozen yogurt spot is also some of the best people-watching in Los Angeles. College kids, couples on dates, families, and firefighters (four trucks-worth, once!) all line up in this tiny, cash-only spot on Olympic and Westwood. Marvel at the weird assortment of fat-free salad dressings for sale while you wait, but be sure to order your toppings (vegan cookie dough) on the side, like the regulars do.
ToneDen hosted a Women in Tech & Music event last week at our HQ, located in the Bradbury Building. Needless to say, it was a magical event for women. We shared stories, exchanged knowledge, and enjoyed live music with incredible, 126-year old architecture as the backdrop. It literally took my breath away.
Going back to school is an awkward and scary time for everyone, but it can be a real challenge if it's you are a recent immigrant. This month, I'm thinking about all of the kids that are starting their first day of school in a brand new country. My partner Iyla is a teacher for these specific group of newcomers, helping them learn how to not only adopt to a new culture and society, but also educate them on being successful in their community and beyond.
These recently arrived youths usually don't have many resources, starting with the basic school supplies that they need for the classroom. Please help Iyla provide the classroom essentials for her immigrant and refugee students by going here: https://www.donorschoose.org/ms.ollinger
It goes a long way!
