Click Bait  

Today I learned all about how the Kardashians, Elon Musk, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Aniston and Anna Wintour treat their assistants. 

As if you need to read something to know exactly how they treat their assistants. 

See, I went to twitter off an email from my kids school principal. Apparently he has a twitter account, which struck me as not the best idea? Or maybe a great idea? And I wanted to see what it was all about. I scrolled down 2 posts and suddenly there was a giant graphic of Elon that told me his assistant asked for a raise so he told her to take the next two weeks off and it prompted me to click to find out what happened to the poor assistant. 

You know when you're watching a show and you guess what's coming next? I hate when I can do that. Haven't shows come further than that? I stop watching those shows. Yet, I clicked it. As if I didn't know what it was going to say. And to add insult to injury, of course, the answer to what happened was not there. Instead it told me about how badly Lady Gaga, and Madonna, and each Kardashian, Rihanna, Beyonce and even Sarah Jessica Parker treat assistants. Because it's important to remind everyone how much more evil women are than Elon Musk. 

So I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled to learn the fate of the Musk assistant. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Apparently even Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect is abusive....still no end to the dangling mystery of Elon Musk's assistant. I almost gave up to do a search for what happened to the this poor person. 

Keep in mind, I got here after trying to be an amazing parent who wants to see what the principal of her kids school posts to twitter. Concerned, curious, even eager to see what's happening at their school. Yet there I was, fifteen minutes later, completely forgetting how I got there. Scrolling...scrolling...scrolling. Who knew websites could scroll so long.... 

And finally. The answer. After two weeks off, Elon Musk fired his assistant. 

#Hendo 

 

The Truth About Clowns, Sharks and Holiday Cards. 

I do dishes only at gunpoint, I sometimes tell my kids to take the bus home when I actually could pick them up, I borrowThe kid on the right is scared of clowns and takes stuff from the one on the left. my sister's stuff and lose it and then lie to her about it (I haven't done that in years, though, Sibby), I eat pie out of the box instead of cut myself a piece, I usually have no idea where I left my car keys, I eat A LOT of cookies (more than I admit to), and I f'in HATE clowns. 

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HATING CLOWNS IS A SURVIVAL INSTINCT

The clowns thing doesn't exactly fit into my truth purge, because hating clowns is a survival instinct. Losing Sibby's stuff and (white) lying about it (with my fingers crossed behind my back) is the exact opposite of a survival instinct.

I recently read somewhere that "Coulrophobia," that's the fear of clowns, took hold in the 1970s after John Wayne Gacy got caught for...I can't even talk about what he got caught for. But I was scared of clowns well before I knew a damn thing about that monster. One of my very earliest memories is of me standing in my crib crying, and my mom, OF ALL PEOPLE, coming into my room and winding the musical clown on my shelf. The same clown that was literally scaring the shit out of me, my mom thinks is soothing me. My poor mom. Now that I'm a mom I totally get it. We fuck everything up. Everyday. Wrong moves. All over the place. 

Scariest Podcast Ever. So now that I brought up murderous clowns, I have a confession to make. And no, it's not what you think and shame on you for even thinking I was about to confess to being a murderous clown. What I was going to tell you was that while commuting in and out of New York City for our off Broadway show this fall, Nini and I became ravenously obsessed with True Crime Podcasts. So much so that some nights after dropping Nini off I would speed home and RUN as fast as I could into my house in fear that I was going to, ya know, be....I can't even say it. 

It's kinda weird, right? I'm listening to something that scares me SO MUCH that I have to run into my house like a crazy person. Which reminds me....

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SPIELBERG WAS AWARDED FOR THIS? 

You know what else wrecked my life? Not my mom. Why did you think I was going to say that?

JAWS. Fucking JAWS ruined my life. It's called galeophobia, fear of sharks, and I have a raging case of it. Scientists have researched it and have declared that the movie JAWS wrecked an entire generation. I literally can't even put my TOE in the ocean when we are in Provincetown, and we spend an entire month there every summer! They have shark sightings up and down the cape and people are still going in the water? What is wrong with you? They have APPS tracking SHARKS and my phone alerts me to the latest sightings and the thing goes off not two to three times a month, but A DAY! All. Day. Long. Sometimes I get more shark sighting alerts than texts. Not good. Not good at all. 

So we have found Provincetown "workarounds" where we can still enjoy the water while telling ourselves "sharks can't get in here." 

For several years, we all told ourselves that the sharks aren't on the "bay side" of Ptown. Come to find out THAT is a total LIE. I always suspected we were kidding ourselves with that one. I mean, there are seals all over that bay. So don't tell ME to jump into the bay, no ma'am. I'm not doing it. I will sweat to death and suffer from a blistering sunburn before I I come face to face with BOB. Yeah, BOB. That's what they named one of the sharks that trolls around the "shark free" bay. Fourteen Hundred Pounds. What do you even liken that to? Even at my heaviest, that thing is one thousand times my size. Give or take.  Actual Google Search

 

Someone on Etsy thinks this is funny.....Pools, toilets, bathtubs, blue carpets. ALL. RUINED thanks to Steve Spielberg. We give him awards? I think he should be arrested. E.T. does not make up for it. It's not a quid pro quo thing. You RUINED the ocean for ME and countless other kids born in the 1970s. You gave Bob permission to ruin the Bay because I manifested him thanks to your little movie. Yes, I do think I am that powerful. Oprah tells me so. Your thoughts become your reality - The Law of Attraction.   

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I'M SO GREEN I EVEN RECYCLE...

I would like to congratulate those of you who have gotten Holiday cards out in a timely fashion. I can't get my kids to stand still, or together, or with their eyes open, or with clothes that cover their bodies appropriately, or push the hair out of their faces to create an appropriate holiday greeting card. It's a huge source of stress because I do not want to be removed from peoples Holiday card lists. So if you are reading this and think that the Ellis-Hendersons are snubbing you, I assure you it is not the case. I am holding out hope that we will capture the picture this weekend and it's just gonna be late. UNLESS I RECYCLE FROM YEARS PAST (they were WAY cuter too)? I mean, we order so many of those things. We've got hundreds of cards from years past we could send. Here's a smattering of a few, let me know which one you'd like and I'll send it along. 

#Hendo

Light My Fire  

What light's your fire these days? I feel like I've been "If you Give a Pig A Pancak-ing" around my life. Yes, that book has become a verb for me.

For example, I live in an old house with a fireplace and I haven't lit one fire this season. We have an obscene amount of firewood and not a single fire has been lit. It occurs to me to go light a fire but then I can't find matches. So I go to look for matches and I see that Tucker (the one you CANNOT pet) has peed on the kitchen floor. And then it really spirals because Kate is asking for more time on Tik Tok which reminds me that Aspen has been playing video games upstairs for at least 8 hours straight and I am a shitty mom. 

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MEANWHILE, IN THE NEWS NEWS...

Every time I turnaround, my wife is on the news. A lot of people ask me howSKE in a selfie taken by the President while watching this works.  Honestly, I wonder the same thing, because every time I turn around she's binge watching TV shows with me. I'm not kidding about this. "Dead to Me," "White Lotus," "Harry & Megan." I'm talking current stuff. How are you watching "White Lotus" with me while a selfie with Joe Biden appears on instagram and Joe's the one taking the selfie????? I'm as confused (and impressed) as you all are. 

Last night I was genuinely flipping through the channels and there she wasSKE on Joy Reid while texting me about the kids. at around 7:30pm on Joy Reid. I looked at my phone because it was still warm from our text exchange about Kate's volleyball game (time stamp 7:28pm, they won) and Aspen's (kinda fake) cold (time stamp 7:29pm). No mention that she was seconds away from stepping onto live television. Was she texting me from the seat at the table while sitting across from Joy Reid? I mean, shouldn't I know that? I get that it's not Diane Sawyer, but still. A quick mention that you're about to go live in case I want to tune in? I mean, God bless her....AND....SCENE. 

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HANGIN' WITH HENDO - THE PODCAST OF SOME SORT

I just shot Sibby a text because I want to (re) start my own video podcast. Or podcast. I don't really know how it all works. I mean, can a video podcast be an audio podcast? I'm sure it happens and it's just a google search away. I actually think I own "Podcasting for Dummies" and it's on the bookshelf in the same room where I almost lit a fire in the fireplace. Could be kismet.

Ideas for the podcast? I'm not a big researcher, so it's just going to have to be about any of my life's low hanging fruit or things that interest me, because it's all about me and how bored I get in between "gigs." Some ideas for topics include filling my shopping cart at Home Goods and putting it all back on the shelf before I check out with only a couple of picture frames and some caramels that were at the checkout counter. Or obsessing about where to find oversized nutcracker soldiers for my porch, or shoes that will help alleviate my lower back pain (Hoka's, btw, hot tip from Melissa Etheridge...name drop for ratings), or which Pat Benatar album is the best (this debate could go on for weeks). 

If that doesn't interest you, I understand. It's not a life or death thing for me that you tune in. I just feel like I should be doing something during the off time besides cleaning up dog pee and not lighting fires. See what I did there? 

P.S. I think Sibby should be my first guest.  

#Hendo

I haven't even told Nini that she is a regular contributor, because we are that emeshed.

Obsessing Over Sibby's Strat 

Ever since we offered up two St. Patty's Day Strats on our Kickstarter campaign, I've been obsessing over Fender Stratocasters. Anyone who knows the band well knows that Strats are NOT my go to. I am 100% Telecaster obsessed and will even put my neck out there to snub strats and their inability to meet my needs under all circumstances. 

Until one of the St. Patty's Day Green Strats arrived on my doorstep and I plugged it in and played it. 

Whoopsie. 

Ok ok. I'm willing to admit when I am a belligerent, opinionated, and quite clearly uneducated guitar player, granted twenty years after dissing stratocasters far and wide. And today I am going to track a song with Sibby's 1997 American Sunburst Stratocaster. Of course, I will also track the same song with my 1978 Telecaster Custom Deluxe and post a little video of both so we can all make an educated guess to see which guitar wins the battle! 

I will be honest. I am feeling smitten with the stratty, though, so my ears may not be fully unbiased in the expo. Warning shots fired. #Hendo 

Strat vs. Tele Custom 

We Hit Our First Kickstarter Goal in 11 Hours!  

 

We did it!  

No, YOU did it!  

Ok, WE ALL DID IT!  

Our Kickstarter campaign launched on March 15 at 12 noon EST, and on that very same day at 11:27PM, we were a fully funded campaign. That means one very important thing. It means we will receive all the money donated to our effort at the end of the campaign on April 13, 2021.  

Attaining that first goal is HUGE! It's EVERYTHING, actually. Without it, there's no game to play.  

So it's official. WE ARE IN THE GAME. COOKING WITH GAS. "FUNDED," as they say in Crowdfund speak. And that's our language this month. We are fluent in it.  

It's why we say things like, "now that we've hit our "initial goal" it's time to "SHATTER IT!"  

You know, catch phrases. Things to inspire more people to jump on board. We are a "winning team," people! We hit "THE GOAL."  

"BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!" 

"More?" Kristen, Cathy and Nini say to each other, with dread rumbling in their bellies. "We can't just go back to our home studios and make music with drop boxes and email each other links about the cool new microphones we bought at Sweetwater Music.com? 

No ladies, you can't. I mean. Yes ladies, you can do that. But you have to do some other stuff too. You're funded now. The switch has been flipped. The on button has been pressed. You are BACK. And you are BETTER THAN EVER. And don't you forget it.  

It's time to start planning music videos. And you actually have a few tracks you haven't finished yet. Remember those? There are still at least two songs not totally recorded. One isn't even fully written, but you are finishing it as we speak, right? And probably two songs that need to be mixed and mastered, whatever that means. Mixed and mastered is music speak for "not free." Even with your cool home studios, you can't mix or master anything. In fact, after 25 years of making recordings, you still don't even really know what mastering is. 

And now you actually have people who are waiting for you to load new tracks to the "secret page on your website" with the "sneaky all access code" that Kristen's daughter Kate thinks is "a ridiculous passcode, Mom."  

So this journey really is just beginning. Fully funded is the same type of relaxed feeling I got after my first trimester of pregnancy. I hit that milestone and thought, "Phew, I don't have to worry about this baby anymore." And ten seconds later I started worrying again. And twelve years later I am under the watchful eyes of a therapist to get me through the "tween" years. Quite happily, I might add.  

So here we are. Happily funded, and trudging forward to the next milestone! $10K is next, but let's be honest. $20K would be EVEN BETTER!  

Who doesn't love a good crowdfund campaign?  

#Hendo 

F 7th Grade.  

So, people are wondering what a Pittsburgh Pod is and why I've being seen around some social media outlets unmasked or masked but dangerously close to the likes of Jill Sobule and Julie Wolf. I felt it was appropriate to address people's concerns for my health and safety, as well as to just let you know what the f*ck is going on. 

So, here it is.

Singer/Songwriter Jill Sobule has created an autobiographical theater piece about how traumatic her seventh grade year was. The play is called F*ck 7th Grade (book by Liza Birkenmeier, music by Jill, directed by Lisa Peterson). The one and only Julie Wolf is the musical director. Jill basically details stories from her life through dialogue and song, so she is backed by an onstage band. That's where I come in. I have been cast as "the drummer," who also does get to fart my way through a monologue and a couple of flashback scenes to Jill's childhood. 

We all Covid tested before we got here. Then we Covid tested once we got here. We have studio apartments on the same floor of an apartment building that only we have access to. We are the only people who come and go. We mask ourselves like mummies and rehearsed outdoors for most of the first week or so until we were abundantly sure we were all ok. All indoor rehearsals are conducted at an obsessively far distance from each other and we wear masks every day through rehearsals - including dialogue AND singing. It's horrendous, hysterical and humbling all in one foul swoop. We've been here close to three weeks and the only people we've seen or come into contact with are members of the Pittsburgh Pod. 

The show is in production only. The dream is that one day we will no longer be living in a pandemic, and we will actually be able to perform this show live to real people who are seated inside a theater. 

Maybe I will get Jill and Liza and Julie to do a video podcast to talk about the show one evening this week. I'll just have to be sure they don't have plans....that's a joke. We are each others only plans. We live amongst ourselves. So I do think I can convince them to chat with me about this creative endeavor we have embarked on together. 

Stay Tuned....

#Hendo 

 

GIRLS RISING VIRTUAL CONNECT!  

We've created a video blog series called Girls Rising Virtual Connect where we connect girls with trailblazing women for a conversation about what it takes to succeed in a world where many of us are marginalized. Join us with guests Carnie Wilson, Pamela Stewart (Coca-Cola/Glaad), Sarah Kate Ellis (Glaad CEO), Jill Sobule and Dar Williams (singer/songwriters), and many more as we explore some difficult and some fun topics with each other while simultaneously networking but most importantly CONNECTING during this strange time in history! 

We broadcast live every Thursday night at 7PM on Facebook. Join us. 

 

Hangin' With Hendo Episode 3 

Tune in to Episode 3 of the newly created Hangin' With Hendo "The Podcast" now! My special guest is Senior Vice President of Everything Auction Related June 21st, Lisa Cashman! It's not only informative, but actually a bit funny as well. So hit play and enjoy the ride:

Hangin' With Hendo - The Podcast 

Listen along as Hangin' With Hendo the blog morphs into Hangin' With Hendo the podcast! I'll be talking with all the players that help make the Girls Rising Music Festival and Game Changer Awards happen! You can listen to the podcast where you like listening to podcasts! Or you can just click here and listen through spotify:

Update from Kristen 

On 10/1/18 I underwent an unexpected surgical procedure to repair herniated and ruptured discs in my cervical spine. The good news is I am moving slowly and steadily in the right direction and getting better everyday. 

Unfortunately, I have not been cleared to perform at this Friday night’s (sold out, btw) show at City Winery in NYC. That being said, the show will go on as scheduled. I just won’t be on stage and am waiting until Friday to see if I can make the trip into the city to view this once in a lifetime performance! I can tell you we’ve planned to have a few friends join us on stage, and when I say us I mean Antigone Rising - even if I’m not on stage I’m still there with my teammates in spirit. 

On a brighter note, I do plan to perform at our upcoming shows with Dar Williams at City Winery in DC on 11/2 and 11/3. We are putting finishing touches on our new EP that should be ready this winter. In early 2019 we will be doing a special Girls Rising outreach at LA LGBT Center with guest panelists Carnie Wilson and Melissa Etheridge (date and ticket information coming soon but early February is the plan), and of course we will be setting sail on The Melissa Etheridge Cruise with Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Joan Osborne, and many others from 3/31-4/7/19! 

Thank you to everyone for all the well wishes thus far and for continuing to support Antigone Rising and the work we are doing with our nonprofit, Girls Rising. It’s impossible to express my gratitude in words. 

Love, 

Kristen

 

Angels in our own Backyard 

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Our mainstage sponsor believes Girls Rising’s mission and BeachFest’s celebration of that mission should be spotlighted first and foremost while we promote our event far and wide.
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For the past four year’s our Girls Rising BeachFest MainStage was sponsored by Capital One Bank. While Girls Rising is grateful to them for our years of partnership, this year they were unable to come on board with us. We worried that our BeachFest event would not be able to go on without their financial support. But then some angels descended from within our town. They’ve asked us to stay silent until BeachFest before announcing they’ve come on board to help us present BeachFest 5. They believe Girls Rising’s mission and BeachFest’s celebration of that mission should be spotlighted first and foremost while we promote our event far and wide. While we appreciate our “angels” for this, we couldn’t let it go unmentioned. So join us at BeachFest 5 and find out who the angels are who made this year’s event possible, as well as much of the work we will be able to accomplish in the coming year because of them. #SeeYouOnTheBeach

Try to guess which one of these Backyardi-g-angels is sponsoring the BeachFest 5 Mainstage! There's only one way to find out for sure....
#Hendo



Joan Jett and Melissa Etheridge 




There's a certain time and place to ask someone something. Timing is really everything. But sometimes, when an opportunity presents itself, you have to strike. 

For example, say you're at a dinner party. The person sitting next to you is Joan Jett, or say, Melissa Etheridge. You happen to run a nonprofit to empower and inspire young girls. Your nonprofit may or may not be honoring Carnie Wilson with an award in a few weeks. Let's just say for the sake of this story, your nonprofit IS awarding Carnie Wilson in a few weeks. So you ever so GENTLY shove it into the conversation. 

You tell the rock icon sitting to your left or right side, depending on the table arrangements of course, that your nonprofit also awards grants and scholarships from time to time and wouldn't it be so cool if...

The rock icon LOVES the idea. So, you quickly text your other bandmates who happen to be at another dinner party sitting next to the other rock icon. This particular rock icon is sitting to your bandmates' right AND left, really the jackpot of seating arrangements. Your bandmates' mention to the rock icon that the other rock icon has started a grant award through your nonprofit. So now your rock icon agrees to start a grant as well. 

That's how you get shit done. 

We are proud to announce that we will be awarding the Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Girls Rising Grant Awards to two girls who have been empowered and inspired by a Girls Rising Outreach during the past school year. We've asked teachers to submit students that serve their school community, work hard, have strong leadership qualities and generally do good things, whom they feel were genuinely motivated by (key criteria) attending our Girls Rising Outreach Event at their school. 

If you'd like to have a Girls Rising event at your school or local community center, or have us meet with your Girl Scout troops or soccer teams, or lacrosse or softball or swim team, really any team, gymnastics, fencing, you name it, let's book an event. We will come and talk to the kids. And then maybe they can win a grant award in 2019. 


The Girls Rising Game Changer Awards are being held Friday night - June 29 at The Glenwood Landing Firehouse - 72 Schoolhouse Hill Road, Glenwood Landing, NY 11547, 7-10PM
We will honor Carnie Wilson with the Girls Rising Game Changer Award and present two young students with the Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Girls Rising Grant Awards. 

Then join us the following day on Sea Cliff Beach for BeachFest 5 - 12 noon-10pm. Free (with a suggested donation at the entrance)! Girls Rising All-Star Panel Discussion at 3PM, moderated by Carnie Wilson, with US Hockey Gold Medalist Angela Ruggiero, WNBA All-Star Sue Wicks, Grammy winning songwriter Julie Gold, and comedian and BeachFest 5 emcee Suzanne Westenhoefer. Antigone Rising hits the stage at 8:30pm.  




#SeeYouOnTheBeach

#Hendo




Tickets & T-Shirts.  

Me, Bird, & The Willy Phillies. #HoldOn

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So here's the deal. If you buy your tickets to our Game Changer Awards today or tomorrow, we will send you a free Girls Rising t shirt of your choice. And for every four tickets you buy, we will send you another t shirt. You have until Monday night, June 4th at midnight to buy your tickets and get your free tshirt.

BUY TICKETS NOW! 
(you missed the t shirt promotion. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't buy your Game Changer tickets IMMEDIATELY)
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One of the nice things about being a small business owner is that you can wake up on Sunday morning with an idea, blog about it, and it's happening. No conference calls or meeting nonsense. Just me, in my bed, punching out a blog with an opportunity that can change your life. Or, at least your t-shirt drawer. 

One of the other nice things about being a small business owner is that I have partners like Cathy and Nini. We are used to each others nonsense. And they don't read my blog. At least Cathy definitely doesn't.   

Plus, what I am about to discuss in the following paragraphs pertains to tickets and t-shirts. I'm not trying to solve any world crisis'...Or. Am. I?

When you form a band and start touring around you learn quickly that making music is about 10% of what you do. Seriously. Non-professional musicians might play their guitars more than we do. In fact, I'm certain of it.

When you decide to make music full time, you spend most of your time trying to keep the van running, updating websites and all your socials, debating with bandmates about logos and t shirts and hats or stickers, no....hats AND stickers...but we can't afford both....yes we can a**hole.
 
You spend a lot of time telling managers and agents you got a better deal booking that show on your own, and that pizza is NOT an acceptable form of dinner in the contract, and that you don't want to go on at 11pm. You want to go on at 8pm. Even though ten years ago you said you wanted to go on at 11pm when you were told you were going on at 8pm. Feelings change.



 
And then you start a nonprofit. As. If. You. Weren't. Already. A. Non. Profit. 

Which brings me to the point of this blog.
Buy Tickets NOW. http://www.girlsrising.org

Our major annual fund raising event is this month. We hold it every year the Friday night before BeachFest. This is when we raise the most money to continue the work we are doing with Girls Rising.

And we have big plans coming up for the next year. In October we are doing an amazing outreach at the LA LGBT Center in Los Angeles. There's a possibility of traveling to India in the spring. We are hoping to be part of a major CASA event (Coalition Against Substance Abuse, amen) here in our own front yard in September.

None of this stuff, ya know, happens for free, unfortunately. Though we try really hard to make it happen for free. We do ask. At least Nini does. Cathy's good at it too. They're both better than me at asking things like that. So be assured. At least one of us does ask. 

Things are usually as free as they possibly can be, but not always totally free. So we raise money. Then it can be more free for the youth centers or the schools or the refugee camps. We try really hard to keep costs down for those outreaches. As you can imagine.

So. We have a friend. Her name is Carnie Wilson (oops, watch your toes). The beauty and magic of Carnie is an entirely different blog of it's own. She's just a genuinely kind person. See, Carnie would have been famous even if she didn't get famous because her dad is, ya know, a BEACH BOY.

Carnie was born famous. Then she became famous on her own. And then Kristen Wiig put her song into her movie. #MicDrop.
So. We are honoring Carnie with our Inaugural Girls Rising Game Changer Award. She lives her truth. And she talks about it out loud. Her words inspire. And her words empower. We need that now more than ever. We need strong, positive, powerful women. Our kids need this. #MeToo is upon us. All genders need to thank god for this. And lock arms. 

Anyway. I don't want to get too far off track. I'm just trying to get you to buy your tickets for our Awards Fund Raising event (hence the hot link).

So here's the deal. If you buy your tickets to our Game Changer Awards today or tomorrow, we will send you a free Girls Rising t shirt of your choice. And for every four tickets you buy, we will send you another t shirt.

So, buy 1-4 tickets, get one shirt.
Buy 5-8 tickets, get a second shirt.
Buy 9-12 tickets, get a third shirt.
And so on.
 
Seriously not a joke.
 
If you do this today or tomorrow, we will see that you did and we will send you an email asking you what size shirt(s) you want. We will mail you the shirt(s).

Your names will appear at the door at the Glenwood Landing Firehouse on Friday night - June 29th.

You can even wear your shirt to the event. It's up to you. Because it's a free country...still. But we need to stay on top of it, people. Hence the reason for the event. #Following?

#Hendo
PS-At the Friday night Game Changer Awards, All BeachFest 5 artists will perform unique collaborations together, Julie Gold will perform her grammy winning song, From A Distance, both silent and live auction items will be available, there will be light apps and finger food from our good friend Rob at Grassroots, wine will be provided by our good friends at Bedell Cellars, beer is coming too, and Antigone Rising. All this, plus a free t-shirt for the next 48 hours. So go on. Get it done.
 
 
 
 
 
And in an attempt to reverse the cultural norm, we use mostly male models to display our t-shirts. All five styles come in unisex sizes, and the navy blue GRL PWR shirt also comes in ladies sizes. You have until Monday night, June 4th at midnight to buy your tickets and get your free tshirt. So get on it. 
 
 
GRL POWER (Navy), GAME CHANGER (heather maroon, heather light blue)
White Girls Rising logo t shirt, 3/4 grey/red Girls Rising logo

Make Better Choices Part 2 

The right brain rainbow is factually correct


That's me on the right. Ironically.
It occurred to me while reading over some of my past blogs that I should post a disclaimer. Anything I write on this blog is based on a true story. In other words, usually, factually, within reason. But none of it is science.

I'm more of a right brain gal, as anyone who knows me can attest. In fact, I may not even have a left brain. The fact that I do have motion on my right side is the only proof it exists. Apparently the left brain controls all that. So, I guess, factually, I do have a left brain.

I posted a blog a while back called Make Better Choices. In it, I refer to an aunt who told us to make better choices. And I say she is one of my least favorite aunts. For the record, I don't have a least favorite aunt. I genuinely do not. They're all my favorite aunt, tied for first. I have no idea which aunt I am referring to in that blog. It's actually a little upsetting and definitely one of my more egregious stretches of reality.
I like periods after every word to drive
a point home. #NotFactuallyAccurate
Kristen has a #RightBrain

I am going to assume it was someone who was Aunt-like to me. Even though I still can't place who it was. And on a positive note, I do believe the message to Make Better Choices is a worthy one, conveyed with a genuine desire to help others, and still right brain valid.

Just the part about the aunt saying it to me is alluding me four years after writing it.

Here's the thing. Reading my blog is optional. If you choose to do it, you should understand that I am not afraid to sacrifice a few facts to drive the point of the story home.

It's. Up. To. You. If you still want to hang with...
#Hendo


Minerva Audio & The Babysitter  

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Part 1 of our BeachFest 5 Sponsor Blogs

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Our best and favorite baby sitter lives 3 doors down from us. She is also my daughter Kate's flute teacher. She's a junior in high school and the type of kid you want your kid to grow up to be. She wants to go to school down south, but I am trying to talk her into going to Bucknell. I told her I would write her a recommendation, like I have any yank in that area (I don't). But still. She feels like a Bucknell kid to me.

Our favorite baby sitter has a dad who is probably around my age...or even younger, cause that happens a lot these days too. He owns an audio company. Do you see where this is going? The best connections throughout my entire career were through people I either went to school with, or my manager went to school with, or because we got to talking on the playground, or because their kid babysits my kids. It's the best way to do business.

So Chris' company does all our audio when we are in the area. We usually ask HUGE favors and he ALWAYS SAYS YES.

A sample conversation:

Us: "Chris, can you do this?"
Chris: "Yes."
Us: "How about this?"
Chris: "Sure, we'll add it."
Us: "How about the night before. We need an entire sound system for that too."
Chris: "Yep, we'll do it."
Us: "And lights and a screen and a projector and someone to run it?"
Chris: "Not a problem."
Me: "And I need Gabi to babysit the kids while all this is happening."
Chris: "I'll send her over."

Minerva Audio has been with Girls Rising since the very first BeachFest back in 19...I mean 2013. We love Chris and the whole crew that comes for the ride every year. Be sure to say hi to them Friday night at the Game Changer Awards and Saturday on the beach!

#SeeYouOnTheBeach
#Hendo

Girls Rising Announces All-Star Panel for BeachFest 5!  

Sea Cliff, NY - June 30, 2018 - All female rock band Antigone Rising will present their 5th annual BeachFest at Sea Cliff Beach Pavilion on Saturday June 30th from 12 noon - 10pm. BeachFest celebrates the work of the band's nonprofit, Girls Rising, which was officially formed in 2014.

The centerpiece of the day revolves around a Girls Rising outreach panel discussion, much like the panel discussion the band presents at schools, universities, community centers, refugee camps, embassies and corporations around the globe. The only difference with this panel is that the women of Antigone Rising will step aside and let some of their friends take a turn sharing their stories of their paths to success.

The All-Star panel consists of moderator, Carnie Wilson (5x Grammy nominee, member of Wilson Phillips, talk show host and Co-Founder/Entrepreneur of Love Bites by Carnie), with panelists, US Hockey Olympian Angela Ruggiero, WNBA All Star Sue Wicks, Grammy Winning Songwriter Julie Gold, and Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer (Letterman/HBO/Logo).

These game changing women will inspire everyone in attendance and empower the kids in the crowd to be anything they want to be.

The panel discussion will take place at Sea Cliff Beach Pavilion, 52 The Blvd, Sea Cliff, NY at 3PM on Saturday, June 30, 2018.
BeachFest 5 opens at 12 noon and is free to the public with a suggested donation at the entrance. Music begins at 12:30 with an all-star line up of female artists and vendors lining the beach. Antigone Rising will close the evening with a set of music scheduled to start around 8:15pm that evening.

#SeeYouOnTheBeach
#Hendo


Abby Wambach Speaks at Barnard 

I've decided it's time to start blogging again on a regular basis because there's just so much to blog about. As many of you know, the band has created our own nonprofit called Girls Rising. You can find out more information about it by going to our website: GirlsRising.org.

In the meantime, I am going to continually post information on the work we are doing on a regular basis. I am also going to share information that I find interesting or snippets of intel that people send me because they know about the work we are doing with Girls Rising.

My friend Amy forwarded this video to me. It's the graduation speech Abby Wambach gave to the graduating women of Barnard this year. Abby is a former member of the United States Soccer Team. Some of you actually don't know that. But we all know who Peyton Manning is. And Kobe Bryant. I'm going to leave it at that. Just watch the video.



#SeeYouOnTheBeach
#Hendo