Dominican University - River Forest, IL
February 27, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today started out early, having to get up at 4:30 am to fly from Florida to Chicago. I’m no morning person, that’s fo shizzle. My brain gets a little cooked without the proper amount of shut-eye. So perhaps that explains why I forgot to take a picture of me and friends at Dominican University tonight. (And thus, I was forced to do a self-portrait with campus in the background. How lame is that?) Curses! So anyway, I did the Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break program for a bunch of fantastic students, and it was good to be back on campus. (I gave the Girls Fight Back program there several years ago. I clearly remember it b/c their entire female softball team attended and they were quite a force to be reckoned with!) A huge thanks to Nora who set up the whole event. Their spring break starts Monday…enjoy safely. 
Barry University - Miami, FL
February 26, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Tonight I spoke to all the cool cats at Barry U. We had a little travel scare, as New Jersey got pounded with 6 inches of snow last night. All the flights before mine were getting cancelled, and I was nervous. But lucky for me, I got out on time and into the warm haven of lovely Florida! I spoke to a packed room with students from diverse backgrounds, and they all had one thing in common: incredible enthusiasm. Everyone really enjoyed the spring break strategies, especially since they LIVE in the midst of all the spring break mayhem. Strangely enough, a girl fight broke out somewhere on campus during my talk and all the staff had to go leave and respond to the incident. Oh, the irony! Pictured above is myself with the Alpha Phis on campus showing off our fave Chuck Norris moves.
NGLA - Pittsburgh, PA
February 24, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I flew from Chicago to Pittsburgh to attend the North American Greek Leadership Association Conference. The students who attend are similar to those at MGCA, but instead they go to college in the Northeast. Got the chance to hang out with a bunch more speakers and have dinner at a lovely place downtown Pittsburgh. See pic above with me and fellow CAMPUSPEAKERS Joe Bertolino and Ray Lutzky. Joe and his partner Bil won the award for “Best Diversity Speakers” for 2007! Congrats guys! Ray gives a great program about public relations as it pertains to Greek organizations.
Above is a pic of me and the “Best Speaker” and “Best Female Performer” of 2007, Lori Hart Ebert! This is an awesome honor, and she deserves it. I spoke today, giving the Girls Fight Back program to about 50 student leaders and we had a blast. Afterwards I gave away 20 free books and did a book signing afterwards. Now I am packing my bags to head home…I’ve been on the road since Monday morning! It all starts again next week, so it’s time for a little Sunday R&R at home with my boy and my pug.
MGCA - Chicago, IL
February 22, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Well you won’t believe this, but my luggage got lost today for the second time this week! I was en route from Manchester, NH to Chicago and I had to connect in Washington DC, so that’s where the debacle happened. So I get to Chicago for the MGCA conference, and I realize I only have a few hours before presenting the Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break program. Gotta go find a mall and buy some new clothes! But a man named Hank saved the day. Hank works the baggage claim at O’Hare, and he made it his personal mission to track down my bags. He ended up finding them and returning them to me. So happy to be reunited with Red Luggage once more!
With luggage in hand, I headed to the annual Mid American Greek Council Association Conference. This is a great conference attended by college student leaders who are members of fraternities and sororities in the midwest. Tonight I spoke, and had a great crowd. It’s so fun for us speakers to be at conferences, because it’s the few times of year that speakers actually get to see each other. Tomorrow I speak again, giving the Girls Fight Back program, then onto my next conference in Pittsburgh…
University of New Hampshire - Durham, NH
February 21, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Tonight I spoke at the University of New Hampshire. It was a real first for me…the first time I’ve spoken to a crowd that was majority men. Let me tell you, I wish guys would come out more often. I believe they have so much to contribute to the anti-violence movement, and are so often just considered part of the problem. I gave the Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break program and we had a blast. Thanks to all the students who came out, especially all my new Pike boyfriends. Also a big “holla” to Dave and Brett (pictured with me and the UNH seal above) for bringing me to campus.
Indiana University - Bloomington, IN
February 20, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Well yesterday was fun because I experienced 3 things that have never happened before. First, I ran into a fellow CAMPUSPEAK speaker at the Pittsburgh airport named David Stollman. (He’s an awesome speaker on Greek issues…bring him to your campus!) Literally, I almost ran directly into him. It was crazy weird. Then, as you can read from my post yesterday, my luggage got lost by US Air and I was completely stranded with no clothes. (Update: red luggage was returned to my hotel room last night at 12 midnight, just as I was about to go to sleep in the same clothes I wore since 7am that morning. Nice!) Just in case you were considering doing your holiday shopping in Bloomington, Indiana, I would strongly urge you to reconsider. There’s not a mall. Hence the third thing I’ve never done. I presented to a ballroom jam packed with about 800 women and gave a program in my scrubby jeans and Ugg boots. I don’t normally get decked out or anything, but this was by far my scrappiest look I’ve ever had. Thankfully my contact at IU, Becca, was awesome and didn’t seem to care in the slightest. The program went great, and my scary bad guy was Mike, a dude from New Jersey. (And he had some serious NJ pride…rock on with your Jersey self!) The Alpha Phi chapter was out in full effect, as you can see from the photo above. Afterwards Mike and the Panhellenic Council took me out for a great dinner on the square. Thanks to everyone for your hospitality and I hope to be back soon!
Another crazy thing happened yesterday. This girl above, Alex, was one of the success stories I wrote about several years ago when I was the self-defense columnist for CosmoGirl! I had spoken at her teen Jewish Youth Group up in the Catskill Mountains, and she later used some of the moves to escape two men who approached her and her friend. How crazy is that? A lot of worlds have been colliding lately….it’s so cool.
Where art thou, red luggage?
February 19, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Oh red luggage, where art thou? Last I saw you, you were sitting on a little cart about to be wheeled away to security at Newark Airport. As I approached the escalator, I looked back at you with tears in my eyes. “Get it together!” I thought to myself as I fought back emotion. After all, I would be reunited with my sweet, sweet red luggage upon my arrival at Indianapolis International Airport in just a matter of hours.
West Texas A&M - Canyon, TX
February 13, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Tonight was an awesome way to kick off the spring tour at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. Who woulda thought that in the middle of the panhandle you’d find some of the most awesome college students and staff I’ve ever met? Before my program at 7pm, the students organized an expo where a bunch of different organizations set up tables and had “mocktails” in an effort to encourage a safe spring break. Check out the table above…love the “jar o’ condoms.” Hilarious.
Spring Tour Kick-off
February 12, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
This week I’ve been running all over the place trying to finish the last-minute logistics for my spring tour, Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break. Alas, tomorrow I kick off the tour in Texas, and I’m psyched. Believe it or not, this spring is going to be an even more hectic schedule than my book tour last fall, so stay tuned to this blog to stay up to date…
Da Bears Lose
February 5, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Poor Ditka. Poor Chicago Bears fans. Poor me. This is the saddest picture of Ditka I could find. I did google searches for “Ditka crying,” “Ditka sobbing,” “Ditka having an emotional breakdown” and found nothing. Damnit Google! Seriously, what are you good for?
ShopGFB Gets a Facelift
February 3, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
This weekend ShopGFB.com, the online boutique of Girls Fight Back, has undergone some serious plastic surgery! We’ve made it easier to shop for the safety products you need, and more stylish as well. All items at the boutique are under $25, so it’s affordable too. Check it out: www.shopGFB.com
University Chic
February 2, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Check out this new website and e-zine I’ve been writing for. It’s called University Chic, and run by some fab college girls and grads. They cover lots of subject areas ranging from beauty, entertainment, shopping and ass kicking. (That’s where I come in…)