12.08.2013

I Could Talk About The Weather

Most of the city shut down late Thursday night and stayed that way the whole weekend. I even had to watch SNL in a little window framed by all the news alerts with school and church closings, but the ice didn't come like the icepocalypse we had in our imaginations.  It did ice up enough to make all the trees look like they had been dipped in beautiful crystal winter fairy dust (or frozen snot, depending how you look at it).




I've been re-reading Three Uses of the Knife and love how it opens with a discussion of the weather.  I do love weather talk

12.03.2013

Book of the.. MONTH

It's been awhile since I have shared a good library find with you all, so here is the latest and the greatest:

The Gnomes Book of Christmas Crafts
Published in 1980 (the height of gnome popularity)












10.26.2013

A List of Possible Reasons for Continuously Checking Email

  • To see if you are part of a class action lawsuit and entitled to eighteen dollars from Bank of America.
  • To see if someone wants to praise or apologize to you. 
  • To see if someone wants to offer book or script contract for something you've been thinking a lot about.
  • To see if you have been tagged in a photo on Facebook.
  • To monitor spam comments on your blog. 
  • To see if your friend thinks your last 1,000 word email was "K".

10.17.2013

Results of a Recent Search for Rock Star Jobs on Indeed.Com

ROCK STAR .NET Developer
blu sky - Bellingham, WA
Ability to work well in small teams and be responsible for own tasks (we're not a fan of micro managers). Experience with Microsoft SQL Server technologies....

Inside Sales Rock-Star
GlassRenu LLC. - Martinez, CA
We are a small and flexible company that values getting the job done right the first time! You need to be able to communicate effectively, and understand...

Rock Star
Intermap - Englewood, CO
You may be the next Intermap Rock Star and we want to hear from you. If you have exceptional skills, but dont see a current job opening, post your letter of...

Kinney Group - ROCK STAR Technical Recruiter
Flash Point - Indianapolis, IN
In addition, Kinney Group provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes compelling medical, dental, and vision plans;. and more.... $50,000 a year

Fast-Paced Team of Pamper "Rock Stars"
Massage Haven - Eagan, MN
Do you love massage and event marketing?. Would you enjoy spending alot of time at festivals, outdoor events and at exclusive corporate events?....

Advertising Sales Star
StarlinesUSA Promotions - Albuquerque, NM 87101 - +5 locations
Our STAR representatives earn $2,000.00 or more per week, and they qualify for trips that let them travel the world like rock stars....

Bartender: Experienced Rock Star Bartenders Needed Immediate...
Jerseys Pizza and Grill - Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
OUR WINGS ARE HOT..AND SO IS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE JERSEYS' TEAM?. Do you have what it takes?. Are you the life of the party?....

Hospitality Rock Star to grow into Management!
Community Cafe & Annex Wine Bar - Sonoma, CA
Someone who loves food & drink, the industry and people, and is a great team player. We're in a growth pattern and will be adding weekend dinner service and...

Looking for Rock Star Administrative Assistant
OfficeTeam, Vienna, VA 22182
We need someone who can multi-task, prioritize, and offer creative solutions to improve process efficiencies in a very fast paced environment.... $14.11 - $16.34 an hour

Rock Star Baristas - South San Francisco (Westborough)
PHILZ COFFEE - South San Francisco, CA 94080 
PHILZ COFFEE is currently hiring Rock Star BARISTAS for its upcoming new Westborough location! Philz Coffee is on a mission to "Better Peoples Day!"....

Inc. 30 Under 30 CEO Seeks Rock Star Graphic/Web Designer
ZIVELO - Scottsdale, AZ
Why we should work with you:. Youre a branding visionary with a flair for minimalism. You have the ability to take abstract concepts from and make them a...

Executive Assistant Rock Star Needed!
OfficeTeam  Oakland, CA 94612 (Northgate area)
1) Strong Microsoft Outlook calendaring experience. 4) Microsoft Office proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.... $18 - $22 an hour

Data Entry Rock Star Needed!
OfficeTeam  1,340 reviews - Oakland, CA 94612 (Northgate area)
Drafting Excel spreadsheets, organization and formatting of Excel reports, reviewing data, and checking for accuracy of contracts.... $14 - $17 an hour

Sales Rock Star
Smart Body Institute - Pleasanton, CA
What if you could become a Rock Star on a growing sales team? Positions available in San Jose and Pleasanton, CA Apply today....

SpringCM-Rock Star Manager, Product Marketing
Illinois Technology Association - Chicago, IL
And like all legendary Rock Stars, you need to know how to successfully collaborate with others. Aim, arm and inspire the Sales team with killer tools that...

Inside Sales Representative
Better Business Bureau  28 reviews - Austin, TX
Are you a sales rock star? Would you love to be part of an amazing, award-winning sales team? Are you willing to adhere to a proven sales method, and uphold the...

Jimmy John's - Denver, CO
We are looking for rock star crew members (including... fresh, and flawless sandwiches. If you are the rock star for the job, apply now! Candidates must be...

Rock Star Client Relationship Coordinator
Wymer Brownlee - Enid, OK

Love it, live it and share it. Should you be the rock star we’re looking for, you’ll find it exhilarating and... Bartlesville. If you're the rock star Wymer Brownlee...

9.30.2013

My Stash

I'm taking inventory of the vintage fabric stash before I store it away for awhile.  Feast your eyes (sorry about the wrinkles):



















9.28.2013

Just Shove It


I don't like the way customer service people talk nowadays. 
From a recent Comcast "help" chat transcript:
Clifford: Oh, thank you for correcting me, B. 
Clifford: I'm sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. I don't want this to happen on my service too. 
Clifford: You have reached the best person to assist you and thank you for bringing this to our attention. 
Clifford: After we look into your issue, I’d love to look at your account to ensure you are getting the best value for the services you have. 
Clifford: Would you mind waiting for 2-3 minutes while I pull up your account first so that I can check the status of your equipment?
Clifford, I think we can agree that there is no value in us BS-ing each other.  

9.23.2013

A Practice in Self-Restraint

It's been a couple weeks now so it's probably safe to write about it here.

Recently, my pal E and I took a no-shopping challenge. I don't think we are the first people to do this, but we are probably the raddest. Kidding. I actually got the idea after doing a closet purge (that's what they call it when you go through all of your stuff and get rid of things you no longer wear like last year's peacock prints or whatever) and was confused and frightened by the amount of crap I had. I did an online search and saw a bunch of fashion bloggers that vowed to not purchase any new clothes for one year.   The idea is that we all probably already have enough stuff in our closets to get us through four seasons (or more - I even have some items that would get me through the Pacific Crest Trail, a week-long aerobic competition, and probably a run for Governor in a small state). Most people were able to do it. Although many of those gals had really nice Frye boots....

I might not have started a blog about the no-shopping if weren't for E jumping on board, but here we are with No New Duds. Sure, part of this was motivated by these tough economic times, but some of it we see as a creative challenge and mostly - at the emotional core of this endeavor is the quest for The Apple Shirt.

The concept is inspired by E's dad who has a very select number of shirts, he has worn one of them, an apple-print shirt, for seventeen years. And after seventeen years it still brightens everyone's day. It brings him power and provides power to those around him. We got to thinking, how can we find our powerful apple shirt if we are too busy cycling in a consumer trap?

So it is a vision quest and a test of will. We agreed to NOT thrift shop either. We're just going to see what we can come up with what we already have in our closets. We have made it two weeks, we are alive and clothed so far, but E is already starting to spray paint shoes and I'm developing a twitch in my online shopping finger.

You can read more and follow those adventures here.  Words of encouragement and shoe-painting ideas welcome.

More to come!

*note: I am well aware that some people are like NBD! Shopping is LAME anyway, but you must understand that as an oppressed female manipulated by the barrage of unobtainable standards in modern cultural messaging, it is very hard for me to not buy the latest shape of t-shirt or bootie without being convinced I will be shunned by my friends and family and people that I don't even give a crap about. 

9.14.2013

I Am Promising You A Rose Garden

Had lunch at the Memphis Botanic Garden today.  If you stare at roses long enough they seem  extraterrestrial and ancient all at the same time. And I love them for that because I want people to think the same thing when they stare at my face.  (maybe replace "ancient" with timeless - that's kinder)