Goodbye Corporate Life
Feb 6th
© Atee83 | Dreamstime
I’m saying goodbye to the corporate life. Maybe it will turn out to be a mistake. Maybe not. I really hope not, anyway. No matter what, though, I believe my work life quality is about to change significantly for the better.
I quit my job – a very nice, corporate job at a well-recognized and ages old organization with benefits and a corner office.
Some will think me crazy for doing so and the intent of this post is not to ask whether or not I should have done so. It’s to explain why I did so.
I’ve played the game. I’ve crawled my way through corporate politics. I’ve sandwiched my share of constructive criticism in between bits of positive reinforcement. I’ve been the mouse whose cheese was moved and I’ve moved my share of cheese. I know how to manage in a minute, remotely, and in the middle of the night. I know being in the red is bad. I’ve worked with empire-builders, lazy suck-ups and those who did all the work but never got enough credit. I’ve been through more corporate fire-drills than a volunteer fireman.
No Age Limit on Road Rage
Feb 5th
© Scott Rothstein | Dreamstime
While attempting to enter a freeway from the service lane, a friend of mine experienced a most surprising incident of road rage.
Only after he told me his story did I realize that I am probably guilty of gauging the possibility of irritating the drivers near me to the point of danger purely by age. The younger they are, the less likely I am to honk my horn or wave my hands in the air wildly as a sign that I think they just pulled a really, stupid move.
Apparently, my thinking is a bit naive.
The service lane my friend was on merges with the entrance ramp to the freeway. He made all the right moves to signal his intent to merge but could see a minivan coming up behind him. It was obvious the minivan had no intention of letting my friend merge – at least not easily. He kept the nose of his bumper just at the tail end of my friend’s car. (I won’t say where, exactly, this incident occurred but suffice it to say that drivers there are not known for passive and friendly driving.)
In a split-second decision, my friend chose to merge anyway, stepping on the gas to gain that extra foot or so needed to clear the nose of the minivan. He must have misjudged because he ended up clipping the minivan’s front head-light.
I can hear my friend now. “Crap.” (my parents read this blog)
Not wanting to block the on ramp, he continued to enter the freeway and then pulled over on the shoulder expecting Minivan Man to pull up behind him.
Robot Mop – My New Best Friend
Jan 15th
iRobot Roomba Floor Washer
Meet my robot mop. She’s short and round and cleans my floors for free – 24/7, if asked. She never complains, has completely freed my back from having to sweep, vacuum and mop large amounts of tile floor, and sits quietly in the corner when not in use.
My parents have used an iRobot vacuum for over a year now and have raved about it since they brought “her” home. She’s been dubbed “Bridget” by my niece and they love to watch her roam the floors sucking up any dirt she might find.
So, while visiting my parents over the holidays, Dad and I got into a discussion about the one he has in his garage, too, to keep his workshop area clean. This led to quite some time investigating the iRobot site and my “oohing” and “ahhing” over all of the cool products – especially the robot floor washer.
You see, when you live in Arizona, tile floors are a pretty big deal. They help keep your house cool and are easier to keep clean with all of the dust that floats through our air and, well, I think they’re just part of our normal desert decor. They look really cool – until you have to clean them. And, of course, I had to get a nice, light beige floor tile. It can take me well over three hours a week just to do the tile floors, between sweeping or vacuuming and then mopping.
Shipping Container Houses – Really!
Jan 2nd
Shipping container houses. Unbelievable. What a neat concept, though, with tremendous environmental benefit! I had never heard of these before but apparently the glut of shipping containers that have built up over time have presented a new building material and folks are making some incredible, modern, living and office spaces out of those old, used shipping containers.
I saw a few videos about these at a blog about shipping container homes. The benefits seem pretty amazing. You use used shipping containers so less wood is involved in the actual home construction (saving money) plus you’re doing something good for the environment. The containers are also incredibly strong since they were originally built to withstand the harsh environment during transport, and are resistant to many of the problems that plague traditional homes: insects, mold, fire.
Reloadable Credit Cards – Checking Account of the Future
Nov 8th
You know those reloadable credit cards that act almost like a real credit card with some minor differences? What if that becomes how we manage our finances in the future?
I was cleaning out my purse the other day – something I do regularly before I go on the road. My friends know I am not a fan of large purses. I like to travel light. That means that there is no room for fluff in my small, little purse. However, I came across a slip of paper folded in half and jammed down low in the money fold of my wallet. It was a spare, blank check from my account that I put in there quite some time ago for emergencies.
Quite some time ago means…over two years ago. I have not needed it. I haven’t written a single check in that time. All of my money is handled electronically. The checking account is just the place my money is held and from which I direct my bank to send bill payments. I use the onine service to move money around as needed. But – I never write checks. See the irony? The name of the entire deposit product has to do with checks and I never use them.
I can’t be the only one who has a checking account and does not write checks. Considering the number of places that take debit and credit card transactions and that I can send money straight out of my account without having to write a check or address an envelope, it is highly possible my children will never write a check in their lives.
Making Friends Online
Oct 31st
There’s a lot of value in writing online. One of the best benefits, though? Making friends online. I have friends all over the world. Amazing, since the only country I’ve ever been to outside the United States is Canada. (In itself, that’s odd considering I live only a few short hours from Mexico…)
If you’re trying to make your way as an internet marketer, it’s easy to come across people online who are going through the same things you are. Reading, learning, creating, writing….struggling. There’s a lot of research that goes into putting quality work online. Then – you find one with whom you just click. You think alike, share ideas, coach each other, pull each other, and push at each other to keep moving.
Emails whiz across the ether, over oceans, across deserts from one end of the world to another. Sometimes the emails are bits of info – a new idea, a new website, a new tool we can use in our work. Sometimes, they’re just funny because we’re tired, can’t think straight or really need a break.
My online IM partner is a man in Spain I have never met. I know him only through his words. I know he is funny, intelligent and creative. I’ve often thought our emails back and forth would make a great blog all in their own. There are lots of internet marketing lessons in those emails. Life lessons, too- valuable, pull-yourself-apart, put-yourself-back-together lessons.
Diaper Cake Ideas
Oct 27th
I have found some great diaper cake ideas, for boys and girls, and built a collection of them, along with photos, at a few new sites on the web. These are the cutest things and although I never had one at any of my baby showers, I can see why they make a great gift. My boys aren’t so old that I don’t remember how many diapers we seemed to go through in a day!
If you’re looking for a great baby shower gift or want to make a diaper cake, these resources will help you out with pictures, instructions and more:
Diaper Cake Ideas
Best Diaper Cakes for Baby Showers
How to Make a Diaper Cake Step by Step
Baby Shower Centerpiece Ideas
Diaper Cakes for Boys
Diaper Cake Ideas (yes, I did it twice!)
There are many ways to use a diaper cake either as a decoration for a baby shower or purely as a gift to an expectant mother. Some are simple but beautiful and decorated with bows in baby colors, dots, or stripes. Others are adorned with all kinds of baby gifts, toys and toiletries. Many are filled with baby lotions, powders and baby bath soap.
You can also find diaper cakes in all kinds of themes – diaper cakes for boys, girls, multiples. Diaper cakes with monkeys, giraffes, cars, trains, flowers, princess themes. Even diaper cakes done up in the colors of your favorite college football team.
They’re not difficult to make, in fact, they’re actually quite fun and the best part is picking all of the neat ways in which you can decorate a diaper cake.
Enjoy!
Guys Are Visual and Why I Get That Now
Oct 12th
Part of an email to a friend last week:
“I just realized something…and I don’t know why this didn’t sink in before but just as I was reading your question my son came to me with the traditional “Mom, can you come look at something?” and I’m thinking to myself, “Why must the kids always make me come look at something?”
How to Make Balloon Decorations
Sep 23rd
I’ve been gathering information on how to make balloon decorations for awhile now. Mostly this is because I have three boys and I’ve made balloon decorations a regular event for every birthday. I can now do a number of cool tricks like balloon columns, arches, and even came across some stuffed balloon ideas. It’s easier than you think.
I’m using that research in a couple of ways. First, I’m planning two birthday parties – one in a couple of weeks for my middle son and another next March for my oldest son’s 16th birthday. Second, as I’m gathering these ideas, I thought it was a great way to practice writing and I put up a few article pages about the balloon decoration ideas and instructions I’d found…which then became a blog:
- Decorating with Balloons
- Balloon Decoration Ideas (the single)
- How to Make Balloon Decorations
- Balloon Decoration Ideas (the blog)
I’ve been amazed at how many cool ideas there are for balloon decorations. Just peek around the web and you’ll find images of all kinds of neat arches and columns and centerpieces. But HOW to make balloon decorations? That’s what I wanted to know. And if I wanted to know that, I figured others did, too. And you know what? Get a few basic steps down and you can do so much more than you imagined.
Those who know me will say they’re not surprised this turned into so many pages of content. I never do anything in small doses…
All I can say is my children are soon going to be overwhelmed with balloons (and I better remember to take pictures!).
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