Favorite Things

Living in the Bay Area, I don’t lack for friends who have shed their addiction to the anesthetizing effects of the Boob Tube by canceling cable.    

I read here that 18th century London saw a gin craze amongst poor industrial workers.  To numb themselves from the unfamiliar work, terrible living conditions and limited entertainment, they drank themselves into oblivion.

I don’t drink myself into oblivion, but I do watch WAY too much TV.  I think TV is my gin.

Since most shows can be purchased on iTunes, the only reason for us to buy cable is for the news (we are computer nerds and not so much into sports).

Outside of Rachel Maddow, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert the news is a bunch of spoon fed drivel (and yes, I realize those last two aren’t technically ”news” shows but they have the balls to ask genuinely hard interview questions, in other words, to do their job).

Most dramas run their course after 1-2 seasons (I love Glee, but does anyone think it will have genuine legs after this next season? Where can the plot go but in circles?)

So, we too are considering dumping cable and buying only the handful of shows we actually watch (because going cold turkey is just WAY too scary!).

Will we miss it?  The local news is rarely upbeat. The world news is a joke.

For a while, we probably will. But in the long run, I think we will read more good books, eat dinner as a family more often, maybe go to bed a little earlier, and of course feel just a little smugger.  We live in the Bay. What do you expect?  :-)

Catching Fire is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  I loved this one too!   The beginning is perhaps a touch slower than the start to Book 1, but I suppose fire is a bit like that too.  Starts off inocuous enough before roaring to life at a pace you struggle to keep up with.   It will only leave you pining to read Mockingjay.

Mockingjay is a bit of a different story.   This book continues on the theme of war, with a rapid fire of as many weapons as difficult choices.    What is acceptable in war?  Do you hold on to your humanity, or suspend it for the perceived greater good?  Where do you draw the line?

But if you crawl into this book like I did, thinking you were in the company of a good friend who would tell you everything will be ok, you may be disappointed.  The violence of this “young adult” book rivals anything by Stephen King.

Mockingjay  left my mind filled with horrific images that literally kept me up at night.   True that I am a mother and a big softy when it comes to kids, but still.

Did I love the series? YES! Would I recommend it?  TO EVERYONE!  Did Mockingjay leave me saddened and feeling a little broken?  Unfortunately I have to yes to that too…

WOW.  I was swept up in The Hunger Games and finished it within 3 days. As a working mother of a toddler, that says a lot!  

Imagine a future in post apocalyptic North America, where reality TV is taken to a gross extreme.  A society of “haves” ruling a society of “have nots”.   Characters that you root for, cry with, and yet are also flawed in their own way.

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed reading a book as much as this one.     Maybe The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, although I might have liked this one a tad more. Dragon had some slow parts, this one, not so much.

I am reading the sequel, Catching Fire now… More on that soon!

I love my Kindle.  Bryan bought it for me for my birthday in 2008, and I won’t buy books now unless they are available on my beloved E-Reader.        

Why on earth do Bryan and I have 3 Kindles (Gen 1, Gen 1, and DX)  between us?  Quite simply, we are insatiable readers that ran out of physical space in our home.

Note to publishers – KINDLE OWNERS LOVE TO READ – we can’t get enough of books – and electronic format is the best for us.  We are the power consumers of your product.

So, when you hold out on publishing on Kindle, perhaps due to fear that your business model is at risk of becoming extinct if competing publishing models (aka Amazon, and now Apple) have too much power, guess who loses?  Your two customers – the authors, and the power consumers of content.  And examples like this are the only way of speaking out us power users have.

So my note to you, publishers, is if you don’t find a way to keep your business model relevant, and make money in a digital economy, you too will be closing your doors, as the likes of Amazon.com and Apple sweep in to replace you.

Really, it’s only a matter of time…

My little munchkin is growing up!!

Lately, nothing has made her happier than getting to sit on the couch or chair like a “big girl”.  So I thought, I bet she would love her own chair!

After some online research and determining the $50 options from the likes of amazon.com, target, jcpenny etc had terrible quality reviews, we opted to check out the Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair.  This definitely falls into the “spurge” category at $140, but the chair is sooo cute, large enough to fit her for years to come, and so light we can pick it up via its little handle and put it in any room.

And best of all, her face lights up like a Christmas tree every time she sees her chair. She dives into it like they are old friends, bringing books, blocks and other toys in the chair to join her.

I still call her my little baby, but she really isn’t any more.    My mom always warned me not to wish my life away as it all goes so quickly, but I don’t think I could truly appreciate that advise until I became a mommy… Love you munchkie!

Youth in Revolt took me a while to get through.  I suppose had I read the jacket of the physical book, and realized this was “absurdist fiction” perhaps my expectations would have been appropriately set.   Being that I read this on the Kindle, I did not realize this small but very relevant fact.

There were laugh out loud moments, many of them.  But there were also many moments that were too over the top for my taste.  Being told from the perspective of a 14 year old boy didn’t help.

I won’t be reading the rest of the books told from Nick Twisp’s perspective, but I do appreciate how clever the author was in his creation.

My husband and I have many conversations on ways to “go green”.   Ultimately, we would love to live off the grid. Practically speaking, that won’t happen any time soon!

Below are my top 3 favorite, easy and I like to think impactful ways to help reduce waste, without breaking the bank.

1.  BYOB #1  This one is soooo easy! Stop using plastic grocery bags.  I purchased several totes made of organic cotton from Reusablebags.com and they work great.  We keep them in the car, they are washable, hold a ton of stuff, and look clean since they are black.   This means one less plastic bag flitting about the freeway and threatening to melt to the undercarriage of my car;-)

2.  BYOB #2  Bring Your Own Bottle!  Somehow tap water became a piryah and now we  drink municipal water that has been filtered and put in a plastic bottle.  Save yourself $$ and the world a bunch of plastic waste by filtering your own municipal water. I like the Brita + Nalgene combo.    The Brita filter has a nice meter on top that tells you when to change the filter (make sure you get the one of the indicator), the water is always refrigerator cold, and it is MUCH less expensive, and infinitely more convenient than buying and disposing of plastic water bottles.

3.  BYOLB Bring Your Own Lunch Bag!  I just bought myself an early birthday present – this adorable and completely functional lunch bag.  Today it fit a large grapefruit, a container of blueberries, a hard boiled egg and a yogurt – with a ton of room to spare!  It is perfectly shaped and infinitely better than a paper or plastic sack that will end up in the landfill.  This one is a lot more manly but certainly not as cute! 

As a sales hiring manager for the last 6 years, I have been the recipient of many resume submissions.  Over the course of time I have come across a few Do’s and Don’ts. 

DO:

1. Remember to attach your resume (Seriously. I get at least 2/week with no attachment)

2. Include a short concise cover letter IN THE EMAIL.  Not once have I opened a cover letter attachment.

3. In this cover letter, tell me why you are the right candidate for the position.  What knowledge, qualities or skills do you have that are well suited for the role?

4.  Please, please, please submit a resume that clearly states what you did, what your accomplishments were, and, if you are in sales, quota attainment.

5. Spell check!!

DO NOT:

1.  Don’t include the phrase “the birds were singing”, or anything else as equally non sequitur in the cover letter/email.  This sets you apart, but not in a good way.  This exact phrase appeared in a submission from 2 weeks ago.  Needless to say that resume wasn’t opened.

2.  Don’t include a long, tedious cover letter with no content.  I can’t tell you how many I receive elaborating on what great sales experience the person has. Blah Blah Blah. Great sales people will tell me why their product (themselves) is the perfect solution to my problem (open position).  And not in a cheesy way!

3. Don’t leave any grammar mistakes on the cover letter or resume.  Seems simple, but showing an eye for detail on your marketing material will help show you can apply this same attention to detail on the job.  The opposite is also true.

I know, not rocket science:-)

Last Night in Twisted River is the latest by John Irving. Let me begin by saying that I count The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany amoungst my favorite books of all time.

Sadly, Twisted River is not one of my favorites. In fact, I made it only halfway!!  I just couldn’t finish it.  It went on, and on, and on. It didn’t go anywhere, and I didn’t care about the characters.  I think the worst offense was the characters.  And the lack of plot.  <sigh>

I really don’t like not being able to finish a book.  It feels like quitting.

Haven’t heard of the Theracane?  Neither had I until my sister so kindly purchased one for me for Christmas.

This plastic, albeit strange, looking device is perfect for anyone who has hard to reach knots in their back and neck.

Theracane is perfectly shaped to easily hold while reaching the middle of your back, without having to pull off a yoga move to get your opposite arm into the right position.

This is an easy $26 purchase decision in my book!

First, I must say I am surprised that I like Windows 7 (vs. xp).  It starts and shuts down much faster, and I like how it manages stacking of open windows so my system tray isn’t the cluttered mess it used to be.

My main gripe – not all the apps I use seem to have caught up with 7.   Salesforece Mail merge is one such app I would really like to work, and doesn’t. I only found one other post on this so thought I would post as well. The response to my Salesforce support ticket is below…

“Thank you for contacting Salesforce Support. I am following up with you in regards to case xxxxx.

At this time Windows 7 is not fully supported to use with Connect for Outlook, therefore we cannot guarantee full functionality of the Connect for Outlook plugin. Unfortunately, there is not a time frame when Windows 7 will be fully supported with Connect for Outlook. Also, please keep in mind the below system requirements for Connect for Outlook.

* Microsoft Outlook XP (2002), 2003, or 2007

* Microsoft Windows® 2000, XP, or Vista™ (32-bit only; 64-bit is not supported)

* Microsoft Exchange Server

* Microsoft Word XP (2002), 2003, or 2007″

Where to start with The Lost Symbol…  It was terrible!!  Life is too short to read books like this. 

To summarize why it is bad: flat stereo typed characters, a plot that was hard to care about, a ridiculous “reveal” at the end that isn’t worth waiting for, I could go on and on.

Where The Da Vinci Code made claims that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, the basis of Symbol’s mythology is that the human mind is capable of changing matter, and that this fact is actually the main point of the Bible.  Interesting, but if that is your cup of tea read The Secret.  Similar idea, but slightly more interesting and without all the bad characters.

I was eating my favorite breakfast this morning, Chobani Greek Style Yogurt, and enjoying the surprising number of pomegranate seeds that were in the mix.  Normally this yogurt has < 1 gram of fiber, not ideal of course, but I am currently enamored with the 14g of protein this particular brand/style of yogurt provides.  Given the nice pop of seeds, I expected this flavor might exceed the normal < 1g of fiber statistic.

However, when I looked at the label I found this: Dietary Fiber less than 0g.

What!?!  Does this yogurt not only not contain fiber, but does it actually somehow suck it out of my body??  Is Chobani Pomegranate flavor somehow a fiber black hole?

For now, I am going to assume it was mislabeled.   Or perhaps I am just not smart enough to understand < 0 as it pertains to nutritional value. Whatever the case I think it is the first time I have seen such a unique claim on a food label, and trust me, I read a lot of labels.

Have you watched Modern Family?  If so did you see the episode when they attend a Gymberee class?   Or have you ever just attended a Gymberee class yourself?

If you have, and especially if you are in the Bay Area, you are familiar with the crazily competitive parents out there, proudly trotting beside their 10 month olds who can walk, talk and make homemade bread simultaneously.

It is because of these parents we have avoided classes such as Gymberee.  However, we eventually concluded that this may be a selfish reason deny our daughter the opportunity to play with fun gym equipment and interact with other little babies.  We are now official Gymberee members.

Where does the Jolly Walker fit in?  I hate to think we are becoming competitively crazed Bay Area parents, but we did realize that of all the class, our kiddo was one of the few not yet walking.  Now granted she is on the young side at only 11 months. And it is honestly easier for me if she isn’t walking.  But perhaps we were holding her back to make things easier for ourselves; or perhaps we got a small bite by the competitive bug and wanted to see our little one toddling around the room as well.

Whatever the reason, we received the Jolly Walker as a gift from her grandparents for her first birthday, ensuring us this was the toy they used to get their youngest, a late walker, to finally walk. The walker was assembled, and the baby was stuck on the back of it, and she immediately started walking along behind her little “shopping cart” as if she had been doing it every day of her young life!

What is great about this particular walker is you can adjust the friction applied to the wheels, therefore slowing down or speeding up the rate at which the cart can role.  We have her at a “tortoise” pace right now, but I am afraid it won’t be long until our goal of her walking is met.  Just yesterday she stood on her own for the first time.

Therefore, I have to rate our experience with this walker as outstanding. It worked as advertised, and quickly, and it doesn’t “scoot” out from under her by going too fast.   Just be prepared to have your infant toddle her way into toddlerhood before your very eyes…

Granted, Macy’ can be cheaper, but their customer service is just horrible.  Yesterday while returning a couple of items purchased online, I had two experiences that will cause me to pause the next time I have a choice of Macy’s vs. Nordies.

1. In the bedding department, while the woman behind the counter begrudgingly exchanged my mis-purchased item for the correct one, she commented “I never buy things online, because in my experience, all people do is return it.”  Thanks a lot lady.  Do you have any idea how much I have spent ONLINE at Macy’s and didn’t make a return?

2.  In the shoe department, where granted they are on commission, so not only am I an inconvenience, but a possible lost sale, it was even worse. When the salesman found out I had a return, he processed my request without making eye contact ONCE.  And said nothing as he handed me my processed receipt.  I sheepishly walked away feeling like I had done something wrong.  What a good sales person would have done, was asked what was wrong with the shoes, and helped me to find a better option.  And I probably would have bought. Shame on you Macy’s!  You lost a potential sale, and worse, my good will.

Conversely, at Nordie’s the same shopping day, the girl behind the makeup counter helped me even though it was “appointment day only”, and went so far as to not only pick colors for me, but showed me how to apply them!  I walked away spending more than I intended and much more loyalty for a return trip.

Feb 24, 2010 – update on this. I actually ended up returning shoes at Nordstrom’s a couple of weeks ago. The sales person addressed me immediately, asked if I had a return, when I mentioned the shoes were too narrow she apologized and asked if she could help me find a replacement.  EXACTLY as I said Macy’ should have!  It is amazing how two very similar retail companies, but run so differently, can produce such polar opposite results.

I tried this summer, really tried, to ween myself off the tube.  I made it through a several weeks of limited TV, and spent my time reading and making a lot of homemade baby food (I was particularly proud of my extremely popular blueberry puree). 

Then the inevitability of the Fall 2009 TV season rolls around, and I immediately, shamelessly, fall off the wagon.

What I realized, is that I am just too tired to fight the temptation.   However, I did manage to get several hours of my life back by breaking up with a few shows.

1. Heroes.  What happened to this show?  What started off with so much promise, is now rote and repetitive.  I don’t care about the carny characters, I don’t care about whiny Clair, and I don’t care about Syler popping in and out.  Ugh.

2. CSI (the original).  It was bad all last season.  Bones and Criminal Minds are so much better.

3. Mad Men.  This show can be very clever, and is subtle and well acted. It just doesn’t move quickly enough for my reality-TV-junky taste.

4.  Numbers.  I never really watched this one, but hubby did.  I still won’t watch it. The main character is so annoying!  “Math can solve anything!” The only math I am interested in is the math that will pay off my mortgage.

5. Law and Order. Still a great show, but it didn’t make the short list.

6. Dancing with the Stars. I miss this one. But we can’t watch it while Tom Delay is on it.  It is disturbing enough to see the clips on The Daily Show and Colbert Report.

What was I not strong enough not to give up? Survivor (love this show AND Jeff Probst’s blog), Amazing Race (can’t wait for Sunday!), Biggest Loser (this show keeps me motivated while spinning at 5:30AM), Bones, Criminal Minds, and Glee (I love that this show is unabashedly corny, while still well written) .

Happy watching, or for those much stronger than I, happy not-watching;-)

I usually love Jennifer Weiner’s work.  In particular I enjoyed Good in Bed and In Her Shoes. They were authentic, believable and most of all, the characters were likable.  I feel bad even writing this, but I just can’t finish Best Friends Forever.

I cringe while writing this post; after all, who am I to judge?  It is easy to cast stones, especially within the anonymous abyss of the internet.  I was really trying to finish the book, so as to have a complete review.  Perhaps it is my exhaustion at working full time with a 10 month old.  Jennifer, certainly you can understand that one!

In general, I enjoy Ms. Weiner’s work, loved seeing her when she spoke here in the Bay Area, and I think her blog is HILARIOUS!  I do however, recommend her earlier works more.

Up next – a book on the psychology of influence (similar to Made To Stick, but backed by some science), then Dan Brown’s new one.  Yea I know.  It’s going to be formulaic writing to the core, but it must be read!

We set out to Toys R Us in search of something to both help our 10 month old daughter learn how to transition from sitting to standing safely and easily, and to help her gain better fine motor control.  After browsing the aisles with much nostalgia (they still make Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs!) we picked up LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table (also available on Amazon.com).

She loves it!

The table plays such a wide variety of tunes that we are still hearing new ones a week later.  Even better, there is a singing mode where it will sing the ABC’s and 1-2-3′s in BOTH English and Spanish (we play the English one since mom can’t sing along that fast in Spanish as well as a music only mode.

When Caitlin finds a new sound, she looks to us with a big proud grin on her face.  Priceless.  The time it gives mom and dad to casually read a book or write a blog post while baby is otherwise occupied isn’t too bad either

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson is AWESOME!   I know some reviews say that FIRE isn’t quite as good as DRAGON, but I thought it was just as addicting.  You learn a lot more about Lisbeth Salander in FIRE, and every bit of it has you rooting for her even more.

Do yourself a favor and pick up both of these novels and you will be just as hooked with anticipation as the rest of us for the 2010 release of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Other Die was recommended to me by a co-worker.  Being that I am in software sales, it is extremely important that my own, and my team’s, messaging sticks.  And based on our prospecting response rate, it clearly wasn’t.  I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to sell a message – sales, marketing, teachers, parents, spouses, etc!  Really, anyone that has an idea to sell, this is worth reading.

As an example of why you may want to read this book – have you ever heard of the man who wakes up in a tup of ice with his kidney removed?  Of course you have! Why do you remember this story?  You need to read the book to find out:-)

On a side note, I normally avoid any political comments on my blog, but I will add one comment here – liberals, democrats, etc – you really should read Made to Stick.  If there is one thing we are not good at, it’s messaging. If there is one thing big business and conservatives are experts at, you guessed it, it’s messaging.