Matchsticks

Marathon #2 - Napa Valley

2011-03-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

After last fall’s adventure in Long Beach, I felt compelled to make another try at a marathon. And it seemed like it might be nice to have some type of training goal to work on over the winter season. So, after a bit of research looking at reviews on Racevine and exchanging ideas/brainstorms with running friends on Twitter and DailyMile, I decided that it would be fun to try out the Napa Valley Marathon on March 6, 2011.

This point-to-point marathon was situated through the heart of wine country, from Calistoga to Napa. Elevation decreased a few hundred feet from start to finish, and the course included beautiful views of vineyards and rolling valleys.

As the event neared, it became apparent that it was going to be a rainy (but not cold) race day. Yikes! As a spoiled Northern CA resident, I was known for being a little wimpy when it comes to rain. Plus the course had a lot of rolling hills. Oh, my. This was going to be interesting. And, of course, I was still very much a beginner marathoner, and not exactly a speedy runner. In the end, however it all went well. Woo hoo!

Decked out in a garbage bag poncho, I rode the bus with fellow DailyMiler Greg P. from our hotel to the starting line. We chatted about training and race strategy and tried not to notice how long the bus ride was – yes, you really get a sense for how LONG a marathon was when you ride the bus to the start. :)

This race gave runners the option to have custom drinks at the various aid stations (as if we all were elite runners – awesome!). As race organizers promised, I was able to quickly find the boxes for the correct stations at the start line and put two different bottles with my own little mixture for the stations at miles 9 and 17. Plus I had a third bottle with me – again with a mix of unflavored Sustained Energy mix.

There were plenty of porta potties along the start, and after taking care of business; it was time to line up. I did some chatting with Tamara, Chris, Lisa and Mark as we waited for the announcement that it was time to start! The fast folks in our group moved toward the front of the line. Because this race limited the number of registrants to 2400, it was refreshingly not overcrowded at the start, and there wasn’t the confusion that I’ve experienced at really large events.

From miles 1 to 7, Lisa and I took a steady, conservative approach to the run, hovering around 10:35 pace for 10 minutes, then walking for 1 minute. Just as we approached the mile 7 aid station, we parted ways. I loved having the company for the early portion of the race and tried not to stress out about all of the people passing us. After all I wanted to be careful not to make the mistake of my first marathon, where I started out too quickly and maxed my HR way too early.

At almost 3 hours into the race, my pace started to gradually get slower during my running segments. I still held to doing these every 10 minutes, but I was definitely slowing down. Then around 4 hours into the race, I was really starting to feel the pain, so I extended the walk breaks and added extra ones, usually around every 5 minutes.

Throughout the whole race, I was also very careful to generously drink my Sustained Energy and take gels frequently. I brought my own supply of gels and then took one offered at the mile-18 station. Last year, at my first marathon, I really felt like my nutrition had been lacking, which probably helped contribute to my “hitting the wall” experience so early in the race (at mile 18).

The rain was pretty steady most of the race, with occasional ‘lulls’ where it faded to sprinkling. I kept on my garbage bag poncho until mile 21, and was teased a little for it by the spectators – all in good fun. I was glad to have worn it however, as it helped keep me comfortable without feeling overheated. Worked much better than my rain jacket, which would have been too warm.

If you’re someone that craves a lot of crowd support, this rural race was not the one for you. It was held on the Silverado Trail road that weaves through winery valleys – very beautiful, but only accessible every few miles. That being said, every time there was a place where people could access the course, they were there, and they were very supportive and friendly. Many of them would literally go from spot to spot on the course, and I actually had ongoing conversations with several spectators, as they reappeared at accessible each location – so fun. Also, the volunteers at the aid stations were very helpful and enthusiastic – their friendly cheering and encouragement were greatly appreciated.

When I finally made those last turns to the finish area at Vintage High School, I was so happy to be there. I hadn’t been watching my overall time, just keeping track of the 10/1 intervals and pace and focusing on doing as much as I could with whatever energy I had throughout. So it was really great to see the time clock as I finished, showing 5:08-ish. I knew that my pace had slowed as the race went on, and with the extra walk breaks I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up. I certainly couldn’t have predicted a 23-minute PR (personal record) this time around, but that’s what happened. :)

Chip time 5:08:37
Garmin time (hit stop slightly after crossing) 5:08:50
Garmin distance 26.41 miles
Runner perks: technical shirt, awesome bag with great goodies, very nice medal and the ability to have custom drinks at the aid stations of your choice
More awesomeness: Official race results on their Website within an hour after the race was complete!
Highly recommended event

Long Beach Marathon, my personal adventure

2010-10-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally did it. I ran and finished my first marathon. ☺ It was a bit of an adventure, as they can be… but I’m glad I went through the challenges of training to have this amazing experience.

After finishing my spring half with a new PR, I wasn’t sure what the next goal would be. I’m not a fast runner and am not sure I ever would be, plus I wanted a new type of challenge. After some consideration and a bit of trepidation, I decided that perhaps I should attempt a fall marathon.

Up until now, I had been mostly a half-er. After all, marathons required long runs during the week for training, and the time investments (for us slow types) can be significant. But after considering the amount of training that I put into improving my half marathon time, I realized that with a bit more time added to my existing schedule, I probably was ready to pull off a marathon distance.

After selecting the time frame (fall this year), I needed to find a location. I spent a lot of time reading reviews about marathons and reviewing the experiences of my DailyMile and Twitter running friends. I realized that I didn’t want to do a hilly local marathon, nor did I want to wait until December (and possible frigid weather) to do the California International Marathon. I also considered Denver, but altitude was a problem there, as I trained at sea level. So I opted for the famously flat and fun Long Beach Marathon on October 17.

My summer training regimen was full of long tempos and intervals, and was not your typical novice level approach. It made me feel strong and ready to take it on.

Nevertheless, I was nervous this week as the DAY approached. This was uncharted territory for me, which created both excitement and fear. ☺ I watched the weather closely, as California had an unusual heat wave this October. Fortunately in the day or two prior to the big event, it cooled down until it was perfect weather… 60s with cloud cover, with a predicted high in the low 70s – yay!

We flew down to Long Beach on a short JetBlue flight on Saturday morning. After our arrival, I ventured into the Expo to pick up my number etc. As a local event, most of the vendors were local businesses, charities and races, so there wasn’t a ton of stuff to tempt me. We also walked over to the race staging area, so I could figure out the easiest way to walk there from our hotel.

I also had a chance to meet one of my Twitter buddies @ridgeley in person, which was super fun. And, that evening, I had dinner with several local runners who had all run Long Beach before and had some nice tips for what to expect.

The more I talked to folks planning to participate, I realized that the majority of race entrants were actually doing the half marathon. However, the way the waves were set up, both half marathon runners and marathon runners shared the same waves. This made me somewhat nervous because I knew it would be difficult not to follow the half runners who would likely start out at a faster pace than I would like to do.

On race morning, I strategically edged myself toward the back of my wave as we lined up and settled off to the side, to let the majority of half racers speed by (and speed by they did). The start of the course weaved around a lot with some nice views of the water and the Queen Mary ship. It was fun, and the energy was high.

However there were bad signs: Right from the start, even though my pace wasn’t excessively fast, my HR seemed very high. My rate of perceived of exertion (RPE) seemed to be OK, but I tried to pull back on the pace, to see if the HR would lower a bit. However, as was often the case in my training, once it had spiked, it seemed to stay up there.

Miles 6 through 10 of the Long Beach were situated on a brick and concrete pathway following the beach. It was LOVELY. We had a bit of sea mist blowing on us throughout that section, and it was just simply fun to enjoy the view. At around mile 10 ½, the half marathon runners split off to head back toward the finish line. I admit, I was jealous of them. However, the course traffic lightened up significantly, so that made navigating the course a LOT easier.

At mile 11 ½, I met my husband Dave, per our plan, so I could get a bottle of water mixed with some Hammer nutrition. I tried this approach during my training runs, and knew that the unsweetened protein/carb/electrolyte mix really seemed to give me the boost I needed without too much sugar. I was so glad we were able to find each other easily, even it meant he wore a bright orange Lewis Hamilton victory shirt (he is a fanboy of this F1 driver, and I am not). ;)

At this point in the course, we started doing more out and backs in a variety of residential areas - many parks with various water elements. The out and backs were hard for me mentally, and I was definitely starting to get tired. However, there were always pockets of spectators who were very encouraging and would call out to each of us. I loved it when they read my name off my bib – there’s nothing like having someone cheer for you and call out your name.

By mile 17, which is situated on CSU’s Long Beach Campus, the miles in the high HR zone were taking their toll. I was able to plow up the most challenging incline there, but then my pace seemed to fall apart. I started taking longer walking breaks and was definitely feeling the strain. Shortly after mile 18, I had a bit of a scare when running in an area with lots of cheering students, as I got really dizzy and completely zoned out for about 50 feet or so.

This little scare made me realize that I could injure myself if I didn’t get the effort in hand. And, I realized that my pace was not going to get me the secret time goal that I mentally aimed for… So I purposefully decided that this was going to be an event about having fun and not trying to keep up with my speedy running buddies. So I started walking. A lot.

I wasn’t alone in my walking though (thank goodness!). Many of the runners who had been my companions along the way decided to do the same thing. I continued to greet the spectators and acknowledge the ones who cheered us on. And I focused on keeping the speediest walk I could do, with short bursts of running every 10 minutes or so. I called Dave to let him know my revised ending time. Then, I focused on having fun.

And it was! I took advantage of all the water stations and fuel opportunities. I said thank you to the volunteers who were manning the stations and the police who were keeping traffic at bay through the intersections. I greeted the spectators who had set up fruit and water stations, and occasionally enjoyed their fare. It drove me crazy to see the miles in this section go by so slowly, but I realized that my overall pace wasn’t TOO bad. And then, when we finally got to the “last turn” before the finish, I picked it up into a slow run and focused on good form and enjoying the cheering crowds. I heard the announcer call my name as I neared the finish, and it felt so good. When I crossed the line, I lifted up my hands and exulted in the feeling instead of stopping the Garmin. ☺

When I walked though the chute to get my medal, I was overwhelmed with emotion and started crying. While the race hadn’t gone as planned, it was still an amazing experience. I’m so glad I did it.

Thanks to many of you who were my cheerleaders through this training season. Thanks to my husband, who had to patiently endure my obsessions along the way. And thanks to coaches Jeff and Diane, whose training regimen prepared me to be stronger than I’ve ever been before. There was a lot of time sacrificed for this endeavor, but I’m grateful and glad to have experienced it all.

Official time: 5:31:56

Garmin distance: 26.41 miles, average pace @12:34

Formula 1 Race Weekend Memories

2010-06-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Guess who I cheered for at the race?

This weekend’s trip to the Canada Grand Prix in Montreal was a treat for Dave and I, a celebration of his graduation. We knew we wanted to travel to a Grand Prix and had originally hoped to combine it with a trip to Europe and another goal-destination of Dave’s (the Nürburgring), but the American dollar was weak and the expenses for said trip went well beyond even our “splurge” budget. So, in the end we thought a long weekend to North America’s only 2010 Grand Prix, held in Montreal, seemed like a good compromise.

After investigating ticket prices, hotel availability and logistics for figuring out a city which primarily functions in another language, we decided to book through a Formula 1 travel group and selected a few from which to choose. The one we ended up using, Formulatours.com, seemed to have good ticket and hotel availability with the right level of “extras” for us (not too little, not too much). They took care of the key logistics we needed (ticket package in a desired grandstand, hotel in desired location and airport pickup/dropoff. Plus, they offered a “VIP” party that was to feature an unnamed F1 driver or drivers).

The choice seemed to work well for us – the hotel was convenient to a nice downtown area of Montreal, the Metro passes and convenient Metro (subway) station ensured efficient passage to the track for practice, qualifying and race day. We even enjoyed a “close encounter” with Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovaleinen of Lotus racing at the touring group’s VIP party. As a bonus, Karun Chandhok, a driver with another new team (Hispania), was staying at our hotel, and we were able to see him on our first evening in Montreal and even get his autograph in the hotel lobby before Friday practice.

Another great choice for us was our rental of a unit from Kangaroo.tv. This small device provided race data, video feed and BBC audio commentary in a small electronic unit during practices, qualifying and the race. I liked being able to look up driver standings, view driver video feed, hear the driver/pit lane audio feed and listen to BBC commentary, since the track audio commentary was mostly in French and therefore useless to us. :) Before reserving the device, I ended up tweeting to the company about the size of the audio jack (standard 1/8 inch) and they tweeted back a great tip to bring/use noise-canceling headphones. Based on their speedy and useful reply, we got a handy 1/8 inch jack splitter (so we could share a unit) and used our Bose headphones, which actually worked GREAT during the whole weekend and were very effective at filtering out just the right amount of engine noise and protecting our hearing – no earplugs needed! Loved the experience the device provided, AND I’m very impressed with their effective use of social media to respond to customer inquiries – first class!

Montreal was also a fun place to visit for non-race activities. It had a very “French” atmosphere and was a nice replacement for our non-European vacation. People dressed VERY nicely in this city, which was a bit disconcerting since we brought casual vacation-type clothing. :) The French food was very good, so that was a nice treat that reminded us of our Paris trip many years ago. Reading signs or navigation was somewhat challenging for English speakers, and even street signs were somewhat confusing – good thing we didn't drive here! There was a music festival also going on nearby, and the street activities nearby were nice for exploring and enjoying the atmosphere.

Milestones

2010-02-14T10:19:00.001-08:00

This weekend I attended my 20-year college reunion, not because of any particular loyalty to my alma mater, but because of the opportunity it provided to spend time with a couple of good friends who I don’t see very often, to reminisce about who I was, and to think about who I am and will become.

With the extra, undistracted time afforded by 4+ hours of flying, I also enjoyed the luxury of considering this milestone and other recent significant life events.

The year before last I celebrated my 40th birthday in Thailand accompanied by an international group of travelers. This trip provided me the opportunity to see the land of my father through the eyes of an adult and to meet cousins, aunts and uncles who have lived on the other side of the world and who hold the bond of family without the familiarity earned by close proximity.
That same year, I spent much time, mental focus and emotional energy working to transform my lifestyle and body into a healthier expression of the person I already was. Because the changes were very visible, people have proclaimed these changes to be extremely remarkable. In many respects, however, this change was just a continuation of an ongoing journey of embracing myself and discarding others’ expectations or labels.
In the last 14 months, I became obsessed with the practice of running, which was a very funny evolution if you knew me for the rest of my 40-ish years on this planet.
And today I will celebrate 12 years of marriage to my good friend and soul mate, who enriches the daily, mundane yet precious days of my life.

These events provided a reminder of experiences lived and lessons learned. They marked the passage of time and provided distinct moments in the midst of normal life. And this weekend gave me the time to thoughtfully consider how they fit into my personal fabric.

As I spent time with two friends who had known me over many years, though multiple life phases – those awkward high-school years, college youth, young single life, professional pursuits, adulthood and responsibility – we wandered through topics related to the various changes we’d all experienced. And reconnecting with acquaintances and a favorite professor provided contrasts of life two decades ago versus today.

When I thought about the person I was 20 years ago, it was hard to believe that I thought myself an “adult” back then. I had a bit of head knowledge about the world around me and had expectations spoken and unspoken. I also had NO IDEA who I was, what energized me or what I would do with the resources that life and relationships had given me. Some people at that stage in their lives, in their late teens and early 20s, had a clear focus and drive to conquer the goals in front of them and the world around them. I probably even thought that about myself back then. And many accomplished people with singular focus demonstrated the ability to really flourish during that time in their lives.

Some of us, however, were a little more average, like me. We had an idea that we were supposed to go “out there” and do “something.” We may have even selected a vocation or path based on those glimmers. But the joys and challenges of life had not yet hit us, and much of those dreams were untested.

Many of us secretly hoped that life would go exactly as planned. That our “good karma” would earn us a smooth, maybe even moderately successful life. We prayed that our expectations for “normal” living would proceed like a dog-eared novel with familiar characters and settings. Perhaps this plan was similar to our childhood experiences; perhaps it was an aspiration for something different.

Then the devastating richness of life’s milestones started to come our way.

That fist “real” job and “real” promotion – with the rewards, challenges and demands involved
Car purchases, home purchases, relationships gained and lost, newfound responsibilities, familial and financial struggles
Joyful experiences and unexpected, caution-inducing turns
Newly discovered strengths and weaknesses

And sometimes, the work and effort invested, and those everyday life actions resulted in greater than hoped for results or experiences.

As I prepared for this weekend’s travels and reunion, I mentioned my plans to go to Tulsa and found out from a Twitter running friend that there was a local race on Saturday morning. Wouldn’t it be fun, I thought? So I casually signed up for the race. As part of my running obsession, I had set some pretty aggressive goals for a half marathon this April. The timing was good for a 5K and my coach suggested that I set a similarly aggressive time goal for this race, too. I wasn’t sure how I would do and it worried me. I hadn’t planned for this, nor did I have any experience racing this distance (I’ve done mostly half marathons this past year). But he was convinced that my training was strong and that I would be able to run this at least 2 minutes faster than I had ever done before.

On the morning of the event, I followed my mental plan and normal pre-race activities, with a few tweaks. I chatted with the local runners and focused on being positive and pushing my limits. Right at the start, I realized I was surrounded by a pretty fast set of runners. I jumped into a pace faster than planned and tried to ease up a bit. Each time I looked at my pace, though, I still hadn’t slowed down into my “planned” pace. Still, I was feeling OK and figured, why not push it as hard as possible and see where it goes? Just before mile 3, I felt like I was pushing hard but wanted to see if I could push it more, and pressed on. Getting to the finish line, I realized that I was going to be 4 minutes faster than my best 5K time. I said out loud, “no way!” and ran across the finish line with great satisfaction.

Many times, on my long runs, I found that too much focus on the past or upcoming miles caused me to lose the sense of rhythm and connectedness to the run in progress. Yet, conversely, recollecting the overall experiences and lessons from these runs afterward provided a stronger, almost innate ability to know and understand what I could do when needed, and, of course, provided the important foundation of skills necessary to my running goals.

Similarly, when I considered who and what I had lost and gained these past 20 years, I saw places where I could have made better decisions, loved more, rested more, and embraced the people around me better. However, I also learned that those missteps, heart-wrenching losses, and foolish decisions contributed to my personal makeup and made me a stronger, healthier, more satisfied person.

In my life, the milestones that challenged me most expanded my self-view, developed new capabilities, built extraordinary strength and exposed core weaknesses. They also built a base of life training that taught me to become stronger and embrace the changes that filled me with new questions about beliefs and purpose.

Life was more than just a collection of decisions and consequences. It fed a well that provided unexpected victories in the midst of challenges, and led to surprising fulfillment, in unforeseen places.

Enjoying the experience of the life journey today, wherever I am, helps develop that connectedness and satisfying rhythm. And, at certain life milestones, it’s good to consider, contemplate and remember that progression, and consider what I can do today and what the future could bring.

Barefoot Running Clinic - What I Learned

2009-09-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm pretty sure that my non-running friends, who already think I've slipped over the edge into crazy, will now be convinced I'm nuts. But, I'm really excited by what I learned at this morning's barefoot running clinic. Here are my observations and thoughts about what I heard today. Any errors, misunderstandings or omissions are all mine. :)

For those of you who are wondering WHAT I'm talking about, here's the story.

This morning a group of the intrepid and curious met at ZombieRunner on California Avenue in Palo Alto for a barefoot running clinic. Why? Because this was an opportunity to listen to Christopher McDougall, author of the bestselling book Born to Run, and barefoot running expert Ted McDonald, share their knowledge and experience about this increasingly popular topic that fascinates, scares and entrances those of us who enjoy running.

Here are some highlights of what I learned at this clinic:

There is a right way to run – POSE METHOD, Chi and Evolution all identify key characteristics of correct running technique. Barefoot running naturally pushes us into technique that is

more efficient and works with our biomechanics.

Shoes often made to provide the most protection and support can actually increase the impact on our feet, joints and body because we run “heavier” in them than when running barefoot.

Ted's three key principles for barefoot technique:

Run LIGHTLY and SILENTLY – Listen to your running, you should be light on your feet and you shouldn't hear your feet hitting the pavement. To help yourself be aware of this, you should try running without music. Listen and be aware of your connection to the ground.
Use a quick cadence – Quick foot turnover will help ensure a light touch on the ground. It should feel like you’re floating across the ground, moving forward. Your feet should touch down and lift quickly – not sliding across or grinding against the ground (which is how you can get blisters).
Maintain a tall posture – This helps ensure alignment and efficient movement when running.

A lot of running barefoot is about listening to your body – when you’re too tired to follow the key principles above, you’ll experience injury. Start out with barefoot walking, making sure to land on the front of your feet (no heel strikes). Remember the three principles, and build distance gradually.

Start barefoot walking and running on asphalt and other man-made surfaces. Your feet will manage the impact and you’ll be more likely to establish good technique habits (light, silent and quick cadence).

A couple of good training exercises to help with barefoot running technique:

Squats (using proper technique) – strengthens key muscles, builds control
Jumps that are accurate and light – jump up and down stairs or on the ground at precise distances, with your feet together, landing lightly and quietly. Again the key is to maintain control, keep a light touch, and in so doing build the muscle strength and control for great technique

Thanks to Don and Gillian, owners of ZombieRunner, who have provided great resources for runners through their store and sponsorship of this clinic.

Thanks for Your Support

2009-08-31T21:45:00.001-07:00

This summer was an adventure as I trained for my toughest event yet, the Dirt Inspires Women's Trail Half Marathon in Aptos.

One of the nice things about this latest goal has been the opportunity to share the experience of training and evaluating the experience with a core group of running friends, both real and virtual.

My real-life training partners faithfully got together to do the day-in, day-out work that is necessary. One group would meet twice a week at a hilly trail in the wee hours of the morning and attempted to conquer hill after hill at the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. With some other friends, we'd drive to destination trails throughout the bay area and try not to get lost as we explored the wooded, hilly paths.

My virtual friends on DailyMile and Twitter were also a huge source of encouragement and advice. I gained ideas, inspiration and motivation hearing about their runs and cross training, often hoping just to get a fraction of the speed many of them had.

THANKS to ALL of you. You know who you are, and I couldn't have done it without you.

It's not about IF you should use social media; It's about WHAT you will do.

2009-07-18T12:06:00.001-07:00

Great data points for companies and why they should engage online communities via social media.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

Great video of a 20-minute body-weight workout

2009-07-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

A Twitter friend shared this article and video, which includes several elements I currently do for my personal training plus a couple new activities that I want to try out. Definitely will try this workout soon.

What it includes (4-6x through, 10-15 reps for each):

Push-Ups
Squats
Hindu Push-Ups
Hindu Squats
Lateral Lunges
Front Plank Taps

My Story: How I Lost 85+ Pounds

2009-07-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

A year ago last April or May, I enrolled in a medically monitored weight loss program called HMR through our local medical provider. I was turning 40 that year, and had decided THAT was it. I wasn't going to live that way any longer, and I wanted to change my life, be skinnier, and be able to buy fun clothes. (Yes, REALLY, that was a big motivator for me.) :D

Basically, the program used boxed meals and shakes to help make managing the food intake better, while also encouraging us to reach a certain physical activity goal. The program's food mostly helped me with training my body to get used to smaller portions of food. I mentally told myself that this was a "fast" of good/real food, for a year or however long it took, but it wasn't forever. :)

I continually increased my physical activity throughout the year, trying all types of activities and times. Yoga with Dave on Saturdays, walking with friends at lunch, elliptical machine early before work, exercise DVDs, cardio kickboxing, Pilates once a week, etc.

By August of that year, I started adding vegetables and fruit as part of the "next phase" of the program and had also signed up for my first half marathon (which was to be held in October). My goal at that event was just to finish, and I had a training buddy who joined me in a program where we started out walking 2 min/running 1 min, walking 1 min/running 1 min and gradually running more and walking less. At that first event, I ran only the first three to four miles, and then speed-walked the rest. :)

Sometime during this process, I also read the book Thin for Life and realized that, perhaps, this was something more than what I "did for a year." (Big realization!) That said, I knew I needed to change my mindset, that living healthy wasn't just about restriction, but about enjoying life, finding things I enjoyed, and choosing to find fulfilling, fun aspects of this "healthy lifestyle."

By November of that year, I was still working to lose weight but eating 100% "normal" food, keeping a detailed journal of what I was eating, tracking the calories (using labels and/or calorieking.com to figure out calories), and comparing the calorie intake, physical activity "burn" and my weigh-ins from week to week, to monitor where I needed to be in order for me to lose and eventually maintain.

Toward the end of the year, I also finally started to enjoy exercise – up until that point, I HATED it. Yes, really, it took eight to nine months to get to the point that I enjoyed exercise and began to love running. (I definitely got the running "bug" by then and had signed up for a second half marathon, was regularly running 15 to 20 miles a week and worked with a personal trainer once a week for core/abs strengthening) Because my physical activity had become so intense, I realized I really needed to focus on not just keeping things low-calorie, but also making sure that I was taking in quality "fuel" - with an emphasis on a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit, supplemented by healthy meats and whole grains.

I eventually got into a rhythm and pattern of eating and exercise that I know works for me. I weigh myself frequently and have a weight range that I watch. If I hover toward the higher end of that range, then I cut back on the eating and increase the exercise.

Most importantly, I love where I'm at (as much as I can – LOL), and I know I can do this. That’s how I "did" it. Not really a magical formula, but it is my story. :)

Dieting "tips" that worked for me:

Measured portions. When I'm time crunched or otherwise distracted or stressed, I am not afraid to use foods that are portioned for me (boxed foods or frozen foods, snack packs) or self-portioned (don’t take the bag of pretzels, count out 16 pretzels into a bowl and grabbing those for snacks). Mindless eating is the hardest part about weight management.

Volumetrics. It always help to find high-volume, low calorie foods (salads, broth soups) to fill up the empty body without packing in the calories.

Exercise variety and frequency. I work to be cognizant about making choices that get me moving whenever possible. Some ideas: walking during conference calls or when meeting with friends, trying new classes (Pilates, yoga, kickboxing), parking farther away from the building/store, getting a variety of DVD workouts, doing sit-ups while watching TV, and generally trying to do something active (even for 10 minutes) every single day.

Vegetables and low-calorie fruits as the first choice, always. If I have a choice of snacks, fresh fruits and veggies are selected first. Even the most caloric/sweet fruit will have fewer calories and more nutrients than the bag of pretzels and chips. To help with the convenience factor, I buy mini snack packs of baby carrots (yes more expensive, but always ready to grab) and get plenty of "convenient" fruits that I can grab and stick in my purse.

Cautious use of other snacks. Snack "health" bars are a great alternative to more caloric desserts or a handy option when hunger strikes, so I like to have them on hand as an alternative. But I am careful to read the labels to find things that are lower calorie and have greater nutritious value. For a chocolate fix, I have a Clif Kids Zbar (Organic Chocolate Brownie). And I also love the Clif Nectar bars (Organic Cherry Pomegranate). Sometimes the local store has these on sale and I'll stock up. Or I can order large boxes of them from Amazon.com for less than I can get them at the store.

Other good lessons and observations for me:

As you lose weight, you don’t burn as many calories. In the program, we were given a chart to measure and calculate the calories burned during exercise. You quickly learn that you can’t maintain (or continue to lose) weight with the same eating/activity level, because the less you weigh, the more you’d have to do (or the less you have to eat) to burn those calories at the same rate. DUH, right? Well, how many times do you go back to eating what you did before a "diet" because you were able to maintain your higher weight with those habits? Just doesn't work. ☺ Plus age is a factor, sadly, for those of us who are on the older end of the spectrum.

Perseverance is key, which is why you have to REALLY want the change, more than anything else. Eating boxed meals (especially for someone like me, who loves to cook) was challenging and difficult. Exercise was a burden. Abstaining from things I loved during those early months was NOT pleasant, and it limited my social life, and was inconvenient at work, too. I didn’t really enjoy my "new" activities until nine months into the effort. Everyone has different motivators. For me, it was a milestone birthday and vanity. For others, it might be kids/family/noble causes. ☺

The world is unfriendly to "fat" people, even fat people trying to exercise. Perhaps I'm overstating it, but it's extremely disturbing to me how differently I'm treated now, even though I feel exactly like the same person I was 15 months ago. Mentally, I'm the same person. I always had the same amount of self-discipline (I just was disciplined in other areas, NOT food! lol), and I always dressed well, even WHEN I was fat. But people treat me like I’m a magically transformed person. Sigh. Oh, and why is it nearly impossible to find decent exercise clothing for short, overweight people who WANT to exercise? ☺ Don’t even get me started on that one.

Fitting exercise into your life means finding things you LIKE and LOVE to do. There are many other articles on this, but for me, if I didn't LOVE to run, I wouldn't do it. And even now, getting started with the run is the hardest part for me. I'll procrastinate with whatever I can find to distract me. But afterwards, I'm so glad I did it. Plus, I've found a gym that I really enjoy, for multiple, personal reasons (see my Yelp review). And, when I'm in the mood for something else (yoga, DVD, cardio kickboxing), I embrace the variety and even the "rest" days. It's taken a while to find a pattern that works for me, and I have to problem-solve sometimes. But now it's a normal part of life for me.

The Pains of a Matrixed Business

2009-05-19T17:25:00.003-07:00

Most of the time, this is not true. Sometimes, though, we all think this:

Formula 1: Technology + cars = fun

2008-08-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

This morning we watched the European Grand Prix F1 race, which was held at a new street course in Valencia, Spain. Because these races are aired *early* in the morning, we record them on TiVo and then watch them at our leisure.

One of the reasons I enjoy F1 is the mix of technology and personality in this sport. And, Speed TV, which broadcasts the races here in the U.S. has a former F1 mechanic, Steve Matchett, who does a great job covering the technology involved.

Here's an example of typical F1 technology, an improvement to the traditional Hans device invented by a Michigan State University professor.

Tanya's Summer Activity Log

2008-07-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we're into July and running quickly through the second half of summer now. In some respects, the time has gone by quickly, even though I've had a relatively boring summer. My thoughts on the summer of 2008 so far:

Restrictive weight loss programs really cut down on social opportunities. In May, I signed up for the HMR program associated with Camino Medical Group. The version I'm doing is low-calorie and restricted to only program "foods" (shakes and prepared entrees). This makes restaurants completely tortuous, as I order sparkling water, diet coke or iced tea and watch/smell the food of my companions. As you can imagine, I pretty much avoid this type of social situation, because it's NO FUN.

I've lost 20 lbs so far. Yay! To reward myself, I go shopping when I can fit it in. If I keep walking through the mall, it will count toward "physical activity," which is an added benefit.

You have to convince yourself that physical activity (aka exercise) is fun, because it sucks up what little time you have left, after work and household maintenance. I've been trying to add as much variety as possible into my activities, realizing that I'll have to continue to increase the precious hours for this as I lose more weight in order to get the same benefits. After six weeks of working out 6 to 7 days a week, I am getting to the point where I don't dread it as much. The supposed "endorphin" effect is all mental though... you have to fool yourself into believing it happens, so that all the work is bearable.

I've saved more money than the program costs, because I'm not going out for lunch every day. Yay!

I've also seen a lot of movies in the theatre this summer. In fact, I've seen more movies in the last 2 months than I've seen in the previous 5 years. Three key reasons: (1) Movies are an acceptable social activity that minimizes food temptation/torture. (2) Dave will go with me to the movies (sometimes) and (3) I can combine it with a little physical activity when we walk to the Cupertino AMC which is about a mile from our house. :-)

Up ahead for the summer? Ummmm, not so much. But we will join some friends for a little wine tasting excursion at summer's end. Though, I guess I won't be tasting any wine because of the weight-loss program. LOL. I'll just hang out in the jacuzzi and work-out room at the hotel during dinner, and watch everyone act silly as they get tipsy during the tastings.

American Idol and David Cook

2008-03-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

So, as TiVo enthusiasts, Dave and I don't often watch the "live" reality programming shows.... We've just not gotten into them. But, we have friends who gush about American Idol and we thought we'd record an episode. We finally got around to watching the episode from earlier this week.

Most of the performances were OK. Some painful. It was a little interesting since all the singers were singing songs from our high school years, as that week's theme was to sing a song from the year they were born. (!)

Only one performance really stood out to us and amazed us, the performance of "Billy Jean" by David Cook.

If you're like us and are living under a rock, you don't have to miss out any more. Here's a video of that performance.

Five questions for the author of Personality Not Included

2008-03-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite marketing bloggers, Rohit Barghava, has a new book called Personality Not Included. As part of his book launch he offered to answer 50 five-question interviews from people with blogs. I could not resist the opportunity, so I submitted my top five questions, and here are his answers!

Do B-to-B companies need to have personalities?
This is a really important question - they definitely do need to have a personality because so much of BtoB sales are relationship based. When you look at the long lead times for sales and the fact that word of mouth is so important, it becomes clear that personality applies to BtoB businesses at least as much as BtoC brands.
How do you make sure your newfound company/brand personality doesn't bite you in the butt?
The best way to do this is to make sure that you are claiming an "ownable space" as I called it in the book that is appropriate. For example, focusing on the professionalism of your employees won' t work if you cannot live up to this promise.
How do you measure the effectiveness of building authenticity back into the company brand?
One of the key measures that works for this is the power of your word of mouth and referral business. This is the area where authenticity can make the biggest impact because essentially what you are focusing on is getting your customers to tell your story for you.
Often passionate customers are also passionate detractors. How do you harness their energy in a positive way?
This is a relatively easy question to answer, but not as easy to actually do. The best way to harness their energy is by LISTENING to them and actually acting on the points that they are frustrated about. Your passionate customers may absolutely be the most demanding, but wouldn't you far rather have them interacting with you and asking for more than defecting or not communicating with you? This dialogue is vital and the best way to take advantage of it is by having a good system to react to what you hear.
Will taking an authentic approach to marketing (one with personality) win the support and or admiration of our critics in sales? :-)
Taking an authentic approach absolutely has the power to win over a critic and turn them into a customer. There is a technique I share in the book called "Fallibility Marketing," which is all about how to use the moments when you screw up as opportunities to win over new customers and keep existing ones. Based on some of your questions, I think it's a section you'll find particularly interesting.

PC to Mac Adventure... learning process still :-)

2008-03-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

This past week was crazy and hectic, so I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked getting to know my new MacBook Pro.

So far, here are my observations:

The hardware is great -- very sturdy and the key action is very nice.

However, I've struggled to get used to the touchpad. I even played with a few external mice to get the right feel. I wish there were more settings in the System Preferences area for adjusting speed and responsiveness of the touchpad and mice. The two available adjustments don't quite get the right feel, and in Windows, I could select from many different options to adjust mouse properties in the control panel.

The startup and shutdown speed on the Mac is impressive. If any version of Windows could get these two processes set up similarly, they would find user satisfaction to get very high. After all, we all experience this process nearly on a daily basis.

I've struggled with the application installation process on a Mac a little, especially when downloading and installing an application for the first time. On my first night, I installed Firefox and set up a bunch of bookmarks to sites with info on switching from a PC to a Mac. Then I started cleaning up my desktop from the extraneous icons on the hard drive and in the process deleted the application (whoops!) there went my application and all those useful bookmarks from an hours' worth of browsing and research. Since then, I've found instructions on this process, but I guess I expected the OS to install the application file to the application folder automatically. (Cause it's so easy, right? LOL.)

The OS interface is very attractive and easy to use, as long as you don't want to try to figure out how to customize settings. I'm still learning and researching here, so eventually I'll figure it out. In the mean time, can anyone tell me how to change the default location of my downloads? :-)

Thanks everyone for the support. This will be an interesting learning process, and since I love to learn new things, I'm sure it will be very rewarding.

Wild Cherry M&M's

2008-03-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Lisa ran an errand today and found something new at the Rite-Aid check-out counter: Wild Cherry M&M's. She shared the pieces, and they're surprisingly yummy. It's probably a limited market test, but makes for a nice variety to enjoy (while they're around).

PC to Mac Adventure Diary of Tanya

2008-03-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Amiga was a superior machine before the others.

I've been a Windows/PC power user for many years now. I can whip through multiple applications at a time and am advanced user-certified in Microsoft Office. I create graphics, videos, sound clips and Web pages with ease in the PC environment. And, I could probably help most anyone on their PC application questions. I can even adjust things under the hood when needed on my two personal PCs.

So needless to say, this week was a big step - I got a new a MacBook Pro, and it's going to become my primary personal computer. (Yikes, that thought makes me nervous!!)

It will be fun, but it will also a painful transition.

You'll know if this process is successful or not if I can avoid using a Windows virtual image on my Mac. For now, I won't do it. But I haven't packed up my (falling apart) Vaio yet either.
Many of our friends are Mac fans and have been extolling the virtues and superiority of Macs for many years to Dave and I. Years ago, I had used under-powered Macs in a few different settings, but this was before the common availability of broadband Internet and when Steve Jobs was away playing in other places. (Back then, I preferred the Amiga, which was far ahead of its time with graphical interfaces and true multi-tasking functionality that neither Windows or Mac OS had achieved.)

I hope that this new experience will show me the advantages to the qualities of this "superior" tool.

As I learn to transition to this new environment, I'll post my observations and struggles, so that perhaps you can "help" me along the way.

Let the adventure begin!

Study Challenges Common Assumptions about Influencers

2008-03-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like there are more questions about how viral marketers understand influencers, a group discussed in Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point.

Guy Kawasaki recently wrote an extremely helpful summary on a CNET Networks study of this topic. This new research challenges our assumptions about the motivations and methods of influencers in social networks.

Read Guy's post (and add his blog to your RSS reader). Great stuff.

Fun Quiz - Know Your Cuts of Beef?

2008-03-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

Founds this fun site via one of the food blogs I read this weekend....

The interactivity of this "game" is fun, as you attempt to drag and drop the cuts of meat onto the correct part of the animal. LOL

It's About Having a (Great) Story

2008-02-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes translating business ideas into a story is difficult. But, it's essential for effective communication and influence.

This article by Kevin Dugan provides a great overview of how to build memorable stories... good stuff.

Good-bye 2007, Hello 2008

2008-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Vanessa inspired me to take this survey as a way to start the New Year. I thought it was a great way to review the old and look forward to the new.

What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
move to California, to live!

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any resolutions and won't this year. I will continue to try to make it a better year than the last.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister had twins -- see her blog dedicated to them. :-)

Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no. But Dave lost someone important to him.

What countries did you visit?
Ummm. I went nowhere! How boring. And sad. Does wanting to go to Thailand count?

What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A little more stability. :-)

What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Is it bad that I can't think of any particular date? I remember the move, especially leaving snowy Michigan, but don't remember the date any more.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I didn't really achieve much. Maybe full-time employment at Cisco.

What was your biggest failure?
The Journey 2.0 relaunch

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was pretty healthy, at least physically.

What was the best thing you bought?
Dave got me a Wii, and it's a great party/group game that entertained my family when they visited during Christmas.

Where did most of your money go?
Toward the downpayment for our new house.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
California, a new church community model, home organization, wine

What song(s) will always remind you of 2007?
Omigod You Guys, from Legally Blonde, the musical

Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? happier - change has been good for me
thinner or fatter? fatter - and I want to change that, sort of LOL
richer or poorer? richer in dollars, but not in lifestyle (that's what buying a house in the Bay area will do to you)

What do you wish you’d done more of? blogging.

What do you wish you’d done less of? eating. (see above answer about being fatter)

How did you spend Christmas?
hanging with my sister, brother-in-law, nephews, aunt, uncle and second cousin -- who ALL came to visit. :-)

Did you fall in love in 2007?
Yes, with California

How many one-night stands?
none

What was your favorite TV program?
Heroes

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Dave's former boss

What was the best book you read?
Blue Like Jazz

What was your greatest musical discovery of 2007?
Ryan Post

What did you want and get?
cool new friends, a new job and a better climate

What did you want and not get?
a trip to Hawaii and/or Thailand, an immersion blender

What was your favorite film of this year?
I can't recall anything that was amazing. But, we rarely go to theatres, since everything can be downloaded on the TiVo using Amazon Unbox.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Sadly, we did NOTHING. My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving, and even my restaurant picks were closed. :-( This year's better be good, since it is the big 4-0.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I have no idea. It was a pretty good year, in all.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Bargain hunting. With Dave's unemployment, I didn't really invest in any fashion concepts this year.

What kept you sane?
A good husband and new friends

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
??? who fancies celebrities?

What political issue stirred you the most?
nothing really - politics has lost its meaning for me

Who did you miss?
Jill, Kathy, Rich, Adam, Kellen and Lindsay

Who was the best new person you met?
I met a lot of cool new people, including Vanessa, Christine and Robin.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007
change can be challenging, but in the end it works out for the best

An obversation about my iPhone

2008-01-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

Dave and I are geeks and as such did the "early adopter" thing by getting iPhones last year. I love my iPhone and do not regret switching from Windows Mobile to this device, mostly because the hardware and aesthetics are so beautiful.

Just this past week, I spent some time in a cold, snowy climate again, for a work planning retreat that was held at a ski resort near Tahoe. I dug out my gloves, winter coat, boots and scarf; and bundled up each morning to walk to the conference center. (Ugh! I moved to the South Bay area to avoid this weather!)

One thing I noticed, however, that the iPhone is pretty much impossible to use with gloves, and as such would be pretty inconvenient for me if I still lived in Michigan's long winters. This is because the glass touch screen responds to the heat from bare fingers and did not respond or work when I wore gloves!

That would be annoying... in order to answer your iPhone, you have to peel off gloves and expose your skin to the cold wind and snow. ;-) Thank goodness I live in Cupertino and only occasionally travel to snowy climes.

The craziness of the mortgage industry

2007-12-01T07:41:00.001-08:00

We're in the process of getting ready to buy a house and are meeting with a mortgage salesperson today. In the spirit of this craziness, here's a funny video about said industry.

Tanya's Shared Items

2007-11-28T06:02:00.000-08:00

I read a lot of interesting blogs and news items, including some really great ones from my Facebook friends. Now, you can see the best of the best through a shared-items compilation that I build with Google Reader.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, I will have the shared items automatically imported using a cool Blogger interface built to work with Google Reader. (see the blue box on the right-hand side of this blog)

Or, if you use an RSS reader, you can read my shared items with this link

If you'd rather just read my shared items on a Web page, use this link

NBC embraces ad metrics with TiVo deal

2007-11-28T05:17:00.000-08:00

New media business models became mainstream earlier this week, when NBC Universal announced its intent to use TiVo's interactive advertising products.

It's not a surprise to those of us in the real world, but for broadcasters who've traditionally been able to sell 10-second broadcasting blocks for outrageous fees, it's an amazing concession.

For corporations, who have been able to measure not only clicks but actual purchases from new-media ads, TV was the luxury advertising medium that was hard to justify. And, I imagine, the networks have felt that attitude as their piece of cosumer mindshare has shrunk and nearly disappeared with hundreds of competing cable channels, the Internet and even competition from gaming systems (which have recently been blamed for reducing movie viewership).

The larger networks kept away from TiVo and even blamed DVRs for reducing their advertising revenue. So, NBC's embrace of TiVo tools is an important step in recognizing that people can customize and select entertainment options based on their needs and timetables, and that corporations may want to reach these people still, just not in the same way and with the same models that have been around for 50+ years.

Dave's new toy

2007-10-09T08:20:00.001-07:00

Dave has started a new job and as a result got a MacBook Pro. Needless to say, he’s been enjoying the new technology. :-)

Even though I still think these things are way too expensive, the quality of the hardware is impressive, with nice touches such as magnetic connections for the power cords, etc.

Coverband Theology: Pursuing a Risky, Spirit-Led Life

2007-09-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

Check out this blog post by Trent Yaconelli of a Bay-area band called Five A.M. Many of his observations in "Coverband Theology" reveal how the mindset of church life often involves our desire to avoid the unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

Here's a snippet:

Our lives should be focused on playing the music never heard before. It should be about taking the path un-traveled and giving up the familiar for the chaos and beauty of living in the spirit. Spirituality should be spontaneous, a cacophony of rock, jazz, jam, reggae, ska, punk, classical and folk. It should rise up from the heart not dictated by books and lectures. It should be alive and just as things that are living; constantly growing, changing, challenging, failing, and succeeding. When I see the big MEGA churches in America and I can’t help but think they are no different from the popular dance and cover band clubs. These people don’t want to be challenged they want something they can depend on, something they already know the ending too. They want a comfortable, controlled spiritual life. They want to know exactly where the stops are, exactly when the chorus hits, and exactly where it ends. This leads to a very safe and structured belief system but it does not lead to a spiritual life.

Yum.... salmon off the grill

2007-08-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

This week our local Whole Foods moved to a new location across the street - the fancy new digs are quite impressive, as Dave and I visited it on Friday morning. While there, we spent a fortune on a nice piece of salmon, Dave's favorite type of fish.

Last night, we used Dave's new grill to make my favorite salmon recipe, Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze. Yum.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

On the side burner, melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the salmon skin side down on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

How to Drive a Graphic Artist Crazy

2007-08-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

A friend shared this post with me earlier today.

It's true, all true. :-)

And, please, don't ever send me a Publisher file. LOL.

I'm glad you're in the kingdom, but...

2007-06-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

...could you just not tell anyone?

Saw this car in the McDonald's parking lot today. Sigh. Does it really matter? And, does this person really think this draws people to be Jesus followers?

Quick poll: Cats or dogs

2007-05-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I've grown up with both, and there are good and bad either way. I love them all. How about you?

PollPub.com VoteAre you a cat or dog person?

The number one song when I was born was….

2007-05-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

"Hey Jude" by The Beatles

What was yours? http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Why really bad PowerPoint lives on...

2007-04-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Meeting presentations - A good time for a nap?

Last year I created a PowerPoint training presentation for my MBA classmates. We were doing a lot of case-study presentations and so we self-organized and arranged some "classes" to get each other up-to-speed on PowerPoint and Excel. I'm user-certified for Microsoft Office, so I volunteered to teach the PowerPoint "class."

I had a secret motive for wanting to teach that "class," however. I really wanted to help change how my classmates use PowerPoint, so they didn't get stuck in the rut of creating boring, wordy slides with lots of words and way too many bullet points.

My presentation wasn't original - it was inspired by the works of other great minds, such as Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and Cliff Atkinson. But, I hope it inspired some folks to think about persuasion and education as an emotional and inspirational process, rather than a competition to fit as many words as possible on a projected screen.

I really believe in the story-telling perspective, and generally speaking, prefer to make communications that adhere to these best practices. Yet, that isn't always possible. Why?

The problem with these great ideas is that, in the real world, telling stories and avoiding bulletpoints is a risky business. Great presentations rely on the person telling the story, but then how do you post that great presentation onto the company intranet for the 100+ people who will just look at the slide deck after the meeting instead of being there in person? (It's helpful to have access to video recording resources or software, if you've got access to the correct servers to support the playback - but often that's not the case.) And the expectation is that "serious" and "real" business communicators need to create really complicated slides to fully represent these very important, complicated ideas. :-)

Many business communicators have to create slides that spell out the narrative rather than letting a presenter do it. And, sadly, that is why we have really bad PowerPoint out there and really boring presentations.

What Google Maps suggests for a trip from New York to London

2007-04-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

Today's funny is courtesy of an email forward from Jessica. :-)

Go to Google Maps, select "Directions" and type in from "New York" to "London."

Note step 23.

At least the time estimate (29 days 10 hours) is realistic. Enjoy!

Enjoying our CSA trial

2007-04-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, we started a trial community membership at a local farm. I've wanted to try community-supported agriculture for a couple years now, and the availability and long growing seasons here in northern California seemed like a great opportunity to finally go for it.

As Dave can attest, each Wednesday on our pickup day, I'm like a kid at the candy store, very excited about that week's vegetable and flower share. I've been pleased with the variety and fresh quality from this group, even if I still haven't found a recipe that I like for kale. :-)

Still, it's fun to try new recipes and enjoy the flavors of vegetables grown locally and harvested recently. Yum!!

Dreams & sleepless nights

2007-03-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

photo by {platinum}

I don't often have vivid dreams, except for the occasional nightmare. Tonight, I'm sleeplessness due to a frightening dream-encounter with a spider (yes, arachnophobia for me!) which led into thoughts about work, a dirty apartment, a missing file cabinet... yes, it's sad. :-)

So, hello, everyone out there. I'll be tired this evening. But, right now, I'm alert and surfing the Internet. LOL.

Geni perks interest in family tree

2007-03-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

OK, so Bruce Reyes-Chow mentioned this site on his blog, and once I was there, I couldn't stop playing around with it. I filled out a little of my family tree this morning despite my weak knowledge of the family genealogy.

But the smartest thing I did was "invite" a couple of connected family members. :-) Viola! Instant family tree, and more knowledge about my family heritage than I knew possible.

The interactivity of the site makes what is normally a boring topic more interesting to me. :-) I look forward to seeing how Geni continues to develop.

Exploration photos

2007-03-08T05:39:00.000-08:00

So, here are some photos from the surrounding area. I've tried to take some pictures of the apartment's neighborhood, too. So, maybe I'll add those later. :-)

A nearby county park has some really great scenes:

We also took a road trip last month up Highway 1 from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay. See the photo set for this.

Humans rights & most-favored-nations

2007-03-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

So, it's not often that mainstream media reports on human rights violations, but it is here. Now the question is, why exactly does China and Russia have most-favored-nation status?

Marriage with kids becoming less common?

2007-03-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

This article was in today's paper. It was a surprise to me, but mostly because it seems like that, at least with people my age, that all the married women I know have kids. Dave and I more often than not seem to be the exception.

Legally Blonde the Musical hits the right notes

2007-02-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

So, I've been pretty quiet the last week, but only due to a pretty busy schedule. One of the things that occupied my time was our celebration of Valentine's Day, which also marks our nine-year wedding anniversary.

Dave was very gracious and bought us tickets to see Legally Blonde the Musical, which has premiered at the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco!! I was extremely excited because I love musicals, liked the movie and am so glad to live in a metropolitan area where I can see quality live theater.

As a brand-new show, the musical could have been a hit or miss, and so our expectations going into it were pretty low. However, we knew the basic plot of the story, and thought that the light, comedic plot would be a good compromise, especially since Dave is not a fan of musicals.

Fortunately, we were not disappointed. The songs were catchy and the dialogue was fun. The show did not take itself too seriously and made for nice entertainment. Occasionally there was a cheesy song line here and there, but overall, it was a very enjoyable performance and the singing was top notch.

We also enjoyed driving into the City -- too bad we didn't have more time to explore, but alas it was a school night and we needed to get rest for work the next day... can't wait for our next visit. :-)

Superbowl commercials

2007-02-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

OK.... So last night I did the opposite of what I normally do. I watched a TiVo recording by forwarding through the show and stopped to watch the commercials. :-)

After all, it is the most expensive night on television and the advertising community is showing its best and brightest ideas, right? Well, sort of.

A couple observations:

1 - There were a *lot* of PSAs and CBS in-house ads. Either they didn't sell all their inventory, or they're trying to make up for the outrageous amount of money they made for what they sold.

2 - Quantity didn't necessarily equal quantity. The plethora of beer and cola ads didn't really make up for the fact that they were OK ads, but not great ads.

My favorites:

The Snickers kiss - This was the best laugh-out-loud funny advertisement, and I liked the follow up URL, www.afterthekiss.com. Cool, and good enough to rewind and play again.

Doritos love in "Live the Flavor"- This was cute and fun, and was the winner of a contest, no less. Good enough to rewind and play again. www.doritos.com

Sprint "Connectile Dysfunction" - CD is a problem that can be solved, with a Sprint mobile broadband connect card. Great take on the ED ads. :-)

E*Trade bank robbery and "1" finger ads - Ever feel like your bank is robbing you? Sometimes one finger is all you need.

What were your favorite ads?

Road trip photos, part II

2007-01-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

During our cross-country road trip, Dave drove most of the time while I took photos.

Here are more of my favorites... mostly from our last day, when we drove through western Nevada and entered California.

Nevada scenes:

And then, we entered the promised land. :-)

See, Jill, we were there!!

The scenery at Donner Pass was breathtaking....

MINI Cooper ads customized for you....

2007-01-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

Check out this article from today's Mercury News. I think it's an interesting way to engage customers, create brand personality and voice, and generate some free PR. :-)

Cool stuff! (Just like from the movie, Minority Report....)

Road trip photos, part I

2007-01-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite photos from our drive from Michigan to California.... I'll post more as soon as they are available.

Our backyard and the lovely snow, the day before we left. I will not miss this part!!

Samantha, our longsuffering kitty, handled 9 hours a day in a car fairly well.

The Iowa landscape:

Nebraska beef, YUM!

Throughout the drive were signs about closing the freeway and these barriers... it made us grateful for good traveling weather.

The best of Wyoming (yes, really, that was the best part right here!):

Utah salt flats were pretty creepy.

In Nevada were these little settlements and communities tucked among amazing vistas...

What I'm watching with TiVo Desktop

2007-01-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well, we're here! We arrrived last night in Cupertino and got keys to the apartment.

This morning we headed to our local Panera for breakfast and a little Internet access. (Dave's uploading our photos as I type.)

After checking e-mail and catching up on the news, I decided that I wanted to watch some TV, so I started up the TiVo Desktop software on my laptop and watched a recent episode of Barefoot Contessa, my favorite cooking show. TiVo Desktop is handy for times like this, when I don't have access to my TiVo (still in transit from Michigan) but would like a little entertainment. I uploaded the show from our TiVo box before the movers packed up everything, and now I have something to watch while we wait for it to get here!

Almost there!

2007-01-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a long day in which we covered 700 miles from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Eko, Nevada. We drove across Wyoming, Utah and a little bit of Nevada, but covering all that distance yesterday will hopefully make today's drive a little more manageable. :-)

A lot of the scenery along the way was pretty desolate, and some was beautiful. I'll try to share pictures as soon as we get a fast enough Internet connection to upload the pics to Flickr. This afternoon we should arrive at our empty apartment -- it will be nice to be home!

Iowa and other thoughts

2007-01-26T05:21:00.001-08:00

We're back on the road after staying at a lovely Hilton Garden Inn in greater Des Moines.

As we were driving through the area yesterday, we saw many large companies from diverse industries - so different from mid-Michigan's depressed auto-only economy.

Today we have a mostly rural drive through Nebraska and Wyoming. One day closer to Cali!

On our way

2007-01-25T10:52:00.001-08:00

This morning we hit the road on our cross country drive to northern California. Originally, we were going to take a southern route to avoid bad winter weather. But after looking at the forecast we decided instead to try the more direct path along I-80. We'll keep a close eye on the weather and head south if needed. Tonight we'll stop in Des Moines or enen Omaha if we're really energetic.

Packed up, ready to load the truck

2007-01-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

Today's closing went well and all seems to be progressing as planned for our move from Lansing to Cupertino. The folks from Lansing Moving did a great job packing up our entire household in just 2.5 hours! Pretty amazing.

Tomorrow morning the Allied truck and driver arrive, and they'll load the furniture and boxes. After they're done, we'll clean the house and get some rest for the BIG DRIVE.

Good-bye, dear Lochgreen

2007-01-23T00:03:00.000-08:00

Will be a mighty busy day today, with closing in the morning and then movers coming to pack all our worldly possessions. Should be exciting!

We've had some nice times and memories here...

Joseph and Jacob arrive

2007-01-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

Visited Tamara and Matt yesterday to see our new nephews, Joseph and Jacob.
Aren't they cute?

Jacob:

Joseph:

Cool things at CES

2007-01-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

We were really busy at the booth at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show 2007 in Las Vegas. I did, however, get a chance to check out some of the displays, and here are just a few of the things that caught my "consumer" eye. :-)

Nice-looking gaming chair.

My husband enjoys playing Xbox, especially since the games display so well on our wide-screen, high-def TV. Like most gamers, he likes to use a slouchy chair plopped immediately in front of the set. I don't mind the gaming, but my biggest pet peeve is his make-shift gaming chair. I've been looking for a more attractive option that would be comfortable for him, but our local retailers carry some really juvenile, ugly gaming chairs -- not my style, or Dave's. At CES, I finally saw a chair that, while not something I'd leave out all the time, is *much* better looking than the normal ones. Called the Ultimate Game Chair, it has the usual gamer features, including integrated sound, vibration and storage for controllers when they're not in use. Plus, it's got the slouchy ergonomics that Dave swears works best for gaming performance. :-)

Cool designs.
As fans of Apple products can attest: Design matters. This year, I saw some really neat looking devices from several companies.

One that really stood out was the portable, Skype-compatible phone called "Solo" and made by the Irish company Futiro. The USB cable neatly wraps around the palm-size handset -- very sleek looking.

Another cool thing I was the Italian-inspired Flybook - a tiny notebook computer with flashy design and a Tablet PC interface.

Technology that moves with you.

Another common theme at this year's show were the many companies who let you take your entertainment with you. For TV fans, MobiTV featured a subscription TV service that worked on phones -- that's right, it let you watch the game or other live TV from your mobile phone.

Some other cool things that I saw include...

The SmartShopper - just tell it your grocery list and it prints it out for you.

Backup Pal - takes your phone book and copies it over to your new cell phone.

CES madness

2007-01-11T05:19:00.000-08:00

I've been quiet on the blog-front this week because I've been working at the 2007 International Consumer Electronic Show, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

See? Here's proof - a photo of me giving a demo at our pod (I'm wearing the light red blouse). This year's show exceeded my expectations, as we made many good business development contacts and I was able to identify several product mavens who will be great word-of-mouth representatives for our startup. :-)

My picky cat's affection for denim

2007-01-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Max on Dave's legs
Originally uploaded by ElroyJetson.

One of our cats, Max, likes to express his affection by laying on our legs while we're sitting on one of the sofas.

Being a cat, however, he is very particular about things. He'll only lay on the legs if we're wearing denim... Khakis? Leather? Cotton? No way. He's a blue jean guy all the way.

Does our cat's psychosis reflect on us? Probably. :-)

Strata hits the spot for Christmas breakfast

2006-12-26T15:38:00.000-08:00

Ham and cheese strata

Tried a new recipe (called Ham and Cheese Strata) from Food & Wine magazine for Christmas breakfast yesterday, and it was very well received, even by my picky husband. Yummy, and easy to serve with fresh fruit and some Holiday Bread from Panera.

Christmas thanks - we are privileged, indeed

2006-12-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the reminder from Captain Pat Tracy and the Job of the Week network about the many blessings we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America.

iVak holds up under road warrior ways, still turns heads

2006-12-23T06:48:00.000-08:00

I've been using a beautiful white iVak case from Vakaadoo on my iPod for the last several months (see the review on Dave's blog), and I have to say that I'm extraordinarily pleased with it. It protects the player well while giving access to the control wheel, and I love the texture of the case.

One thing that has also been especially nice is that the iVak is very durable, tolerating the abuse that I've given it as I've dragged my iPod back and forth every week in my travels between Lansing, Michigan and Silicon Valley in northern California.

To this day, the iVak still turns heads, even among the jaded techies in the Bay area who own every gadget known to man. This week, both my company CEO and a company founder asked me about the case, which stood out to them. I also had another co-worker say after she saw it that she would get one, too, since she hadn't been too pleased with the quality or durability of her "skin style" iPod case. (I wrote down the name of the company so she could look it up online.)

Of course, now Vakaadoo has come out with a case for the nano…. Makes me want to go out and get a nano, just so I can have an excuse to cart around another Vakaadoo case. :-)

Know your audience, marketers - Second Life and other "new" media

2006-12-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

This week's Marketing Profs newsletter has a fabulous article (called "Welcome to Second Life, Marketers") that challenges marketers to think about what they're doing before they make the leap into the online world of Second Life.

It seems like, as marketers, we have a tendency to want to grab onto the latest method or means, without considering whether it fits the audience or can provide the type of story/experience that supports our business goals.

This is one of the best articles I've seen on the topic. Bravo, Greg Verdino!!

Annual SWAG article showcases creative business to business gifts

2006-12-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Ad Age recently published its annual holiday SWAG article (login needed), and there were some pretty nice examples showcased this year. Just goes to show how well funded some marketing departments are…

This bag is a very nice one -- not one of the no-name brand cheapies usually available.

I think this "survival cart" was very creative and appropriate for the time of year.

And the Lucky magazine give-away tied in nicely with their product.

Favorite travel tips and tools

2006-12-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

Dave asks on BimmerGeek about favorite travel tips and tools.

Here are my notes on this topic, from a woman's perspective.

Keep a second, separate bag of travel-sized personal care items. I've found that it is easier to have a second set of care items (facial care regimen, hand lotion, tweezers, antiperspirant, toothbrush and toothpaste) set aside specifically for travel, ready to go in a travel bag. That way, I'm not doing a last-minute packing frenzy after getting ready for my 7 a.m. flight, only to forget something. Fortunately, most companies seem to offer travel-sized options (even my facial care regimen company), and that helps immensely.

Keep all electrical cord accessories (including iPod headphones) wrapped up and kept together in a semi-transparent zipped bag. The Sumajin Smartwraps help manage the unruly cords and the bag helps make sure I have everything ready to go. Then, if I need to pull something out when I'm on the go, I pull out the bag and fish out the appropriate cord. Plus, if I get pulled for a security check, it makes it easy for the inspector to look at the cords all at once.

Bring disposable reading materials (such as magazines or mass market paperbacks) that you can throw away as you go. While books are nice, they are heavy and have to be carried back with you. Magazines are ideal because I can tear out pages that I want to refer to later and throw away the bulk as I go. If I carry a book with me, I try to limit it to one and then I usually pack it in my checked luggage.

This reflects another key tip for me -- the need to travel as lightly as possible. As a petite woman, carrying unnecessary weight makes travel burdensome and wearying. One of the reasons I won't travel with a wireless router any time soon is that it only adds weight and bulk to my luggage -- definitely something I try to avoid!

Digitize your notes and combine electronic tools as much as possible. This is one of the reasons why I like using a Windows Media PDA/phone combo, such as my beloved Treo 700w. The Windows version includes all of the key software that I use, including OneNote and Excel for any notes or lists that I want to jot down. Pocket Outlook ensures that I have my calendar, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail and other contact information available. And, having the phone/PDA combo helps lighten the load -- fewer electronics = good!

Enterprise Rent-a-Car of SFO pleases with great service

2006-12-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

So, in the last month and a half, I've been traveling back and forth between Lansing and San Francisco. Initially it was to interview with some companies and then to start working for one. Due to this sudden increase in travel, I've been in a position to rent several cars while in the Bay area.

Like many people, I've seen car rental as a commodity product -- a necessary evil for business travel. It's not something that I've put a lot of thought into, and I've pretty much picked whichever company offered the lowest price. Mind, you the price differences between car rental companies usually equals 10 to 50 cents a day on any given week, depending on the demand for that week.

Rental car experiences typically go like this: I walk up to counter and they struggle to find my reservation. They give me the hard sell on outrageously priced "extras" that I don't need and upgrades I don't want. Then I'm told to go to the garage to get the car.

I walk out there, and of course there are no cars in the section for my rental classification. I try to find someone to help me and each "employee" I encounter says it's not their job. So, I pick the next largest car available and pull up to the exit. The staffer at the exit booth calls into a mysterious office and then those employees who wouldn't help me before bring out another car from a smaller classification (what I wanted in the first place!) and then ask me to unload all my crap and instantly switch to the other car, while others wait in the line. -- Entirely annoying and entirely typical of my sad experiences with these companies.

For the last two trips, I had selected Enterprise car rental since it won the price lottery by 10 to 25 cents. I was pleased with the helpfulness of the counter clerk who checked me in. It was also nice that the "pitch" for insurance and fuel was low key.

Then I headed to the area with the cars. As I walked toward the Enterprise section, I was greeted by name by the manager, who then escorted me to the compact vehicle I had set aside. He made sure I was comfortable with the vehicle and set me up with my paperwork. At the Enterprise car section, there were several employees, all helping renters who had recently arrived. I was given a business card with a phone number and e-mail in case I had any questions or problems. And, after I had the car a day, someone called me to make sure there were no problems.

During my second week for which I had an Enterprise rental, the manager recognized me from before and let me know that if I was renting every week, I could simply e-mail them the day before my arrival and I could go directly to the garage -- they'd prep my paperwork in advance and have it ready for me there.

Customer service definitely counts, even in a commoditized environment such as car rentals -- you can be sure I'll be selecting Enterprise in my future trips out of SFO.

Trying NewsGator for Outlook... again

2006-09-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I recently decided to reactivate my NewsGator RSS reader account, after using the Google Reader for a while. When I logged into the Web site to upload my OPML file, the good folks at NewGator invited me to try their Inbox for Microsoft Outlook. I used this application at work for a while, until the first year ran out and my IT department didn't want to renew it. I could have pushed for the renewal but honestly, the previous version didn't play well with Outlook/Exchange, and I decided the lock-ups and delays weren't really worth it.

This morning, I remembered how much I enjoyed getting my feeds into my mail client, and decided to give the latest version a try here at home. Hopefully it works better this time around. If it doesn't cause any problems, I'll end up purchasing it… again. :-)

*Why stop using Google Reader? It works OK but the Web delivery, even when it's on my custom Google home page, isn't really useful for reading a *large* number feeds. (I have more than 50 feeds that I read every day.) So, I decided to go back to NewsGator, which gives me greater control over marking feeds as "read" and keeping others.

Seeking the impossible -- creamy, homemade mac n cheese without artificial cheese-food products

2006-09-22T03:49:00.000-07:00

So, last night I needed to make something for dinner, and our fridge was a little empty. :-) Hey, I need to go grocery shopping…. I know it!

Fortunately, I had a handy package of cheddar cheese and a box of macaroni. Yum! Time for dinner.

I finely minced a half of a sweet onion and sautéed it in some olive oil until extremely softened. Then I added a little butter, then flour…let the flour toast away. And then added the milk of course. After a little love and care, my white sauce was ready, then came the cheese. Yummo! Salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce -- this mac and cheese was tasty and simple, the way it was supposed to be.

My only complaint? I really want smooth and creamy sauce without the grainy strands, and without having to make my mac and cheese with artificial cheese products. :-)

Over the years, I've collected recipes that claim to create smooth and creamy cheese sauce. Often, these recipes require 3 to 6 hard-to-find-in-Lansing cheeses. Then, when I'm ambitious enough to actually make the huge $$$ investment and try the recipe, the results end up OK, but not really smooth and creamy.

I think I was misled by the blue Kraft mac n cheese boxed creations of childhood. There musn't be a way to really create smooth mac n cheese -- at least not without the wonders of science and handy cheese-like (but not really cheese) products.

Any suggestions or ideas? :-)

Insomniac geeking

2006-09-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been having a little problem sleeping, so tonight I had some fun checking out the newest features of OneNote 2007.

Ever since the public beta for the new MS Office became available, I've been playing with it at home, and I have to say that I've been impressed. It's true, that as a Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS)-certified geek, it can be frustrating when my favorite keyboard shortcuts or advanced menus have changed, but the new functionality has been pretty impressive. One thing for certain, I'll definitely be using the new version of Office from now on.

Of all the office betas, however, my favorite has been OneNote.

As a Tablet PC user, I've used the OneNote 2003 fairly often, especially in my MBA classes. With the new version, I've even started transferring my extensive recipe collection into the new version of One Note, because the search functionality and improved UI work exceedingly better than my old method (of using Word documents in folders).

However, tonight I decided that I'd actually RTFM and look at the handy "One Note Guide Beta 2" built into the 2007 version. WOW! Now I'm convinced that OneNote will be my "Getting Things Done" tool of the future. I am extraordinarily impressed with the way they've integrated this application's functionality with Outlook (even the 2003 version!!). Plus, the shared notebook features (which function within any shared folder or on a file server) will bring an incredibly useful simplicity to workgroup project management, especially for our marketing teams, for whom wikis and SharePoint (up until this point) have been too technically difficult to master.

If you're not testing the Office 2007 beta, then look at the Office 2007 preview site, especially the one for OneNote 2007.

What would happen if Microsoft (or your company) needed to design the box for an iPod?

2006-02-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

A coworker forwarded this brilliant video to me, and I had to share. After 15 years of marketing experience, it makes me laugh, because it is *all* true.

I hate to clean bathtubs and showers

2006-02-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't? It's a gross job and time-consuming.

Unfortunately, I'm also picky about cleanliness.... So I use a squeegee to wipe down my shower every day. It's not enough to avoid having to clean once in a while, but it's better than nothing.

A few years ago, Dave and I had a cleaning girl named Bridgette come to our house every other week. Her primary duty? Bathrooms! Theoretically we could have hired her for more hours to do additional rooms, such as the bedrooms, etc. But, really, all I really needed was someone to do those yucky bathrooms. Alas, Bridgette was expensive, and I had a job-loss issue at the time, so we had to bid her adieu.

Dave still mentions Bridgette and asks me if we can hire her back. There's a part of me that wants to, but the $50 every other week seems like a lot of money, especially when you have two BMW lease payments.

Well, today I found out from the BuzzAgent team about a new product that is isn't even available yet, called the Automatic Shower Cleaner. If the claims about this product are true, then it is a dream come true. It might even help Dave forget about Bridgette.

I signed up for a coupon (see the link at the bottom of the main page), and you can be sure I'll be picking up a couple for our bathrooms. And, I'll let you know how it works -- hopefully it can do what it claims, because I *really* hate to clean those tubs and showers.

What I don't like about Dwell magazine

2006-02-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

OK.... So, Dave and I like reading books and magazines. We purchase many books and subscribe to a variety of magazines.

We recently signed up for a new publication called Dwell. It was a while ago, but the marketing materials, which seemed to emphasize cool design, must have been sufficiently compelling to make us think we'd like it.

It's not often a publication truly annoys me, but this publication did so... quite successfully.

What was annoying?
>Non-descript editorial content that blended into the over-abundance of advertisements
>Tiny print on the few pages of articles -- hey, I'm almost 40 years old -- 8 pt font makes my head hurt.
>Uncompelling editorial topics that didn't even tempt me to read the tiny print -- grrrrrr!
>Pretentious photography -- Is this for consumers or for architects? It seemed like the magazine was trying to style itself into an artistic standard, but there wasn't any substance to the accompanying editorial content, so it felt pretty hollow.

Needless to say, I'm sending back the invoice with a "cancel" request.

This is why Google will rule the Internet

2006-02-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Now, Google pages lets anyone become a Web site designer, without the hassles of hosting, FTP and hard to understand WSIWYG desktop applications. I've been creating and managing Web sites since the early 90s, and this is a *great* simple tool for the every day user -- including our grandparents. :-)

How funny that this young company should make the Web more accessible to anyone, and create tools that are so much simpler to learn and understand.

The only thing you need to create your Web page is a Gmail account. If you don't have one, I can send you an invite to get you started. Just add a comment to my post, and I'll send it to you!

Eight great years

2006-02-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Dave and I celebrated our anniversary this week. I'm grateful for our friendship and love -we're perfect for each other!

To celebrate, we had dinner at a nice Austin, TX restaurant. Dave also got me some beautiful tulips and cool stuff from Williams-Sonoma.

Roomba hacker makes it sing, run like a tank

2006-02-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of the Roomba, ever since I was able to get my own. All technological inventions should be so helpful and fun.

Tod E. Kurt has a cool post and video showing a customized build of his Roomba. Great stuff!

Enjoying my new ride

2006-01-28T03:39:00.000-08:00

This week we traded in my trusty 318ti for a lease on a brand-new BMW 325i. Here's an image of what this vehicle looks like, courtesy of the BMW North America site..... however, let me say that the illustration doesn't do it justice.

This is a new model and design, crafted by team Chris Bangle, who gets unfairly dinged by the Detroit-based auto press for his innovative designs. This vehicle is stunning in person, and I'm grateful to have such a wonderful performance vehicle that's fun to drive and beautiful to look at!

Convergence and change in mass media

2005-12-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

There's a significant shift taking place in the world of advertising, media and communications, and it's time for media professionals to wake up.

Some of the core elements of the change involve ownership and delivery of multimedia messages. It's one of the reasons why the RIAA fights music sharing, and why advertising revenue, particularly for mass media such as television and newspapers, declines despite the outlets' reinvention efforts.

Terry Heaton has an excellent article on the topic, which I encourage you to read.

Between TiVo (which I *love*) and other changes in the works (Google video rentals?, TV shows for your iPod), the world is a changing, and it's going to be one of the biggest shifts since the era of modern media. I'm excited to be a part of it, and can't wait to see what happens.

Merry Christmas -- it's good to be away from the snow

2005-12-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

Having an awesome time in Orlando, with great fun at Epcot yesterday. Here I am in the land of Canada. :-)

Dave also has a fun pic on his blog of a souvenier that he picked up....

One thing you have to admit, Walt Disney World has the art of entertaining down pat. Their attention to detail is outstanding, and our experience far exceeded any expectations. This is especially good since I'll have fewer problems convincing Dave of a future vacation out here to the land of sun.

I'm grateful for paid time off....

2005-11-24T06:53:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to express my "thanks" giving this day.... I took this week off and used some of my abundant PTO. It's been a busy fall, with my MBA class and a heavy work schedule (with more travel than usual).

So, what did I do with my time off this week?

Catch up on things that have been ignored (house cleaning, organizing home spaces), indulge in leisurely pleasures (baking pies & cookies for family, making home-cooked meals, read recipies and "fun" magazines like Martha Stewart Living) and try to get ahead in my last major assignment for class (paper research and preparation).

More importantly, I have *not* checked work e-mail or tried to work on "work" projects (even though I brought some work files home (in case I had the time). :-)

Today we're going to my sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner, and then we'll go shopping the next day together (for a little fun). It's been an enjoyable few days off, but afterward I'll be cranking on the homework task. (Maybe I should have used a little more of those 100+ PTO hours available??)

I hope you enjoy your holiday and take the time to meditate and express your appreciation for our Creator's gifts. I know I will be....

New link on my blogroll

2005-11-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

If you have an interest in the world of digital media, you'll want to check out morph, the blog of the American Press Institute's Media Center. I enjoy the variety of topics and analysis, even though I may not always agree with the politics. Good stuff!

Fair, open and uncompetitive

2005-09-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

As you can see from recent posts, I'm a little disturbed by the decline in U.S. education quality. Apparently, lowering standards is an important part of fairness and diversity!

Drew University, a small liberal arts school in Madison, NJ, on Tuesday said that applicants no longer need to submit scores from the SAT or ACT. "We are making SAT scores optional because we believe this action will help Drew increase its selectivity, improve its diversity, and enhance overall student quality," school President Robert Weisbuch said. Drew is believed to be the first major four-year institution in the state to dump the exams. Nationwide, more than 700 schools - or about one-fourth of all schools that grant bachelor's degrees - no longer require the standardized tests, according to The National Center for Fair & Open Testing.

I'm not making this up. See the article.

More on self-esteem based education

2005-09-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

As an addendum to my earlier post, I think Thomas Sowell talks to the issues in education today more effectively than me.

Advertisers relieved @ slowdown of DVRs

2005-09-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

That sigh of relief you heard last week were the corporate ad agencies reading the results of the latest report form Magna Global.

MG has announced that DVR popularity is slowing and predicts that it will *not* become mainstream enough to endanger television advertising. This makes ad agencies, who are overly attached to expensive 30-second commercials, quite relieved, since now they don't have to find out how to actually deliver real results for their clients.

There's a reason why online advertising, event marketing and word of mouth strategies are becoming more popular. TV ads don't deliver, and in fact have increased in cost despite smaller audiences.

The "comfort" of the TV format has made the industry complacent, but eventually, corporate America will wake up and just say "no."

iPod mockery

2005-09-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

This little video hit my funny bone today and added some well needed laughter.

Losing out on academic excellence

2005-09-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

CNN had a great little tidbit today, a topic I've seen with increasing frequency of late -- that an American eduation is not worth what it once was.

This type of news is very bothersome to me, especially the little quote:
"In all levels of education, the United States spends $11,152 per student. That's the second highest amount, behind the $11,334 spent by Switzerland."

As this line points out, our problem is not related to spending, as the teachers' unions would like to tell you. It's related to our lowered expectations, possibly to protect the "self images" of students, and possibly related to trying to please parents who want to have every child be "exceptional."

What's the matter with challenging, traditional curricula that requires hard work?

Getting an MBA?

2005-09-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

After thinking about the idea for a few years, I've taken the plunge and have signed up for an MBA program.

I think I must be absolutely crazy, especially since it has been 16 years since I've been enrolled in any academic program. Sure, I've had my share of professional development courses, and I've even taken a couple of classes at a local community college. But, a real degree program has not been on my radar for a long time, and I may be a little rusty!

Wish me luck! I'll need it.

Opening night at the movies

2005-08-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

Went to our local multiplex last night with Dave and my friend Jill. We decided on a new comedy, on its opening night. I've forgotten what opening night in the summer was like -- busy and full of young people, no extra seats, everyone squished next to each other, teenage girls chattering and giggling, squealing, etc. throughout the entire movie.

Being old and boring, I am used to seeing a show several weeks after opening, with the theatre nearly empty except for the six of us who hadn't seen the flick yet. It's actually the way I prefer it... but even then I'll complain about spending $8 to watch pre-movie commercials.

Most often, I stay home and enjoy whatever Netflix has just delivered. I enjoy the comforting experience of the DVD on the big TV at home. And, I like that I can pause the movie to get some popcorn or take care of business. Plus, I don't have to listen to other folks' conversations or hear cell phones beep.

When you compare the two experiences... who would ever pick the cineplex over the livingroom?

There's a reason why Midwesterners think the West Coast is loopy

2005-08-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

So.... a couple weeks ago I returned from a business trip in L.A. -- Hollywood, specifically. I was pretty skeptical of the location, knowing that Hollywood has been a pretty skanky place.

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by the nicely refurbished and mod-looking Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. The service was great, the hotel nicely maintained and the immediate vicinity full of nice shopping and restaurants.

As usual, southern California had gorgeous weather -- sunny and 80 to 85 -- not a cloud in the sky and no oppressing humidity (which I had just left in Michigan). Simply gorgeous. The only thing that confused me were the locals' complaints about the hot weather. I couldn't have asked for better weather, and I wonder what they were used to normally. After all, they basically live next to the desert!

Sometimes, I think that you really do get soft skinned when you live in near-perfect conditions all the time.... you lose appreciation for how great you have it. (I sure wish it had been that nice in Madison, Wis. the following week.)

Anyway... that wasn't the loopy part of the trip. One of the nice features of the area was this outdoor shopping/plaza area full of nice restaurants, cool stores and entertainment options, including a wine tasting, live jazz and whatnot. It was a nice little area, and very fun.

In the middle of it all though, were these weird statues and "decorations" -- I really couldn't figure out the "theme," but figured that it might have been built for a movie at one time and they just left it up.

On my last day, I was glancing through the hotel guide when I noticed the name of the shopping plaza... it was called the Babylon Plaza! Now why anyone would want to associate a shopping plaza as the city of the infamous tower and the mad king, I cannot imagine. Perhaps they think that a war-torn, ancient Middle Eastern city is chic?

Thai ballroom dancers in the family?

2005-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

I decided I'd look up my maiden surname in Google, to see if there were any references to my family in Thailand, none of whom I know but have been ever so curious about....

My dad was from Thailand and married my German-American mother then moved to the Midwest. Since then, we've had minimal contact with his numerous brothers and sisters. A friend of mine asked if I knew any of them, which, of course, I didn't. But, surely with the age of the Internet, there must be some records of cousins, second cousins or the like, who are lilsted on some type of Web site, perhaps at a university or something.

Doing the search brought up several of my old career press releases (I've been a PR contact/communications professional for the last 15 years), several 5K race results (my sister dated a marathon freak and was therefore into running for while) and a bazillion references to geek sites (my brother owns a computer store in Caro, Mich.).

I was starting to think I wasn't going to find a "Rungtranont" from Thailand until one lonely reference came up, to a young woman named Kanchana Rungtranont who was listed as a ballroom dancing competitor!

Unfortunately, I don't know who Kanchana is. More than likely she is the daughter of one of our uncles' children... But there wasn't much information about her, other than she competed twice and got last place each time. Oh, well!

HSAs -- the scam employers and insurance companies are pushing

2005-07-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

"Let the buyer beware...." and "when it seems too good to be true, it probably is...." Good advice for good ol' marketing scams, right?

Well, perhaps you should follow these warnings on the latest iteration of health insurance reform, called the health savings account, commonly pushed by HMOs and PPOs and other insurance management services.

At the end of last year, a flurry of companies and their health insurance providers made last minute sales pitches about HSAs to their employees. The concept was that, instead of the company paying (high) insurance rates to the provider, you opt for a higher-deductible plan (that costs less for the employer) and then take a pre-tax amount from your paycheck each week and put it in an HSA. Then, when you need money to pay for health care expenses (for prescription drugs, doctor visits, etc.), you simply withdraw the funds to help pay for the expenses.

If your company was generous enough to also put some cash into the account, this works really well. It also works well if you already have a lot of cash to set aside and happen to be able to guarantee no unexpected health needs that might wipe out the balance. (Because the money is always yours and will continue to earn whatever interest is offered by the financial institution.)

But the whole "benefit" of the HSA for the employer is a lower investment into health insurance premiums, so not all companies opted to do contribute to the employee HSA. Instead, these companies sold this "plan" as a tax shelter to employees who didn't have the common sense to do the math. (The cash comes out of the employee pocket, not the employer, now.)

We have a friend is currently in a bind because of his HSA. A member of his family is going to need surgery (unexpected of course).... Well, the high-deductible insurance plan's deductible has *not* been paid yet, and he will have to put out more than $1,000 to cover the cost of the surgery. Of course, his HSA does not nearly have that much in it.

You may think, he deserves this situation because he wasn't smart enough to know better. But really, should a company benefit (like health insurance) really be a scam? Shouldn't the HR department (at the least) make sure to help the employees figure out what really *will* work for them? Or should we have to evaluate all "benefits" now to see if they really are beneficial and not just a financial version of natural selection?

Why your best customers like you

2005-07-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

The longer I've worked in marketing, the more I learn that what we do is reinforce the beliefs of our customers, rather than convince them.

This isn't bad, but it can help us understand our role in marketing so that we don't waste our time and efforts on fruitless activities.

Check out Kathy Sierra's post on the emotional aspect of decision-making.... good food for thought!

Fire me is funny

2005-06-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not into reality television, which is probably why I like CBS's new show, Fire Me, Please! Instead of fake drama and cheesy music or commentators, this show inserts comedic contestants wreaking havoc on unsuspecting supervisors and employees. The contestants try to be as annoying as possible so that they get fired on their "first day" of work. The antics are fun to watch and sometimes remind me of former co-workers, especially those at B&N.

Congratulations, Lindsay!

2005-06-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

Lindsay talks to a friend at the open house

Our house church family had an open house yesterday afternoon to celebrate Lindsay's graduation from high school. It was a fun affair and we really enjoyed hanging out with them and everyone else.

This fall, Lindsay will be going to Utah to study at a ballet program, to prepare for a professional dancing career. Congrats on your new endeavors, Lindsay!

Many years of ballet slippers

Formula 1 is much more exciting this year!

2005-06-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

This year's Formula 1 racing season has been much more interesting due to the fact that multiple world champion Michael Schumacher hasn't won every race this year. :-)

We hadn't been planning on attending this year's U.S. Grand Prix, mostly because it's no fun to watch one driver win all the races. This year's races have been much more exciting, however, probably due to a number of factors, including new rules about engines and tires. We still won't be going there with our racing buddies this year, but mostly due to conflicts with other activities, such as family vacations and business trips.

Our high-maintenance babies: Max and Sam

2005-06-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

Our "kids" Max and Sam, have been a little stressed since the purchase of our new furniture (see the pics at Dave's blog). We instituted a new rule that restricts them from getting on the furniture.

Samantha (peeking out from under the box flap) hasn't minded so much because she's really taken to the new cat beds we purchased for them. But poor Max, he cries and gets obviously upset, because he likes to sit with us when we watch TV.

The Poor Mrs Kimbles

2005-06-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight our neighborhood book club gets together to discuss Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh. The story, which I read last weekend, follows the perspective of three women who married the same man, Ken Kimble.

In one way, the strangest thing about the story is that the primary protagonist, Ken, is the one person who you know least about. The three women he marries are each different in circumstances and personality but with a common insecurity (hence the reason they marry him). You see the world through their eyes and watch them gradually discover Ken's weaknesses until their relationships with him slowly destroy their lives.

The story made me sad and angry at Mr. Kimble, and made me wish I understood his motives and background. In real life, very few people are purely bad, but I feel like the reader never gets the opportunity to know Ken any more than his wives did. That approach helped me as a reader have greater empathy for the female characters and their weaknesses.

Separate living squared

2005-05-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a person of faith who has in recent years chosen to remove myself from the Christian bubble. We don't attend a traditional church anymore and don't make a point to choose Christian books, music or entertainment options any differently than we would pick a movie or a TV show from TiVo.

Why is this unique? Because the American evangelical experience has, for the most part, become quite insular. There's Christian radio, teen magazines, Web sites and television. (Some is done with moderate quality, some is downright embarassing in its adolescence.) If you are a "good" Christian now days, your circle of life is completely Christianized.

As a professional marketer, I was intrigued by a recent article about Christian "branding." Looking at it a little further, I saw that the primary quoted source for this little news snippet was a company that provided a one-stop source for churches who want a little marketing expertise. Was their work unique or cutting edge? Not really. But, if you're interested in keeping that bubble of protection (and don't want to hire marketing professionals in your own community -- See Matt. 5:13-16), then their services might be for you.

Bridesmaid dress for the wedding

2005-05-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thinking about this combination for the bridesmaid dress at Tam's wedding. The shawl isn't necessary, but it might make a nice option.

The Scooba sounds like a dream come true

2005-05-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Kudos to the folks at iRobot for keen marketing acumen. As a customer who has happily purchased the Roomba, I recently received an e-mail announcement about an upcoming product of theirs, the Scooba.

The e-mail and landing page were simple but well done, and so I forwarded it to my colleagues at work, since we frequently discuss the best way to do this type of marketing tactic. More than half of them e-mailed me back to tell me they wanted one, too. :-)

Why in the world did they kill Kate?

2005-05-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit, I'm one of those folks who can't get enough of the crime shows. I watch several CSI shows and Numb3rs, too. But one of my favorite shows is CBS's NCIS. The characters are a lot of fun and the chemistry excellent, even when the plot is a little unbelievable.

This month they had the season ender and -- in the last three seconds of the show -- killed Kate! How could they? It's been a couple of weeks and I still can't believe it. Sigh.

Visit from Tam and Matt

2005-05-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Had a nice (if brief) visit from Tamara and her fiancee Matt Strom.

I think Matt had been a little nervous that we would grill him, but there was no need to worry about that -- we just hung out and got to know each other in a laid-back way. :-)

On Friday, we talked and hung out then took them to one of the best restaurants in the greater Lansing area, All Seasons Bistro. After a nice dinner, we then went home and played a couple of fun games, including a new one that they gave us called Marry, Date or Dump. We also played one of our personal favorite games, Catch Phrase.

Memorial weekend activities: Shopping

2005-05-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

We received our new furniture on Saturday, and I have to say it looks great. Still, I'm having a little buyers' remorse (but only because I hate to spend money). :-)

What happened to the old furniture? It went into the loft...and looks great there, actually. I like being up there now that it feels like a real room. Much more relaxing office space for me, now.

Thanks to Dave for all the work putting the photos on a blog so I don't have to.

Added a link to Tam's blog

2005-05-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

OK, so she hasn't written anything since her first blog, but I added a link to my sister's blog to my link section. Say "hi" to her if you have the time. :-)

Disappeared for a while, but now I'm back

2005-05-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Had a bit of a crazy time and took a break from blogging, but now I'm back. Like my new profile photo?