March 12, 2012 · 7:35 pm

I Was A Goddess Today!

I was a working, accomplishing goddess today. Not crochet related, but I totally kicked ass. Maybe it’s because it’s the first day of spring break and my day wasn’t broken up by school runs, I don’t know, but I’m ready for more days like today. I had my running check list. Back and forth, trading this hat for the next. Ticking my items off one by one. I took every call today on the second ring! Many times I just can’t, but today I talked to customers and friends and still accomplished things on my list! Even as things got added to my list, they got worked on! I even mowed on the lawn, with an old-fashioned push mower today (the human-powered kind that used to belong to hubby’s grandma). In high weeds. (Long drought plus a sudden few days of rain in Central Texas means every mean and nasty local weed there is springs up and tries to take over.) And I still came in and was able to turn my head to analysis, inventory and calculations. Take care of the workshop I’m planning, contact people, handle clients, send out newsletters, convert files, touch base with teachers and chat with friends.

On top of that, I heard from three other friends who fell into recent strokes of good fortune too! Friends sold their house in 6 hrs (say what? I want some of that!). Another friend sold $400 in paintings over lunch today. She’s so excited! (Isn’t that awesome?) And another is launching a new business plan with astounding possibilities. Another I talked to I just found out escaped a fire. Thank goodness they are OK! And I have new neighbors who at least for today, seem really nice.

My regular lawn mower is still broken, and I didn’t finish the lawn, but it was a good day. And I feel like awesome. It totally rocked!

Now I want to bake chocolate chip cookies…………
I totally deserve it.

nom, nom….

4 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Random Thoughts

March 2, 2012 · 4:00 pm

Republished from my original post on my blog The Difference Between A Duck on Nov. 29, 2009

The Difference Between A Duck

I’m a romantic. I love stories and love wondering about the past and the objects that were there to witness it. Though I’m not a true antique collector, it’s hard to resist saving a quaint old treasure to find it’s story.

So I’m researching a fold-up antique table I found at Goodwill for $3.99. I could tell it was antique, maybe mahogany, I don’t know. Old craftsmanship for sure. Part of the furniture sticker was missing, so I could not see the whole company name. I finally figured out from someone’s newspaper ad the missing parts:

*Date stamp 1939 *Sticker on back says- Bridge Table & Novelties inc Lowell mass Topper Products “Limited-never duplicated” …

And then found another reference to this furniture company through this website and it’s service feature of helping you find out how much something is worth, here…:

http://www.mythings.com/valuations.aspx

Kind of neat site and service! For…

View original post 71 more words

Brown Recluse Therapeutics…

This story, originally published by me on March 3, 2010, is republished from my blog The Difference Between A Duck.

Today was warm and beautiful outdoors. I’ve never had a green thumb – in fact it’s generally what I’d consider brown. But enticed by the fresh air and clear skies, I headed outdoors to work on my back yard.

Mainly, there was a lot of trimming and raking to be done. I hear there are all sorts of trimming rules for the health of your bushes and trees, but I know none of these things. However, I wish to entertain with a cook out, and to clean things up. And I haven’t ventured out to maintain anything back there in months. So I did it the slow way – trimmed around, stepped back to look, placed chairs, stepped back to look, trimmed some more, tried to reach here and there, until it looked ok. I think.

I should have used gloves though. My hands are very sore. And the loppers we have are bent, so their work wasn’t the finest nor quickest, nor for that matter, painless. Still, the back yard does look better.

As I uncovered stones and timbers while removing old leaves, various spiders scurried about. And I was reminded of my childhood down at my father’s shop. And the wars I fought against the brown recluse invasion there. I don’t generally believe in killing spiders, save the dangerous ones.

It was years before my Dad realized I was telling him the truth about the poisonous spiders I worked around in the wood room. I wasn’t just being a scared little girl after all. And by then, of course, I’d learned to cope with my circumstances – by hunting them. By knowing their habits and every move. And by catching them in jars in case someone would finally notice not only the markings, but the numbers.

I was the only one in the family who not only didn’t wear glasses, but had eyes that tested better than the norm. Details were obvious to me in an instant from any distance. Though perhaps sometimes a curse. I could see things that others could not. It is sad to me that today I should wear weak glasses while working on my projects, not because I can’t see them, but because my eyes do not adjust from close to far as quickly anymore. They tell me the cones are aging. And I still test better than 20/20. What a strange circumstance for me.

It’s my guess that the sheer numbers of recluses at the shop caused them to be less reclusive than “experts” claim them to be. I wonder how many experts have worked in a building practically owned by a recluse “clan.” Though that makes them sound friendlier to family than they really are.

I turned over a rock in my backyard. Sure enough, there was the tunnel in the groove and the tell-tale hunched body with the sand-dollar shaped back and famous “fiddle” back shape. When they are surprised like this, they hunch and hesitate like a cat before they spring or run. As if to decide which choice to make. But even so, the process is very, very quick. Micro-seconds at best. And in spite of their reclusive nature, when disturbed they have no fear. If you are in their territory, all bets are off. They do not hold back.

For but an instant, memories flood back to me of flipping timbers outside the wood shop, hunting for the spiders and egg sacks I knew would be there. Every week, killing every one, because their numbers were growing and the docile native wood spiders were nearly gone. Recluses were taking over the place, killing off all the rest and no one believed me. Then the memory washes over me.

Flipping a timber – you had to be quick – and I was an expert by then. You don’t flip a timber slowly when you know it’s the home of an average of 4-6 recluses each, that you can see on the outside. And there were many timbers lined in front of Dad’s wood-shop and storage shed for parking. Your movement must be quick and you barely touch the timber when you execute.

But this one time, one of them was quicker than lightning. As if it knew exactly what I was doing and exactly what would happen. Remember Arachnophobia? The demon soldier spider predicting every move? When I saw that comedy, I immediately identified with that detail. The timber flipped and it was on me in the same instant. Racing up my arm. It was an old one – big and quick. The old ones were the only ones who managed to survive my jars. Put a bunch of brown recluses together in a jar and soon there is only one left alive. The biggest one. They are extremely resistant to all poisons, except their own. I never touch them, even when dead. And here was a healthy one with strong markings – racing up my bare arm. The image has been frozen with me ever since.

As quickly as it was on, I swiped my hand down my arm and flung it into the grass away from me. Danced back and then pounced and crushed it under my shoe. It was some time before I stopped trembling. And at the same time, it was empowering: escaping the brown recluse bite.

Today I eye the quite small recluse under my stone. Not old like the big ones back home. It hunches. In the same second I crush it. As easily today as a quarter of a century ago.

You can buy my my spider web crochet pattern right here!

Halloween Spider Web – A Variable Pattern from Aberrant Crochet

$4.25 (includes license to sell finished product)

6 Comments

Filed under Writing

Tagged as brown recluse, spiders

February 28, 2012 · 8:45 am

The Top Eight Things That Tick Me Off…

This article was originally published on my blog The Difference Between A Duck on May 5, 2010.

Dan Rockwell over at Leadership Freak asked a potent question on his blog this morning: What ticks you off as a leader? And what ticks you off about leaders? It was an awesome question with a lot of answers. I find his daily blogs to be thought provoking and succinct. You might check it out.

I work long hours in the volunteer world where you often learn a person’s true caliber. There are times the drama really ticks me off.

So with the encouragement to take a day and have a healthy rant…

Here are my top eight things that tick me off.

1) Don’t Lie – Those who claim credentials and experience they don’t really have. A PhD and a DD are not the same thing. Nor are a myriad of other credentials alike. This also goes for those who claim illness or tragedy they’ve never experienced too.

2) Know Your Limits – Those who refuse assistance when they are running behind, “no I’ve got it” and then ultimately fail the deadline or project altogether when it could have been fixed if they had accepted help (or delegation) when offered.

3) Know Your Facts – Articles, reports and claims promoted arbitrarily as fact and w/o references or proof. “Statistics” that have no source. Using the phrase “we do it all the time” as proof that something works, is main stream, or should continue to be allowed, etc. (and gripes me even further when once or twice in reality becomes “all the time” in a debate). Then there are those brand newbies who do the opposite arbitrary claim “it obviously wasn’t working” to justify disrespect to loyal employees and a complete policy make-over, when the claim is simply untrue, illogical and unsupported by any research or facts.

4) Embrace Maturity – Drama in a professional environment drives me crazy, along with those who would rather start WWIII than accept criticism, difference of views or simply admit “Ok this could have been better.” Those who are more concerned with “winning” an argument than taking care of a customer. This also includes taking things personally for no apparent logical or professional reason. More time is wasted trying to undo assumptions made about non-existent intent. Really, it’s not all about you.

5) Communicate – Leaders who fail to communicate and then suddenly freak-out and look for the nearest scape-goat. On the other side, leaders who don’t know how to deal with a situation or person, so they literally hide from them. That would go for volunteers/employees too. You don’t have to be a naturally great communicator, just at least try!

6) Listen – Not reading emails/reports even when they are simple bullet points and then having to email/call them again and again. Refusing to take phone calls. Not asking questions. Assuming without logic or basis.

7) Be Responsible – Own and take credit for mistakes as much as successes. It’s part of life.

8 ) Armchair Quarterbacks – Those who sign up to volunteer, can’t be reached when it’s time to work, and then complain about how things were done. That would also include those who sign up, can’t be reached when it’s time to work, and then take credit for being there when they weren’t, knowing people they don’t, doing things they didn’t and including it on a resume or in a job interview.

So what about you? What really ticks you off as a leader?

Thanks again for the therapeutic whine Dan……!

Don’t Pin Me Bro! The Saga Of Copyright and Pinterest

Like Twitter and Facebook, Pinterest is a social media concept that’s compelling by nature and has quickly taken the social community by storm. And it’s easy to see why.

Pinterest is a concept of “pinning” your favorite interesting photos found across the internet, to a virtual bulletin board, complete with categories and descriptions for content. In essence it is a virtual visual collection much like a wish list, or even a dream or vision board. Only you can have several boards all hosted on Pinterest.

Have an interest in Dr. Who like I do? You can create a board there to pin your favorite photos of Daleks and actors, the electronic screwdriver you want for Christmas and even the Tardis Kindle Cover I pinned and later received for Valentine’s Day (my hubby is the best!). And the cool thing? When you pin, Pinterest links that photo “pin” directly to the site you pin from. From there your friends and followers can also “re-pin” the photo to their boards, link intact. It’s a great visual way to share with others. A lot of words aren’t necessary when a picture paints a thousand words.

Btw, you can view my Pinterest boards here. I’m slow to adding to my pins and follows, as I try to do so with purpose. Ever since reading Forbes’ article about the potential costs caused by digital hoarding, I’ve looked at collecting a whole new way. But that’s another story for another time.

As it is with most social things, I first heard about Pinterest from a friend. I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, but I’m pretty darn sure now that there can be some marketing aspects to it. And only a week ago, The Wall Street Journal seems to agree. I finally joined because I kept seeing referral hits on my blog from Pinterest and I’m pretty sure at least one pattern sale this month originated from that direction as well. I’ve also found it’s a great way to find more things in genres I love, like Dr. Who, Steam Punk, etc.. The kind of things that pretty much it takes one to pass it on to find, but Googling might not discover. And it seems more efficient than StumbleUpon. Being very visual in nature, the platform is perfect for collecting visual experiences that only a photo can describe. I am sent photos over the internet nearly every day in one inspirational Power Point presentation or another means. I’d far rather be tagged on Pinterest and know where the photo came from.

What About Copyright Issues?

Along with the pioneering spirit of Pinterest’s visual landscape, though, copyright controversy has also been in the air. There have been complaints from image owners who don’t want their images being pinned and don’t know how to stop the frenzy. Many Etsy sellers are included in this lot. Unfortunately, some sellers have even found their for-sale items pinned to boards with descriptions like, “$60 is too much! I want to figure out how to copy this.” Not to mention the on-going concerns many photographers have.

It’s disconcerting to go through. Sellers are trying to make an extra income. Some Etsy folks are there because they lost jobs, or need a second income. Some are there because they were die-hard makers to begin with. I know we can totally appreciate their plight. No one likes to feel victimized. Everyone desires respect and professional courtesy. No one wants to lose money or have their ideas swiped. And it’s a bit of a poor show for someone to pin a seller’s item with a blatant stated intention of copying.

To add fuel to the gathering flames, just last Friday, Galen Moore wrote his article “How Your Business Could Get Sued Using Pinterest” for the Boston Business Journal. In it he explains a little known clause in Pinterest’s user agreement that gives them the right to actually sell any image uploaded to their service. A clause many people probably never noticed. I didn’t. And we could be liable for it. Eek! Really?

Also on the same day came Kevin Lincoln’s article “Pinterest Might Be Enabling Massive Copyright Theft” for Business Insider. In that article Kevin interviews a media law attorney, Itai Maytal, on the matter. Along with the varying answers both grey and pointed, Mr. Maytal points out that the recent copyright concerns are likely to be an issue for Tumblr as well.

Concerns Are Being Heard

There does seem to be some action being taken for folks who don’t want their items to be pinned. Not unlike how photos on Flickr can be protected and how photos on Google image search can be removed.

And Pinterest is no exception. They even wrote a blog article this week on the copyright subject. Seems they’re listening and they’ve created a code you can put on your website to disable pinning. Owners can also file copyright infringement complaints directly with Pinterest to have pins taken down. You can fill out that form here.

Flickr, a photo hosting service, is also listening and jumping in to protect their users. Just yesterday they enabled protection for Flickr users from having their photos pinned. Check out yesterday’s discussion on Flickr here.

Is This Much Different Than A Xerox Machine Though?

Many folks might remember though, this kind of thing isn’t the first time new technology caused copyright concerns. The invention of the copy-machine came first. There was a lot of controversy over the ability to steal copyrighted material, and yet copy-machines are indispensable today. Read more about that history at “Copyright And The Advent Of Xerox Machines,” a great little article on the “History of Information” blog from Berkley.

Some Of My Thoughts, As A Seller & Designer

Copyright protection is important. Seriously important. And for more reasons than just products and inventions. I don’t want my children’s photos, for instance, posted around the internet without permission either. An approach to the issue I haven’t really heard much about and a subject for a different conversation.

However, I think the truth is that with or without Pinterest, the copy-cats are there doing their thing anyway. In my experience, many may covet, but few truly act. (See my article “When Artist’s Hear, ‘I Can Make That!‘” for more.) And honestly, whose people aren’t my market anyway. Services like Pinterest just make it easier to find out that someone might want to copy your work. People will do this sort of thing with or without help of services like Pinterest.

Case in point: At a local juried show a few years ago, I had a woman come into my booth, handle/look at all my goods, ask questions, acted like she wanted to buy, let me talk to her about my hooks and methods, etc.. After much conversation and time, she then walked out of my booth with these words over her shoulder, “I hadn’t thought about making these kinds of things to sell in my booth! I’ll have to think about it and make some now.” She then proceeded to walk back to her booth on the opposite side of the show.

I was completely disarmed. Usually, rather exclusive juried shows include better vendors and behavior than that. But still, this sort of thing can happen. Me personally? I just can’t fathom taking the time away from my customers and booth during a show to do that to someone else. She was even old enough to be my mom! Very surreal experience, but it definitely taught me something.

Those people are out there and being in public puts you in their path. And being in business at all means risk – that’s the nature of business. Show me a good thing and I’ll show you a way someone could be victimized by it. And likewise the opposite is true. Everything in life is pretty much a two edge sword. It’s all in how we live. For now, I’ll conduct myself ethically, pursue my passion with a pure heart. If at any point I need to do something, I will. And judging intent is a tricky thing. Makes for interesting discussion though.

Overall, I see the Pinterest service as kind of a reorganized Google image collection. Everything’s already out there on Google and coming up in searches. I receive a lot of hits from Google image searches and I use image searches myself to find specific products I’m looking for. Like that stitch guide I like but keep misplacing. I never remember the brand name for that thing and I’m always losing it. I probably have 10 of them now.

Though I’m not a huge pinner yet, overall I think Pinterest can be a huge benefit to people who’d like to be discovered and I hope it stays. It’s a great tool. A great way to hang onto something visually, link included, without taking up space in my bookmarks (a system that doesn’t really work for me anyway) or my tab groups in Firefox (which works, but is mainly suitable for my research, not a lot of other things). It’s a great way to share new products with others too. Pinterest even helped me get the Tardis Kindle cover I wanted, originally pinned by a friend of mine. Amazon’s Universal Wish List never quite did that for me. And that Etsy seller would not have gotten my husband’s sale without Pinterest. Just saying. From a wishlist standpoint, the easy photo-with-link system works.

The internet is still a new frontier and as more people get on and learn how to make use of it and carve a new world out of it, the more needed tweaks and corrections will be discovered. Not much different from settling the wild west. It’s still the land of opportunity. At the same time, folks have to stand up for themselves and their principals. Though hopefully we will manage to keep it a relatively free world for generations to come.

26 Comments

Filed under Editorial

Tagged as copyright, pinterest

January 2, 2012 · 12:49 am

And The Winner Is… Is… ????

…Lorraine!

Official Random.org Results

Lorraine has won a signed copy of her favorite Obey Crochet drawing “This Yarn Ain’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us!” Come on down Lorraine and claim your prize. Everybody please give her a round of applause and let her know just how jealous you are! Lorraine, tell us – how does it feel to be such a winner? And please look for an email asking for your mailing address so Stephanie can ship your signed Obey Crochet drawing to you! We look forward to hearing from you very soon!
(And you’ll have to send us a photo!) 😀

Didn’t win? No worries! Now that you’re following Obey Crochet’s blog, not only will you be in the know about anything that comes up Obey Crochet, you can also shop her store at CafePress! You will find mugs, t-shirts and totes of Hooky goodness! Yay for crochet!

Thank you all for participating and it was so awesome to meet and connect with more crochet friends! I am now following everyone who participated in this contest and left your websites or Twitter accounts to follow. And I think maybe ya’ll will want to get to know each other too. I hope you enjoyed the fun and exploration of the crochet goodness from our sister-in-hook Stephanie Toppin!

Happy New Year from both of us! I truly believe that 2012 is just simply going to be outstanding! In addition to my usual content, stay tuned for future contests, reviews, goodies and new friends to meet! Thanks to Stephanie and Obey Crochet for joining me in this shindig. And thanks again to everyone for keeping your hook in gear and sharing the crochet love! Rock on!

1 Comment

Filed under Crochet Community

Tagged as crochet, drawing, Obey, prize

December 27, 2011 · 12:46 am

Quick Note On The Giveaway, IDs and Custom Commentary

So hey guys, I updated the giveaway listing, but just wanted to add (since everyone’s subscribed and should hence see this) that you should also include your Twitter ID’s and blog addresses if you have them, so we can find you and follow back too! Now, I can only promise that I will follow if you do this, but I’m requesting also because it would be nice for other crocheters to find you when they come to this post too. I didn’t think to include that at the first publishing, but hey – I’m telling you now. It’s not a requirement to win the Obey Crochet Giveaway, but certainly, if you’d like me to follow back and I don’t already, I’d love to! And I don’t think I’m the only crocheter who would.

Besides, I have this whole project on Klout for Tweeps and Peeps in the crochet world. As in, I’m looking up people who interact with me and am making sure they are down for crochet and Stumbling blogs (that would be Stumble Upon). I guess I should write a post about that and explain a bit more about what I’m up to, and what this whole Klout thing is about anyway, but the brief of it is I’m using my Klout to better represent crochet. I mean seriously, when top crochet designers are down as experts in hotels, instead of the fiber fests they went to and there’s nothing about crochet on their Klout profile, yeah, it needs some help. Do I think it’s a big deal? Hmmm, well, yes and no. Do I think there’s potential for the artistic/handmade world? Yes, I do.

But more on that later. In the mean time – post your blogs and twitter ids in your comments, gain some friends!

Next, I have some custom work I’m doing for Lori, a local gal with Lakeway Women In Network – a networking group for women in business. Lori wanted a red/black hat like the last one I made, but a little shorter and tapered for her face. She also wanted a gold accent for the flower motif and so now we’re at the point of deciding which variation is best. So I’m putting together a collection of photos to make the job easier since we live about an hour from each other. If you’ve never done custom work before, this can give you an idea of what it’s like, at least for me. I like to give people choices and get them involved with the process as much as feasible. Anything Lori doesn’t choose will go into my stash of stuff to use with another project. When I do shows, it’s always nice to have a selection of flowers and motifs ready to go so I can customize a hat for someone on the spot. So every effort to customize serves future customizations as well. A well stocked pantry keeps you fed. So does a well stocked stash of supplies and finished parts.

These flowers are made of the heavier weight yarn like the original.

Two of the four buttons you see pictured are vintage buttons from my Grandmother’s stash. The other two are new buttons. Can you tell which are which? Also there’s a selection of 4 petal flowers and 5 petal flowers. Two of the flowers are in a heavier weight yarn than the rest.

These flowers are made of a lighter weight yarn, from a totally different company. Pretty close color match, isn't it?

The bottom right flower is made very similarly to the original flower on the original hat in the same yarn. The question now is which flower with which button for this new custom hat??

Which is your favorite?

4 Comments

Filed under Artist Information & Notes

December 23, 2011 · 5:36 pm

An Aberrant “Obey Crochet” Holiday Give Away!

Oh look! I was a poet and didn’t know it!

Well, welcome back my crochet friends! Happy Holidays!

I know, I know…. I was writing so consistently and then dropped off. It’s the season for working though, you know. This is the time of year when warm things are in demand! I’ll let you know when I master typing with my ears while I crochet. Send me any tips if you have them! LOL! Oh and then of course one by one the family units got sick. And fight as I did, I finally caught it too. I know you know how it is!

But, now I’m getting back on my feet just in time for the holidays. It’s also dear hubby’s and my anniversary today! (16 years! Do you know how much I love him?)

It’s me and Obey Crochet! Cooking up some fun for you!

So I’m ready to celebrate, drink some wine, enjoy some chocolate, have some fun and spring a holiday celebration giveaway surprise that Stephanie a.k.a. Obey Crochet and I cooked up! We’re doing a blog giveaway! YAY!

Yes! ‘Tis true! And trust me, you’ll covet this one! If you haven’t met Obey Crochet just yet, please do so by visiting my interview with her here!

“Yay! What awesomeness will we win?” you ask? Well I’ll tell you!

It’s our pleasure to bring this crochet unique giveaway to you, my fellow crochet lover! One lucky winner will receive a FREE, signed… (did you see that? … a signed!) … Obey Crochet print. Of your choice! Of ANY one Obey Crochet Drawing that you love! Shipped to you!

Can you believe it?!

OMG I’m jealous, because I’m disqualified from this giveaway. They will also get random Obey Crochet buttons and rub on tats. How cool is that! Don’t you just love it! 😀

“How! How can we win?” you ask?

Alright, so down to the business stuff… please read carefully!
First of all, this giveaway is uniquely open to USA as well as International crochet fans! Yes! We are not excluding our friends from overseas!

There is only ONE mandatory way to enter…

First, you must subscribe to both Aberrant Crochet and Obey Crochet blogs. Next, go to Obey Crochet’s website, look at her vast collection of drawings and decide which one is your favorite. Then, come back here and leave a comment on this giveaway blog post stating that you are following both blogs (we’ll check), along with a note about which Obey Crochet signed drawing you are most excited to win! (One of my personal favorites is “Potentially Pirate,” along with Obey Crochet’s original “Co-Dependent.” Oh and then of course there’s “Only Child,” “My Shadow Puppets Are Better,” and “All I Need Is One Hook.” And then there’s….. I know – how can you possibly choose just one?! But in the end, if you win, you will have to!)

Last but not least, share the link to this giveaway with your crochet savvy friends!
Limit ONE entry per person.

OH and HEY! Post your Twitter ID and blog address in your comment and I’ll follow you back! How’s that for a deal?

PLEASE NOTE…

1. You have just over ONE WEEK to enter…

2. Giveaway will close Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 9am CST. (Yes, we gave you fudge room even after the New Year’s celebration!)

3. A winner will be chosen via random.org later in the day on January 1, 2012.

4. I will announce the winner on my blog shortly after (so come back to check!)

5. Please be sure to have your email address linked to your comment or there is no way for me to contact you!

And that’s it!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 😀 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE FUN!

Oh, and disclaimer: I have not received any monetary compensation for putting on this giveaway. This is purely for fun! I mean, just in case you’re wondering. They say it’s always good to be clear about these things. So, there you have it… clear? We love you! Enjoy!

18 Comments

Filed under Artist Information & Notes, crochet, Crochet Community, Giveaway

Tagged as crochet, giveaway, Obey, obey crochet, prize, win

December 3, 2011 · 11:07 pm

Six Business Points That Getting Stuck In The Snow Taught Me

Pretty evening view out the hotel window. The streets are iced.

Yesterday I attempted to get out on the snow-covered streets of Prescott, AZ to meet fellow yarnies at a coffee shop. Well, it didn’t go so well for me. And I learned a few things that can be applied to business as well as life.

1. Experts don’t always know what’s right for you. You are the only one who truly knows your background and circumstances. And it’s your job to know your reasonable limits. Locals I talked to were saying, “Oh, this snow is nothing. You can drive in it. No big deal!” However, the weather turned out to be not quite what even locals expected. In analysis, I think my problem was complicated by drought weathered tires and the fact that I have seen snow less times in my life than I have fingers. Meaning I have not really driven in real snow either. (We generally get ice if we get anything in Austin and everything shuts down – hence I don’t get out in it.) My tires seem to have good tread, but we had 6 weeks of over 100 degree weather this year in Austin and it probably doesn’t make it easy on the tires when it comes to maneuvering in snow, nor do I have 4-wheel drive.

After scraping some of the snow off. It was at least 3 inches.

Though several people seemed OK out there driving, there were people like me having trouble. On my way back there was even a van that had once been behind me, flipped on its side from trying to make it up a hill. A local driver with more experience and better equipment might truly have been fine driving out there, but I should have thought better and not gone out in the weather.

2. Things are not always as they seem, but with a little pause and think, you can likely figure it out. Folks crammed into the downtown area of Prescott for the parade and other Christmas activities this weekend. Lots of families. After all, Prescott is Arizona’s “Christmas City.” It took quite awhile to get out of the hotel parking lot because of all the parade goers. Or so I thought until I saw the main road. Perhaps the amount of traffic in the hotel/shopping center parking lot should have been a clue that traffic on the main road wasn’t normal. If I had stopped to figure out that piece of information, my decision process would have been much different.

3. There is no shame in letting others know when you need help. Getting unstuck requires space to work. People can’t help you or give you the space you need on your own without knowing something is up in the first place. I had worked my way out on the roads and got maybe a mile down the way before I realized that I didn’t have a lot of visibility and that I was having some trouble with the slick roads after all. With a white truck, I knew that other drivers might not realize that I could not drive as well as they could in the snow, that my vehicle would not be as visible and it definitely did not have a very good turning radius. As a result, it was possible that others might not give me the room needed should my truck fishtail or should my u-turn not work out as well as I hoped. I threw on my hazards and looked for a safe place with enough space to safely turn around. I couldn’t find any at first. Finally I pulled into the snow-filled middle turn lane for a left turn into a parking lot that looked big enough to turn around in. Which is where I got stuck.

4. You are not committed to an action if the follow-through turns out not to be in your best interest, or not in the best interest of others. Do not force what will not likely work, especially when the environment of the game has changed.
In the end, you must preserve yourself and others. I had pulled into the center snow filled lane thinking it would have more traction and that I could just make a u-turn and head right back the way I came. This seems logical under normal driving conditions, but here I got stuck. I attempted a few times to continue to make that u-turn, but physics proved that it was not going to work for me as long as traffic continued the way it was. I was too stuck and my truck was starting to drift in a circle. I might have been fine should I have been the only person on the road. As it was, though it seemed logical, my initial idea was too risky and would put both my life and the lives of others in danger. My goal to get home safely had not changed, but I needed a new course of action.

5. Baby steps are the backbone of any successful outcome. Keep the end goal in mind, but focus on the NOW. Getting unstuck from any situation requires focus and patience. Drop your main attention from the desired results to the immediate steps necessary. My end goal was to get back safely to my hotel. I even had a comforting picture in my head of sitting in front of the fire with hot tea and relaxing. Oh how I wanted to be there right then! However, my main focus needed to be on the first problem, getting unstuck from the ice and out of the center lane with traffic coming at me from both directions. If any cars around me started to skid, I was a sitting duck.

First baby step, get out of that spot. The road finally cleared in both directions enough so that I could slip and slide my way back into the lane I came from without mishap. I was finally moving, and that baby step was solved. However, it put me still going (slowly) in the wrong direction. Next baby step, change lanes and find a well-traveled road I could turn onto so I can hopefully work my way around a loop to come back. Baby Goal: avoid stopping since I seem to get stuck when I do. Other baby steps towards getting home safely were also required. Stay away from pedestrians (I marveled at the amount of people walking around cars that are slip-sliding in the ice) and be still if they come near you. Keep a slow steady pace. Start braking half a block away from stop lights and flash your brakes so those around you can see you and compensate in case you skid. Keep the hazards on. Focus on the right now, so you can get to the future. Be patient. Work cooperatively with traffic, knowing everyone else is also having to focus on their baby steps. Roll down your window, be friendly and let others know that your next move depends on them moving first. They might not realize the situation, so it’s not a bad thing to let them know. And do not try to turn into a parking space surrounded by pedestrians and cars when your truck obviously won’t take the turns under these circumstances. While you’re at it, pray for everyone.

Eventually, all these things inevitably led to me to the driveway at my hotel, which at an incline had me stuck again for a bit, and then on into a parking space way in the back of the lot. I may have had to walk a ways, but I didn’t mind, because it allowed me to park safely. I’ve been in a horrible car wreck that I was lucky to walk away from. And I spent over a year in physical therapy regaining strength in my left arm and hand as a result + years of pain. I’ve worked hard, overcome a lot and never want to repeat that experience, for me or for anyone else. I feel blessed.

6. Fear (not panic) is a motivator that can keep you alert and clear the mind. However, STRESS requires a lot of energy and recovery time. Allow for the reboot when there’s stress. After I got back, I realized my goal and relaxed by that fire with some crochet and tea for a bit. However, after a short while, I had to head upstairs before completely passing out from the intensity of the day. I didn’t lay down for long, since we needed to meet friends for dinner and would be walking, but the bit did wonders for helping me finish out my day.

Not bad for a life lesson, huh? Goes to show, lessons can be drawn from even the mundane, and all experiences have value. Y’all stay safe out there and Happy December!

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Filed under Editorial, NaBloPoMo

Tagged as baby steps, goals, Prescott, snow, success

December 2, 2011 · 5:47 pm

Kumihimo Could Be The Ultimate Stash Buster

Today was well spent at A Good Yarn taking a beginning Kumihimo class from Jeannie. She’s a good teacher! And the class proved to me what I suspected… Kumihimo might just be the ultimate stash buster.

Kumihimo is the Japanese term and method for braiding. There are many different types, but we learned a basic yatsu umi, or 8-strand round braid. Jeannie even introduced us to using beads. For a basic yatsu umi starter project, we each started with four strands of about two yards each, doubled over to make eight strands to work with, and create a key chain. Most everyone else stopped with a normal sized key chain, but since I was camping out for part of the day anyway, I kept going until I had no more threads left to work with! So mine’s actually long enough for a necklace now. I’m thinking about taking the split ring off and instead adding a decorative clasp for an offset design. Maybe add a crochet element. Not sure yet how, but pretty sure this is going to be a necklace.

The fun thing about Kumihimo (and I should have taken some photos of Jeannie’s examples to do her justice), is that you can use up scraps of yarn and thread that might not be long enough to do much else with. She had examples of several made from a variety of yarns, thick and thin, including pigtail-eyelash. How much stash you can bust with braiding depends on your end project idea, of course, but it adds one more thing to my bucket of tools and growing skills. I look at kumihimo and see possibilities for jewelry, where crochet might not give me the result I want, but also, I think this could make a much stronger, less stretchy purse strap for some of my weighty beaded purses, over crochet. One of my fellow classmates mentioned wanting to make some for decorating Christmas presents.

Here are some photos of my yatsu umi.

This is the basic beginner's small Kumihimo kit, long with my yatsu umi hanging out the backside.

The yatsu umi has a spiral effect when you use contrasting colors.

Beading adds a nice element to the spiral braid.

My yatsu umi is long enough to make a necklace! I'm thinking I might take off the split ring and instead turn this into an offset necklace with a decorative clasp.

If you find yourself in Prescott, AZ, I can’t recommend the local yarn shoppe – A Good Yarn – enough. They are incredibly helpful, friendly and a bright spot to visit. I also LOVE Debra’s “Buck A Ball” community donation project. Drop off your unused yarn leftovers, or balls you aren’t going to use, and Debra puts them in a box for $1 a ball, with all proceeds going to the local women’s shelter. Umm, yes I found some goodies to buy in the box too. Gracious and community oriented, this store is one of the most crochet friendly yarn stores I’ve ever shopped. And you can tell that Prescott locals value them too, as they stayed busy with many local friends coming and going, friendly chatter, along with newbies who dropped by today as well. I met a lady from South Africa today who said she’d heard so much about this store she just had to come. Seriously, you can’t help but be in great hands!

Carma, Jeannie and Debra! When you are in Prescott, you must visit these super friendly ladies and tell them I sent you!

4 Comments

Filed under 'Tis the Season, Artist Information & Notes, Crochet Community, Crochet Education

Tagged as AZ, crochet, Kumihimo, lys, Prescott, yarn

December 1, 2011 · 11:29 pm

Field Testing The Crochet Gear in Prescott

All that frosty grey on my hat and giant scarf is snow!

Happy December everyone!

I am in Prescott, AZ, field testing my Crochet Gear! LOL! OK, that’s not really the purpose of our visit, but I have enjoyed the opportunity to none-the-less.

We just got in tonight and it started to snow! Super pretty! Dear hubby and I enjoyed a walk in the snow around the square after dinner tonight. (For those who might not know, we’ve only seen snow in Austin maybe 4 times in the last 17 years and where I grew up, I only saw it about 3 times as a kid, so any snow is a pretty treat for me!)

It’s not quite our anniversary, but it’s close and we’ll be celebrating 16 years. The grand ‘rents are staying with the kids back home, holding down the fort and giving us this time together. It’s a blessing I sure won’t turn down! And the ‘rents and kiddos are getting quality time too.

Got a plan in the works while I’m here this year. While hubby’s taking care of work tomorrow, I’m scheduled to take a Kumihimo class at the local yarn store A Good Yarn. You might remember I blogged about them last year. I drop by and see them every time we come. They’ve moved recently and I look forward to seeing their new digs and visiting with folks I’ve met in years past.

Saturday afternoon I’m catching up with yarnies at Method Coffee. And sometime before we leave, I’ll be seeing about dropping by Peaceful Prairie Alpaca Ranch to see Wendy.

We ate at Prescott Brewing Company tonight. It’s a favorite of ours, along with their Christmas ale. Seriously, all their food seems to be top notch, as are the brews. I try something different each time and am always pleased. On our walk earlier, I noticed a shop with Tibet imports I want to check out. Also have to be sure and go by the Arts Prescott Gallery Coop. That’s where I found my gorgeous blue dichroic glass necklace that everyone loves. It’s a great shop of several local artists’ work. And I’ll stop by Bead-It on Whiskey Row. And there are a couple homemade type candy shops too. Plus we should be able to catch the city’s lighting of the courthouse on Saturday. It should be fun!

All in all, I look forward to a pleasant visit and lots of photos and reporting. Provided we aren’t snowed in!

Your Smarts Can Make You Weak

This touches an arena that I feel rather passionately about. The attitude of expertise that says “I’m the head authority on this and do not need to learn anything else.” “No one like you could possibly teach me something about the world I’m already an expert in.” This attitude in life does not operate from a place of strength. It makes you weak.

This is especially dumb in leadership roles. And it pretty much rejects assistance altogether. If you’re an expert in parenting, why read books on the subject? If you’re an expert in marriage, why ever consider counseling or a “marriage building” event? If you’re an expert in education, why explore new ways to reach a struggling student or improve the educational experience for everyone? If you’re an expert in business, why consult a coach? Why do anything to push your current boundaries? Yada. Feel like you never get any help? Umm, maybe check yourself here.

I’ve seen it in religious as well as philosophical circles. It’s present in the educational system. Even witnessed it to my surprise in the field of mathematics. And it’s so prevalent in politics (what I call the new religion) today. The idea in general that my way is the right way. Or my way is the only way. There is nothing else outside of that. It’s like being in a cage and it can become a difficult barrier to break through.

This doesn’t just plague leadership roles. Ever know someone who is an expert in everything, even in fields they’ve never touched? I’m reminded of a conversation with someone once about selling the home they’d lived in for 25+ years. The owner voiced many concerns over the idea and work she wasn’t sure might need to be done or even the paperwork involved. “Have you talked to a real estate agent? They could really help you know what you need to do and talk to you about the market right now,” I said. “No,” she said, “I already know everything I need to know about my house and this neighborhood. There’s nothing worthwhile an agent could ever tell me.” Seriously?

In my mind, this type of mentality is the very source of division and stagnation. There is wisdom and growth at the center of many approaches and views. Thank goodness for the experts in my life who can give me other viewpoints and ways of seeing things. I am not eternal enough to contain all the truth and insight of the universe.

I have expertise, experience and a perspective that is very useful in many ways. But it ain’t everything. No one’s is.

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Filed under Editorial, NaBloPoMo, Random Thoughts

Tagged as attitude, expertise, leadership

November 29, 2011 · 8:45 am

Sometimes Even Nellie Oleson Is Right

I’m known to coin phrases. One of my favorites? “There’s always a Nellie Oleson.” Anyone who grew up reading or watching Little House on the Prairie barks a knowing laugh. And anyone else just stares blankly at me! Both reactions are fun. 😀 And the statement rings so true.

Fact is, there is always that person somewhere in your life. That one person who gets under your skin, who acts as a challenge to you. Whether as a minor yet annoying inconvenience, or as someone whose very existence seems to defy yours. Perhaps that one person you can’t help but think privately about, “Everything would be a lot nicer if they just would just go away.”

Nellie Oleson exists for you, in some form, in your life somewhere. And every time you think she’s gone, resolved and moved on, another one pops up in her place. Her character is able to be so easily understood because there is always someone who plays this part in each of our lives. After all, Life is always about the overcoming. Of some thing… even some one.

It’s easy to habitually ignore whatever she has to say. That nasty ‘ol Nellie Oleson! She’s always such a pain! But the fact is, sometimes, as conniving as she can be, as cruel and awful as she can sound – sometimes your Nellie is right.

Nellie has no vested interest in you. Hurt as it may, and as frustrating as it can be to think she’s won and maybe gotten to you, Nellie has a way of pointing out the truth of the matter, in all it’s rawness. It doesn’t matter that she’s your wrongful tormentor, nor for how many times. When she’s right, she’s right. Telling you what your friends didn’t want to say. Sporting her evil little smirk. Pointing out what you didn’t want to see. That this time, and boy do you know it, you’re the one who is wrong. Pointing out that flaw you want to forget, making known your weaknesses, revealing who you really are.

You don’t just hate her. You hate how she makes you feel. Because deep down it sucks to see yourself without the ignorant bliss or the rose-colored glasses your friends and loved ones are all too happy to loan you.

You’re not always rosy. You’re not always nice. You’re not always right. You don’t always make great decisions. Sometimes, those pants do make you look fat and sometimes you’re dead wrong. Sometimes even an emperor needs a loud mouth kid to tell him he’s a fool without any clothes on. Someone’s gotta do the job. If your friends won’t, the Nellie in your life will. The fact is, Nellie has an unabashed way of testing you and holding up the mirror so you can really see yourself. Think you’re a good person? Think you’re really something? Think you’re better than Nellie? Are ya really? Even now? Even under pressure?

Alison Arngrim

Maybe there’s a lesson in all that, a role she needs to play, a purpose to fulfill. After all, how can we change and overcome what we cannot see? She may not be soft and cuddly, but Nelly won’t try to protect us from ourselves.

Perhaps even you’ve been a Nellie yourself. And maybe she’s not as bad as you think. 😉

Fun fact: Alison Arngrim, the actress behind the TV personality of Nellie Oleson released a 5 star book last year called: “Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson And Learned To Love To Be Hated.” Check it out!

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Filed under Editorial, NaBloPoMo, Random Thoughts

November 28, 2011 · 5:42 pm

Mommy Can’t Right Now, She’s Texting

I was struck by a scene in my neighborhood earlier today. There was a toddler sitting in a wagon by the side of the road, wiggling his butt, obviously wanting the wagon to go. And his mom (or babysitter?) was leaning on a telephone pole nearby, with her phone in her hand. Texting, surfing, I don’t know, but she was not talking. And she had completely checked out.

It’s always seemed odd to me when parents disconnect from their children for long hours talking on the phone. We do all need breaks. And that’s not what I’m talking about. Before texting became a reality, there were plenty of people who could not disconnect from their cell phones. And before cell phones, they could not disconnect from their home phones. And there was a time before that when it might have been the back yard fence I guess. Now they can do it more openly and quietly by text.

I don’t know for sure what I think of it. On the one hand, I value good tools. And my phone, along with its texting capabilities, is a good tool. That said, I know when I had computer work to do at home when the kids were little, it was hard for them to understand why I couldn’t play sometimes. After all, to their little eyes, I was just sitting there staring at a brightly lit box. Sure, I showed them things and introduced them to a computer at an early age to help both of them with development, learn how to edit school projects, etc.. And later school came to require it. But still, until they understood and valued the use of a computer at all, they did not get it. At least a TV made noise and pictures. They could understand someone staring at it. They stared at TV too. But often a computer is a bunch of words, while mommy seemed to stare off into space. I had to work from home to make it work out to be at home with my kids. I would set them next to me with things to do while I worked, and I planned lots of activities together, but I couldn’t always just stop when they wanted.

There’s a Zen belief about being fully present in whatever you set your hand to do. I can’t help but ponder these things when I see people staring at their phones while a child goes unnoticed nearby. I’m not sure what I expect, especially as someone who values her tools, and as someone who probably doesn’t really know what was going on. But certainly I expected something different.

It’s a different kind of world our kids are growing up in. I know my grandparents saw that when I was a kid. I see it for my own kids. There’s always a trickle-down. Generations of latch-key kids led to generations of fairly self-sufficient adults. I wonder what the trickle down is here?

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Filed under NaBloPoMo, Random Thoughts

November 27, 2011 · 5:19 pm

Up And Coming Projects…

NaBloPoMo is getting close to an end! And so far I’ve managed to stay on track! It’s been a good exercise for me to pursue different writing ideas and a kick in the rear to get it done! As I look ahead to what’s left of the year, Christmas is not far away now and I have a trip, custom orders, more shows and school fundraiser stuff to keep up with. Whew! Not to mention a project my brother and I might collaborate on. We’re still hashing out the details to see if we think it’s viable or not. Oh! And thanks to Facebook, three childhood girlfriends and I are planning a slumber party during winter break! I’m so excited! It’ll be our first Christmas occasion together! 😀 I have to thank Facebook for making it possible to bring people I love back into my life.

Today is run around crazy and do all the laundry day so there’s plenty of clothes for everyone. And I need to clean out the car and get some of my show stuff from last week put into storage. Plus I couldn’t sleep much last night, so I worked on these two hat beauties for a custom order. Though similar, each hat is made with different yarns, different hooks and different stitches to achieve the same essential look. Except for the squiggles. They are identical. This will give my customer a choice as far as color saturation. My daughter was kind enough to model them for me. Even letting her true nature out during one shot! I’m playing around with lighting, with flash and without flash, trying to get the purples to really come out. So there are a few photos here, but only two hats. Can you tell the difference? We call these Squiggle Hats, named by my daughter when she was little. They are an Aberrant Crochet exclusive design.

All my cameos sold at the last couple shows. I hunted for more like them, but couldn’t find the exact colors in those sizes. And my original supplier is no longer supplying. I did however find similar and a mauve design I like pretty well. (OK, I’m picky.) I also found two new lacy frames I really like that are reproductions of antique frames. I can’t wait to work some crochet lace into them! Still waiting on the right sized cameos for the smaller frame though. Plus, I came across an estate collection of Gothic skull cameo pieces from an old jewelry store that I scarfed up too. They will be quite fun to work with and I know my daughter’s friends will be interested at the school bazaar coming up. Since the bazaar too often has little of interest to teens, and more of interest to the younger kids, I’m happy to oblige hunting down some steam punk/goth rock/pirate stuff for them. Never was into teddy bears, me.

I feel like I’m forgetting something though. And that’s one of those big fears I always have. I hate forgetting things. So I’m wracking my brain today, making my “Remember The Milk” lists and trying to meditate on details in a logical order to see what might be missing. If you haven’t heard of it, Remember The Milk is a handy app that allows you to create multiple lists. There is a free version, which you can just use on your computer and a pro version that allows you to sinc it with your smart phone multiple times a day. I have not fully explored the whole platform, but so far I’m finding it very handy. I keep a perpetual grocery list this way too. As soon as I remember something, I type it into my list. When it’s time to go to the store, I sinc everything to my phone and voila! I have my list everywhere I go! Which is good, because I lose paper lists. Chronically.

Anyway, hopefully I’ll remember that thing that’s bugging me. In the mean time, check out the pics!

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Filed under 'Tis the Season, Artist Information & Notes

November 26, 2011 · 10:52 am

Regulating Your Sleep Cycle

As someone who damaged their immune system in her early 20’s from sacrificing sleep, please take it from me and make this a priority if you have issues with your sleep cycle. Our immune system will successfully deal with many things until we sacrifice sleep, diet and sunlight. My sleep issues got worse after having kids and nursing and it took awhile to get my sleep cycles corrected.

I am not a doctor, and any decision you make is yours and yours alone. You should always consider seeing a doctor or another certified health professional. But these are natural ways that have helped me. (I’m allergic to many medications, so these are avenues my doctors have helped me find to do.) I put this out there in case it might help others find a direction in solving this problem.

1. Melatonin. It’s an over the counter “vitamin” (synthetic hormone actually). Melatonin does not make you sleep per se, it will improve the quality of your sleep, help you get to that deeper REM and help regulate your internal clock again. If you have not dreamed in a while (as is the case for many exhausted people), the first few nights you will likely have a rush of wild dreams as your psyche downloads. Some people may not experience this. A lot of people do. Make sure you have plenty of time to sleep when you first start taking melatonin so there’s proper time to be at that deep level of sleep. Two hours will not work.

Melatonin is created from serotonin, so if you don’t have enough of one, you likely don’t have enough of the other. L-Tryptophan (an amino acid found in food like turkey) can also be found over the counter and is what the body uses to make serotonin, which is then converted to melatonin at night. If at any point you start waking up again in the middle of the night while taking melatonin, take a smaller dose or don’t take it. It does seem to build up in the system. Melatonin is processed through the liver, so keeping your liver healthy is also a good idea. Avoid alcohol for awhile, consider milk-thistle to support liver health. Also, low levels of serotonin are associated with increased carbohydrate cravings, depression, heightened sensitivity to pain, and troubled sleep patterns.

The smaller dosages (mcg) of melatonin did not work for me. But 5mg did. Don’t take it unless you are going to get at least 6 hours of sleep. And take it an hour before you want to go to bed. Today, I don’t need as much or as often (in fact I rarely take it) and I’m much less chronically exhausted. But it was a life saver when my son started sleeping through the night and I still couldn’t.

I recommend you search some medical sites about melatonin to give you more information as well.

2. Light destroys melatonin in the body, especially the blue spectrum (though serotonin levels do increase during light exposure – sunlight being best). An hour before bed start turning off and dimming your lights. Also, no computer use during this time is also best, as the whole light issue is specific to your eyes. Staring at a computer screen is staring right into a source of light. The last lights you leave on should be yellow tone or even candle-light, avoid blue tone like the daylight bulbs you find. Do not leave a candle burning while you sleep. If you must use night lights, use red bulbs. Completely darken your room.

3. Go camping (tent, not cabin). Seriously, when you do not artificially extend your day with lights and the conveniences of modern life, your body will naturally try to sync up with the sun and other creatures around you. You’ll likely wake with dawn too. A night or two of camping have helped reset my internal clock.

4. Try not to eat a meal within 4 hours of going to bed. That being said, some people benefit from a simple glass of milk before bed. No sugar, caffeine or apples too close to bed. Apples contain a substance better than coffee for keeping you alert. Whenever I have to drive for a trip, I take a bag of apples to eat while I drive. Works like a charm. Don’t eat them before bed.

5. Probiotics. Some people have trouble sleeping because something’s going on in their digestive track. Probiotics will help iron that out. And oddly, they do have a relationship to correcting in the gut whatever is decreasing proper serotonin/melatonin production.

Good luck, talk to a doctor and hope you get some sleep!

Source(s):

Personal experience
Book: Somer, Elizabeth, M.A., R.D. Food & Mood. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 1999. (Page 144 on serotonin)

2 Comments

Filed under Health, NaBloPoMo

Tagged as Health, Melatonin, nablopomo, sleep

November 25, 2011 · 10:37 am

Four Dysfunctional Attitudes About Communication

Effective communication is the key to everything. To business, to relationships, to peace. However people often have some dysfunctional ways of thinking about the subject. Let’s take a look at these and see if any apply.

1. There is no such thing as just one solution!

Encourage people to always get at least a 2nd (qualified) opinion, whatever the situation is, especially when there are doubts. There are more equally effective ways up the same mountain than just one. Seriously, if you reach the summit and find that someone else climbed up a different way, would you shove them off the mountain top for not doing it the “right” way? Of course not! You’d probably share a celebratory drink and take in the view together. Wisdom is found in the midst of a multitude of views. Holding that kind of outlook has served me far better than most. It applies to anything in life, health or business.

2. It’s OK for someone else to be the expert.

No human is infinite enough to contain all the knowledge of a single subject, much less of the universe. We should celebrate that wonder and make use of individual expertise by adding the insight and value of others to our lives and teams. Just because I can doesn’t mean I should or that it’s in my (or anyone else’s) best interest. Not being an expert in something is not a negative reflection on us. I’m thankful for the experts in my life. I can not possibly hold that much information in this one physical and finite body. I’m an expert in crochet. I can be that. Thank God someone else can be an expert in car repair and plumbing for me! And I’m no less a person for it.

For an expansion on this idea, check out Derek Sivers’ video “Hell Yeah Or No.”

3. Confrontation is not a dirty word.

Communication is essential to mediation. As someone who tends to communicate fairly well, others often come to me with their frustrations in dealing with someone else. Many times they hope I will intercede for them. I listen, but often followup with, “OK, you’ve hashed out your concerns with me, but have you gone to the source? Have you talked to that teacher/volunteer/manager/parent/business/peer that you have a suggestion/concern/issue with? Because they can’t do anything about what they don’t know.” All too often, people avoid confrontation, so nothing is ever addressed. When you feel helpless, the last thing you should do is give up. Avoiding the person or issue will not often resolve anything.

4. Emotional Reality and Factual Reality Are Not The Same.

When you’re having trouble seeing things straight, it is also important to keep in mind that although emotional reality is real and it does give us valuable information, that emotional reality and factual reality are not generally the same. Making decisions based solely on feelings is not a balanced place to operate from. Many emotions are caused by triggers. And triggers can be very individual and personal. What triggers you and what triggers me is not necessarily going to be similar. Your feelings might be real, but they may have nothing to do with the actual situation at hand. As hard as it may be, sometimes you have to step outside of that emotional reality with logical mindful intent.

What other dysfunctional attitudes about communication can you think of?
Think about it and share your thoughts in the comments.

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Filed under Business, Editorial, NaBloPoMo

November 24, 2011 · 11:05 pm

Apparently It Is Easy To Make Butter When A Ninja Is Involved – A Thanksgiving Mishap

Lightly sweetened butter, that was supposed to be whipped cream. I poured off the liquid already.

Everyone knows that whipped cream is a requirement for pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.

It’s pumpkin pie season! My favorite. I didn’t have ready made whipped cream, so I whipped out the carton of heavy whipping cream I keep on reserve for chocolate ganache and whipped up a batch. LOL. See how punny I am?

I love this time of year. Pulling out old family recipes, taking time not to be stressed about the world and just be thankful in this sacred space. It’s a special day of magic really. The kind that only love and gratitude can create. I like this day.

ANYway… When the need arises, I usually whip up little batches of whipped cream with one of my small food processors. (Only the real stuff for me.) It’s a great way to cheat at all sorts of things, like whipped cream and cream gravy. I have cooked from scratch all my life, but I have never really been able to master a rue. How do I get around that? Blend some flour, spices and milk in a blender and you’ve got instant cream gravy or stew thickener. Corn starch too. I love me my food processors!

Truth be told, I’ve been through a lot of them. I love frozen fruit smoothies too. Been making them since I got out of college and could buy my first machine. However, I like the all fruit kind and I don’t water them down with ice. Which is actually harder on the machines. Ice shatters easily. Frozen fruit does not. Those drink wands? I burnt out three of them. Along with several small food choppers and blenders. Then there was the small Cuisinart I brutalized until it finally had plastic bits cracking off it from the sheer vibrational impact of frozen fruit blending in a machine that was never designed for what I was putting it through. But my frozen goodie product was yum!

Later I finally got a Magic Bullet. OMG! I loved it! Still have it too. (If you don’t want yours, I’ll take it!) However, you can only make a small bit at a time. And my kids love smoothies too.

So then came the opportunity to own a Ninja. Sam’s Club had one left on clearance for half price. It’s one of the smaller models, but I took one look and grabbed it. Hell yeah. Strawberry/Spinach smoothie tonight!

It’s a little finicky, but my Ninja works well. The larger model might be less finicky. Mine’s really designed to make the smoothies that you water down with ice. And if you do, you will have no trouble with it. However, as you already know, I don’t like adding ice. Probably doesn’t help that I don’t have an ice maker. But I did figure out that if I toss in the strawberries and other frozen fruit in alone, before adding spinach or anything else, it will powder them nicely and then I can easily add my yogurt and greens. But not until then. (It helps to use sliced frozen strawberries too, btw.) Once you have that figured out, it works like a dream blending up a whole pitcher of smoothie at a time. 😀

So back to whipped cream. A small food processor will help you whip up the good stuff in no time without pulling out your blender and all the clean up. (I’m all for practical and the least amount of work.) Add your cream, a tad bit of honey for sweetener and blend until it looks right. Voila. Whipped cream.

Along come Ninja. This is the first time I’ve used it for whipped cream. In about 20-30 seconds I had whipped cream. Upon tasting, though, hubby didn’t feel it was sweet enough. So I added more honey and blended away. About another thirty seconds later, I had chunks in my cream and by another 30, it was butter. It wasn’t until I opened it up that I realized what was going on.

Stupid Ninja, I wanted whipped cream for my pie and now I don’t have any at all. So now I have instead a delicate sweetened cream butter I’ll have to decide how I want to use. Grandma Leona would have been jealous.

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Filed under 'Tis the Season, NaBloPoMo, Random Thoughts

November 23, 2011 · 2:02 pm

Three Communication Tips To Help You Get Your Point Across

If I’m not careful, I can be a talker. As a natural at the art of capturing a story, it’s a gift. But it can also be a weakness. Here are three tools I’ve found useful to help me stay trim in my communications and remain effective in the long run. This includes marketing and sales.

1. Remember that people communicate (and retain) information best in three main ways: audio, visual and kinetic. A balance of the three seems to work best. Honestly, sometimes we need to shut up and let a picture say a 1000 words or let someone get a literal handle on something. But beyond that, the truth is that some people retain and communicate best by hearing their own thoughts expressed in audio. Which means, get them into the discussion and you’ll get the best out of them.

My son is an example of someone who performs best through discussion, not just listening. He has an unusual visual impairment with a kind of blend of parallax and monocular vision (and medical terms I find difficult to describe). Due to this, his thoughts literally form best through discussion and the hearing of his own voice. Once he’s been a part of the discussion, he’s your man and knows exactly what to do. Without it, he has a harder time putting his thought process in order or “getting it” because he has no mental black-board to “see” things in his mind. When he can verbalize thoughts as they take form, the quality of his work is amazingly better, because his brain is wired that way. It’s been an interesting path of discovery for us at home and I’ve learned to tailor my communication for others as a result.

2. There is a book that I love called: How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less, by Milo Frank. I listen to the audio version on a periodic basis to remind me how to trim my words and get to the point.

3. Once words are spoken, you can’t take them back. So if it’s the wrong words, or just too many, the problem is the same. I like to keep in mind an old adage that goes something like this: “Better they wonder why you didn’t open your mouth, than why you did!”

These are some thoughts that have helped me in both my professional and personal communications, as well as marketing. I hope they help you too.

1 Comment

Filed under Business, Editorial, My Recommends, NaBloPoMo

Tagged as Business, communication, recommends

November 22, 2011 · 4:20 pm

Look What I Found! Vintage Finds!

I lucked into some vintage finds at a thrift store today. I’m pretty pleased with them! How much did I pay? Now that’s my little secret!

Vintage finds from today!

I love the bee earrings! They will definitely become hat pins. The fake pearls are hand-knotted and over all look great, though two of the beads are flaking. Also found a sweet little silver chain.

A cute little locket in the shape of an envelope.

Came with a stamp inside!

Recognition of this guy can definitely date you! It's Ronald McDonald's friend Hamburglar! Playing hockey! This mug is from the McDonald's Sports Series from 1977. This is going to be my new coffee mug!

This pretty dish needs washing, but will look beautiful full of peppermints and ribbon candy! My Grandma Dot used to keep a dish of ribbon candy every year during the holidays. I haven't had ribbon candy in years!

This awesome Steven Harris tie totally got my funny bone! I love the outdated computer equipment pictured all over it! I'm not sure what I want to do with this just yet, but I definitely wanted to give it a home! There were some beautiful silk Hawaiian ties there as well, but I decided not to get them too.