These are the beautiful (if not overwhelmingly aromatic) lilies that the hubby bought me yesterday for our anniversary. Today, twice as many blooms are opened (making things even more aromatic still) than yesterday, and at least a good dozen flowers are still closed and not yet blooming. I’m sure by Sunday the bouquet will be amazing.
Hmmm…I wonder if the lovely (if not overwhelming aroma) has anything to do with my allergies going insanely crazy today?
Thanks to Twitter, I’ve made some new business friends. In particular, I really enjoy reading and learning more about Guy Kawasaki. If you haven’t yet heard, Guy and his friends have started up an awesome blog aggregation site called Alltop.com. Within the site itself, various blogs are divided up between different categories. The categories are then even further divided up.
Well, take a bold step (and doing something totally out of character for myself), I shot Guy a DM (direct message) on Twitter and asked if it would be possible to get my site listed in the Women’s section of Alltop. I just received confirmation that he’s accepted and it’s done!
I’m so excited by what this will mean for my site. I mean so many more people that until now have never heard of my site will now be reading it! And as one would expect, there’s a trickle of fear involved as well. Hello…I need to have some good content on there if I expect folks to keep sticking around. But I’ll just throw that out into the Universe – good content, good writers, good commenters & good giveaways – and know that it will be provided for me.
Heck, I don’t doubt that this all came from my recent cleaning and organizing trend. Not to mention the focused intent I’ve had going on lately. I’m so grateful that things are moving forward like this. I just love knowing that you get what you ask for. As Michael Gerber said a while back in a teleconference I was listening to…if not me, than who else? So why not me, right?
This was a long time in the works here. Besides the piles of boxes of wine, there was also the piles of papers that needed to be shredded. On top of all of that, there’s still the fact that I need to empty out last year’s files and actually file this year’s files.
Did I mention the bags full of swag? There’s still stuff from the husband’s trip to SXSW both last year and this year. And NAMM. And the leftover Grammy week stuff that was passed on to me. Yes, we have bags of free shit just lying around. Don’t be too impressed, since most of it (like SXSW & NAMM is mostly crappy CDs and press-related stuff). But um, there’s, well, bags full of upcoming Christmas gifts lying around as well since I shop all year for the friends that I know well (and again, the swag that I tell myself I’m saving for Christmas gifts).
Which of course leads us to the mass amounts of CDs that we have in this house. My husband can get anywhere from 5-15 CDs a week between here and his office. Complete with their PR packet. The majority of them sit around unopened. Sometimes we luck out and find a band that the nieces or nephews are into (about 6 or so months after the CD has been lying about collecting dust) and we can pass it along. Most of the time, not so lucky. It sits. And sits some more collecting dust. Eventually, it gets moved into the office to join the other piles of dusty CDs. Yeah, that’s the plan – not the most effective plan, mind you.
Let’s not forget the guitars. I believe he has six lying around. Granted, due to the crazy old lady that lives next door he can barely plug in the electric ones, but that doesn’t stop him too much. At least there’s only one broken one in the office. That one I could squeeze in the out of the way space between the bookshelf and the wine rack. How do you ladies with kids manage?? Seriously.
Oh yeah, and then there are the books. Books that I need to ship out to contest winners. Books that I still need to read so that I can interview the author for my site. Books that I still need to give away. Books that I’ve read. Books that I’ve yet to read. The books the husband is using. The books he no longer needs and just wants me to get rid of. Well, just books, piles of books (in all the rooms, but more so here in the office).
But back to the issue at hand. Both yesterday and today, the focus has been on cleaning up this back room already. I’m totally clearing away the clutter to open the channels and energy to bring us something more fun, exciting and fulfilling than, well, clutter and junk. I figure if I can get this room into shape, it will be a lot easier to keep things clean down the road (especially when I get the cleaning lady). I have high hopes for us.
Between cleaning out my closet & drawers, cleaning up the rest of the living spaces and now the office…hoorah! I’m opening the door wide open for something amazing to come along, I tell ya. So watch this space because I’m sure it’s going to be BIG (and good…very, very good!) 😉
I bought one for the first time last week. My girlfriend kept giving me a hard time for my (brand new) jeans being too big and my always pulling them up. So I figured what the hell, I’ll buy a belt. Um…why? I mean I love that my jeans now stay up and joy of joy, they don’t drag on the floor any more. But what’s the point if my belt keeps riding above the loops of the jeans and sticks to me? I’ve already loosened it as much as I can. Any looser and well, no need for the belt. I just don’t really get it, but oh well.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Onto the next topic…crazies on the road! No really, each time I went out today, some crazy driver did something stupid or totally inconsiderate.
At the farmer’s market, all these big SUVs that barely missed scrapting the ceiling of the parking garages would crawl like a snail through the garage, taking forever. The would inch over the speed bumps, hanging out their windows hoping they won’t scrape the ceiling. Maybe they shouldn’t park in parking garages then. And when I finally did manage to find a parking space, I have to pass it by since some SUV took up all of their space and some of the space next to them to park their monstrosity so it’s not like I could park after all.
At the grocery store, same weirdness. First, some kid on a bike, talking on a cell phone total whizzes by completely disregarding the 4-way stops that the we all have to stop for. So you go to make your turn, at your turn, only to have this kid, not paying attention, yammering away on the phone, blow by so you have to slam on your breaks.
Then when it’s finally time to park, I pull into the lane, empty spaces on both sides. The gal in front of me turns WIDE making me think that she’s going to park her itty bitty car on the right side, so I wait to park on the left side. She starts waving for me to go around…hello, spots on both sides here, I’ve got on a blinker, either way, I wouldn’t be going around. I motion that I’m taking the spot on the left so I can’t go around, she pulls up, then proceeds to back into the space on the left. What?!? Two spots, wide open on the other side, and yet she still feels the need to swing all the way, nearly into the spot only to back into a space on the left. Whatever. I was parked and out of my car before she even managed to finish parking.
On the way home, some chick decides not to take the turn on the yellow and sit through the red. That’s fine, no need to risk a ticket or whatever. But she doesn’t even pull up to the line. She’s half a car length away. I toot my horn and motion for her to move up so that I can make the right on red (totally legal). Nothing. I wait a minute and toot again. Again, nothing. One more toot, the passenger in the backseat turns to look at me, I motion to move up, I’m already half into the turn lane so it’s not like they don’t know what’s going on. Again, nothing. I give up. Right before the light changes, she finally pulls up to the line and I pass to make my turn. The woman is glaring at me. What?!?
So yeah, seems like there just might be some crazy, inconsiderate people on the road today. Don’t even get me started on our wacky neighbors and how little they understand the basics of street parking.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And today’s much happier and final topic…I found workshop space! I kept telling myself that since things with LWL took off so quickly and without my thought behind the process (it’s all about timing), that I was going to spend the month of May figuring how to get more business. In particular, how to find the right space to teach workshops. Well, I seem to have lucked out yesterday and found a whole slew of affordable (and local) spaces. Can’t wait! Things are really beginning to take off and I’m loving that feeling.
Okay, I twittered this, but 1) I haven’t blogged yet today and 2) I’m hoping to get some more answers still. So here goes…I’ve been asked to write an article about what one should know before even purchasing a business URL, let alone start up a website.
This is a big deal since many people immediately run out and buy a URL because their starting up a business and wind up spending a lot of money they don’t need to spend: paying more for registration, paying for services that you don’t need, spending more on a website than is needed, etc. So I’m hoping for this to be more of a tutorial/how-to sort of piece.
So I ask, any suggestions for your fellow webbies and bloggers?
I just got back from a beauty, southern Californian outdoor cafe kind of lunch. I was meeting with Lisa Steadman, of the BreakUp Chronicles (and author of It’s A Break Up, Not a Break Down). She’s a fellow LWLer and I wanted to catch up with her so that I could interview her for my site later.
Overall, it was a wonderful lunch (well, my salad was a little lame, but the company more than made up for it). We covered everything from women in business just starting out, the upcoming LWL Live event, service menus, coaching. You name it. I have to say, she really gave me the motivation I needed to get focused about turning my free workshops into making some real income.
I’m really pumped to get moving on this business thing. In fact, I had already schedule my May off from leading the free LWL workshops (though I am still considering doing Santa Barbara ones). I figured I would take the time to 1) celebrate my birthday ALL.MONTH.LONG of course and 2) focus on learning how to line up some paid workshops. So this was all perfect timing.
Also, for anyone in the LA area interested in getting some help getting a business going, the good folks at PerfectBusiness.com will be leading a free workshop Saturday the 19th in downtown LA. I’ll be there as well hoping to get some insight. With luck, I might even be able to swing a speaking engagement out of it. It could happen.
Okay, enough procrastinating. I still my article on blogging to finish up. I just need my closing paragraph and it’s ready to go to the boss lady. I have to say though, writing a 700ish word article on blogging basics…not so easy when it all depends on certain basic knowledge. Hopefully it will go over okay.
As you may or may not know, I’ve been teaching some workshops for the LWL group on blogging basics. For the most part, I’m working on introducing the blogosphere to these busy, start-up, business women and letting them know how blogging and commenting in blogs can help improve their business (or at least their search engine rankings).
It’s been pretty basic thus far, but I’m ready to reach out further and expand my horizons. So in the process, I’ve been reading a lot of blogging blogs, women in business blogs, business blogs and well, tons of books on the subject as well. I’m taking it all in wherever I can.
So currently, I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.
I had posted this in my local LWL group yesterday, but thought I’d post it here as well. I know I’ve got some business women (and some LWL gals) that read my blog so I thought you might find it interesting.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I’ve been poking around the web today, catching up on my many (many) blogs and I came across some stuff you guys might be interested in. It might be just the motivation someone needed today.
First, this is from the 2007 South by Southwest Interactive conference. It’s the audio from the Boss Lady discussion panel . These are some great women that didn’t let anyone tell them they couldn’t do it. By far, my favorite panel in the whole SXSWi ’07 conference.
Second, this is from this week’s BlogHer Business Conference (currently going in NYC). She’s a 64 year old woman that knows nothing about blogging, but knows it’s good business. She’s proof positive that you’re never to old to start a business and you’re never too old to learn something new. Check it out , you just might learn something.
Lastly, there’s been a lot of talk on this board about insurance and our small business options. One of my favorite small business blogs, Shifting Careers addresses this current challenge and let’s us know about the changes on the horizon.
Enjoy!
Yes, I know I have a stack of books sitting by my bedside waiting for me. Yes, Robin did just send me a new book that I won from a UBP contest of hers (note to self: remove that banner). I know I’ve had a bunch of books sent to me lately to review, or interview the authors. Yes, I know I’m in the middle of about six books as I type this. And yes, I do have a book just waiting for me at the library that I need to get reading soon for book club.
*sigh*
Yes, you guessed right, I did indeed by a new book tonight…Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky. I heard him on NPR a while back and this topic ties so nicely into my upcoming workshop on social media and online communities. And of course, now that I look at the book, I see it’s a Penguin book and they sent me a slew of books to read just a while back and I could have possibly requested it. Oh well, I’ll remember that for the next time.
Oh and did I mention that I still have an article on social networking to write by the end of next week? I didn’t? What about the interview podcast that I’ve yet to edit from over a month ago? Hmm…not that one either, huh? Well, have I mentioned my plans to move this blog to it’s own domain AND merge it with my old blog, stalkers be damned? And if it won’t merge, then I’ll be cutting & pasting for a bit. And of course there are still those workshops I’m prepping for. Yeah, I’ve been a little busy. Is it any wonder that I’m too lazy to reply directly to comments or return emails with less than a 3 day turn around?
But before I get too busy (ha!), I thought my fellow book addicts might enjoy this quick meme. Fringes put it up over at 650Miles (why do they always ask about those naked pictures????). I’ll follow up and post my own answers this weekend. No need to tag anyone since only readers will feel compelled to answer anyway. But please, feel free to post this on your own blog (linky back please!) so I know to get off my ass and follow into your blog to read what you wrote. Make sense?
1. List three books you’ve always meant to read, but haven’t got around to them
2. Share the two books that changed your life
3. Recommend the one book you’ve been talking about since the very first day you read it
4. Link to this post so we can read all about them when you’re done
5. If you tag others, let them know by leaving them a comment in one of their recent posts or just leave it open like I did
Maybe not. I mean, I just cleaned my keyboard and you’d be shocked to see the amount of crap that fell out – does that count? How ’bout two runs to Costco in two days? Um, what about buying curtain rods over at Ikea?
No? Well I feel domesticated. But maybe that’s just because I played a rousing game of Bunco (and won!!) last night. Then again, I’m just having a little fun spending my husband’s raise. Of course, he might see it in quite the same light. But hey, I have my first paying client today so it’s not like I don’t bring in my own money, right? It’s a start at least.
I can’t believe I missed Wordless Wednesday, again. Maybe I should just add it to my calendar so I get a reminder.
Well, I guess that’s it for me today. Happy Thursday!