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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Leap Day... Yippee!



On the edge for Leap Day....It's a fitting theme for me to write about today!   

I am still 'on the edge' about life..... a feeling that will probably never leave me.  My life is a big worry and has been since children entered the picture.  I know I'm not alone... but damn!

My dear friend braved my home this week for an overdue visit.  It was so great to see her and to have for once, stimulating conversation, something I have missed.   One topic we discussed was her interesting life as a world-traveler.  It seems she has accomplished something on her personal 'bucket list'.... Something I still can't seem get out of my head... My friend proudly announced that she was able to finally get extra pages in her passport!  

  Huh? .... What?

I can't even imagine such a lofty goal..... my revised 'bucket list' (thanks to my wild family and our wonderful economy) is to someday be able to;

READ A BOOK,....WATCH A MOVIE WITHOUT PASSING OUT..... get a BIKINI WAX or better yet....FILL MY SUV UP WITH GAS.  Other items to include on my revised 'bucket list' is SOCKS THAT MATCH,  another to STOP CHEWING MY FINGERNAILS and here's a good one.... to lose 18- year old 'baby fat' off my mid-section as a result of  9 lb. 14 oz. 'darling daughter.'

I know these are tough things... challenging goals, but I need to start somewhere, right? !

So in the meantime, I'll keep dreaming.  Happy Leap Day to all! :)
xo
The International Laundress!

  

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lollipop and her Feathered Friend Tutu!

To continue the theme from my last post of my 'new' soft head - I'm moving away from snarkiness and frustration! (well, at least for a moment)   I'm even thinking about reading books again and focusing on sleeping --   

I wanted to share with my readers a darling moment in time.  (and for those with short attention spans it's only 1 min. 52 seconds) ... really, you can do it!  and if you do... it will bring a smile to your face! 
Featured in the video is Lollipop our very 'sweet' Border Collie/Chow Chow dog and Tutu the most beautiful store- bought parakeet ever!  About 17 months ago Tutu came into our life and I never imaged that the two of them would become 'friends' but they have!  Our other dog, Emma could care less.


I now waste time whenever I can watching them interact.  When we first brought Tutu home she was really young....and not knowing any better, would hang her tail feathers out of the cage...  Lollipop always an opportunist,  very carefully pulled off her tail feathers and ever since then, they have been friends!  It is uncanny to watch!  enjoy! 

xo The International Laundress

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Attention Spans Gone Wild! In Need of Some Valentine Heart! (and HELP)

For some, this blog-posting is going to read like my brain has gone soft - Ok,… mushy .... perhaps it has.  I'm actually sounding sensitive - taking some time to be wise and intuitive  ... who knows what it is?! ... I'm kind of unclear myself, but it's my blog so I can say what I want, right? 

For the past 20 months I have been frustrated beyond belief with my day-job (now defined as my 24/7 ‘job’)   I never imagined after years of dealing with the inattentiveness of my darling children that I would find this to be the case in the business world today.

It seems in professional life, most people are suffering from major inattention problems ...It's like ADHD is now the new pandemic outbreak and it's EVERYWHERE!
Everyone has a flurry of things swirling around them .... emails, constant texting,  VM, responsibilities, endless pressure,  a continuous barrage of noise, interruptions .. etc.. etc.. it's no wonder that SLEEP has become America's new favorite past time.

To compound things, the working job market is so scary now that 'survival-mode' can also be added to the list. Life is now lived in dog-years. (woof, woof)  No time for anything! Presentations to get someone's attention  are now 140 characters with Twitter and a graphic 'presentation' is like flash-cards for kids. 

Can we say 'life rage' here!?  Basic manners; like just paying attention erode  kindness, compassion-- even old friendships have hit the skids for many.  'Help' for someone other than yourself has become an old fashioned verb.

For Public Relations activities like mine... ‘new useful material for content’  has been blurred with advertising investments to the source (because of our rotten economy) breaking the cardinal rule I've always known, of sacred credibility shhh....(it's  a dirty little secret).   Small entrepreneurial companies (with limited budgets)  which are the engine of our economy find themselves stuck in this quagmire.  So for me, a 'Marketing Professional'  I'm deep in this chasm along with attention spans gone wild, I very quickly compare  this to beating my head with a hammer on a daily basis.
Bloody and stubborn from years of experience with this problem  though my own kids, I continue to prevail -- another day --- just ONE MORE DAY thinking that a reporter or writer that I may have contacted will have the attention span (or common courtesy)  to answer my inquiry to then take action.   

I know how busy everyone is... SURPRISE....  I also fall into that category, but I can honestly say, I follow-up when someone writes me I answer them back (what a concept!) and I return phone messages.

In my situation, it's the people who have received free samples that really scar me the deepest ... Many of those,  who have CONTACTED me - to then not fulfill their obligation to write something about our brand – just anything! We'll even take a FB 'like'.  Here's another 'surprise' - although the world needs saving... I'm not a missionary for giving away product treats!... I honestly don't get that! Then, the nightmare process for me begins to follow up to be ignored ... and then repeatedly ignored ... some days I feel like I have 'email halitosis' and a bruised head!.... no manners, no heart it's the simple delete button... tsk, tsk.   What's up with that? 
  
If anyone in blog-land has any ideas … I am all ears - please connect with me!  I would be actually elated to hear from anyone about this subject! Am I alone?
.....   And for those who are contemplating starting a business… I recommend that you give my words (directly from the trenches of business) serious consideration.  It is extremely difficult to breakthrough the clutter of information and if you have a brand that needs exposure you will find this to be your biggest obstacle.  Then again, if you like banging your head with a hammer... go for it!   
So in the season of Valentine’s Day perhaps I can change the mind of just one person to give a pinky finger effort of a helping hand – just a teeny attempt in the 'manners department' to help people.  Try to actually take the time to read an email instead to hitting the quick delete button…or even more novel return a phone message. I'll bet there is someone in your world in need of some help.   You never know when you may need this person…and as most know, Karma can be a real bitch.  

Thanks to all my readers... lots of appreciated support!
xo
The International Laundress