Vacation Value 'tip' :)

Hello to all my tired, frazzled stressed out readers....

Here's a worthwhile 'tip'.... 

If you are like me and never 'get away' from the madness of your life, I highly recommend that you find an older person who needs to return from Florida and drive them back through the Midwest to a Northern state like Michigan or Illinois.   The migration of 'Snowbirds' with Spring Break creates a convergence of traffic and crowds and that equals good value for a vacation!  A 5-day trip can feel like a month!   Campers,  swinging trailers, U-hauls, 3 wheeler motorcycles, semi-trucks along with long recreation vehicles give you the variety you need to make it an interesting trip!  'Remodeled' vehicles now look like full rooms have been added... an 'addition' on the back! (or a second floor on the top) !  American ingenuity at it's finest!

I recently returned from a 'month- long' journey to bring 'Grammie' and her little dog Sophie back to the North and the drive wasn't too bad.  We had left a treeless gulf in Florida ... (err I mean 'fabulous golf community') for the beautiful hills of Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky which improved my disposition considerably.

Prior to that, I found myself in a community of 'Happy Seniors' ...Viagra-laced along with prescription meds, many who began drinking alcoholic beverages (only $1.75!) at their daily 'happy hour' ritual starting at 3:30 pm!  - to then find myself after-hours  (in the pitch dark) in a maze of 'fancy' golf carts that mingled with real grown-up cars just inches from real roads and that's not a good feeling. 

I was actually one of the unfortunate hostages  - (like an Amish person in a slow moving buggy)  trapped in a festive golf cart.  We were surrounded by low-seated driving geezers navigating  behind very big steering wheels  - honking and trying to be patient though the 'rush' of traffic! 

It was like a  bad dream   from 'Bedrock' when slow moving open sided vehicles  -meet- The REAL Cars and that's when I start to shake!  Can we all say "Yabba Dabba ....DON'T."  !!  I  don't mean to be a sissy here but I would much rather ride in a truck with my ADHD teenager driving and that's say'n something!


NOTE: Golf Carts are NOT Automobiles
 (or can they not see that!?)

Seriously?

This is not a 'real' Rolls Royce!

xo  :)

The International Laundress

  

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!

  

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

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

Oh, Holy NIGHT and DAY- A subculture mix of genetics

Happy Holidays to all my readers- since 'Going Rogue' I have had lots of page views - I'm hoping my comments have hit a nerve at some level.  It is a time for change! Here's to a better 2012.  So I'm now back on track with ripping on my wild family....

I have written before on the murky gene pool that contributes to my children's whirling brains. It's complicated, coming from many directions.  This past weekend I experienced another factor that has also added to their organizational difficulties.  It can be stated in one word - their maternal Grandmother known as ... 'Grammie'... yes, my own dear Mother.  She is a whirling dervish of energy and creativity, but at times, this fun and excitement catches up to her. 

On Friday before Christmas we had a lovely time - just the two of us,  meandering around a very busy book store in a nearby community - we had a great time until we returned to our house to discover that she had left her purse on the floor by her chair in the latte cafe. Trauma began as we tried to verbally inventory what was in this valuable 'vessel' ... all credit cards, medical cards, social security, cash for her visit - her  phone, new leather gloves were just a few of the things she remembered. In a full-on panic we called through VM hell to determine that 'Larry' at the front desk had her purse.  WHEW! We quickly drove back to the store and recovered this precious purse.  

Beginning fresh on Saturday, Grammie headed out for a day of shopping with Darling Son an activity which commenced with an ice cream treat at our local Dairy Queen. We then planned (because it was Christmas Eve) to go to a musical church service at 4:45 - so around 4:15 we were organizing to leave when I heard the fateful words 'I can't find my purse'!!....(again!) ...  After backtracking we determined that she had left it at our Dairy Queen so we quickly (on the way to church), checked to see if it was open... of course it had closed at 4:00 and would not open again until Monday Dec. 26... so we had to just pray.   

Calamity continued....then on Christmas night...'someone' left the interior light on in her car, so when I went to move her car off our street - the battery was dead- so I found myself with another challenge which was waiting for  AAA to come and 'jump' her car at 10:00 pm on Christmas night.  Oh, holy night!  .... and as luck would have it - (and thankfully) we live in a safe suburb- the Dairy Queen had her purse which we recovered at noon on Monday. WHEW (again!) Thrilled at the recovery - she insisted on a picture!

As Grammie was happily leaving to go home,  I did a quick check of her belongings- this time she was doing a bit better  - she was in the car and ready to roar out!  One last thing.. she forgot her beloved dog!  If you keep up with this blog, you will know that I have no interest in adding to our animal menagerie so I quickly got 'Sophie' and they peeled out.   WHEW (again!)   Happy New Year to all ! 
xo The International Laundress

Going Rogue...a RANT from the heart - the current state of business!

Today is tough times for many, particularly for Americans.  For my International readers this might be enlightening - it's my hard view from the trenches.  Since everyone has the attention span of a gnat - I'll keep my thoughts in bullet form. Please find it in your brain to at least 'read'- and also feel free to write me... and more importantly spread this message  .....

• For the past 30 years our American economy has been eroding from a proud strong 'manufacturing' base to one of lower priced 'consumption.'  the jig is now up....music has stopped.

• This unfortunate shift started small and has been fueled by our politicians who for their own self -interests, created neat tax incentives to help businesses move all aspects of production overseas.

•  Quietly, this 'movement' has destroyed American jobs (it's true) and worse-yet created a mindset and out-of-control demand for lower priced goods and services.

• Now, even the overseas manufactured goods are sold at a discount! This insatiable appetite for thinking that everything can or must be produced for less - slams the job market particularly hard and deeply hurts Americans.  Americans then support this demand because they don't have extra $$. Gas prices rise along with basic food items and Americans are stuck in this downward spiral.

• Companies are guilty of 'tippy toeing' around age-discrimination laws by calling it a 'position elimination' substituting capable older workers for much younger less experienced and cheaper personnel. 

•  In our culture then, (because they are more expensive) wisdom and experience is no longer valued and the older talent (especially very much needed in today's times)  is now found hanging out at Starbucks looking for non-existent 'good jobs'.

• What is left in the ashes of business and for those who are fortunate to still be working, they find themselves frantic working the job of 3-4 people.   This then contributes to health problems and chronic low productivity in the work place and from one report I read, costs our economy over +60 billion dollars yearly.  

• Everyone it seems, is in 'survival-mode', chronically exhausted, overloaded and stressed out to new levels. 

So what do we do?  How can we help ourselves????!

Because I don't have time to 'fix' this problem...(too busy working) .... I am throwing this out for consideration among my readers...note; I don't have an Economics background, so this is good old-fashioned common sense.

AMERICANS NEED TO Immediately START A SOCIAL MOVEMENT TO CONSCIOUSLY SUPPORT AND BUY AMERICAN GOODS! 

Can we all say 'DUH' here?!

 I'm not talking a cute 'marketing buzz' here- I'm talking about a full on social MOVEMENT for 100% MADE IN THE USA brands!  'Occupy our Economy'... as in buy things!   This idea (because the numbers are massive) like the 22 yr. old who 'moved' the Banks- ...can immediately create the demand needed and the opportunity for new jobs.  When people don't have a job they don't buy anything... more 'DUH' 

To further fire up this message.... just give this quote a moment of your time....and visualize it!

'400 people control more wealth than 150 MILLION of their fellow Americans'   and no, I did not make this up to be 'funny' :) ... it's from The New York Times 8/6/11 article by Drew Westen.  Sounds like someone has been cheating in Monopoly! It's an inequity worse than Bangladesh- this can't possibly be America!

It's hard for me to not visualize the 400 people...sitting properly upright in my children's school auditorium.  They would be chins high- pinky extended... eating all the 'cake' leaving the crumbs for the rest of us!  tsk tsk... now there's not even a broom left.  From this inequity, we now know the financial community won't be helping... you can't even get a loan for a good idea let alone a new house.  WE NEED TO IMMEDIATELY HELP OURSELVES - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Aside from reading all labels of what you plan to buy; ...

 Here is my 'stimulus plan';

- FIRST; throw the elected officials out-of-office - replace with honorable Americans who know how to keep their hands in their pockets and understand the meaning of representing the best interests of America.  

- SECOND; show a little compassion for people who are struggling.  Emotional help or otherwise.  If friends are 'on-fire' .... don't stand in their driveway with a Dixie cup of water!  This 'cancer' of no-jobs could easily and quickly strike you or someone close to you.  Everyone is venerable. (ok, not the lucky 400) but Baby Boomers are particularly at risk.

- THIRD; give thought to the idea of raising awareness even within your local stores to highlight and feature 100% Made in America goods- if enough of us are asking and looking we just might start seeing sections or aisles popping up!   This is like 'ingredient labeling'...! Americans need to know where the goods they are buying come from.   Also, be responsible and remember when you buy overseas goods you are only hurting yourself right now.  Looking for a gift for this holiday season?  I would recommend starting here I CHOOSE AMERICAN  (exquisite American made goods)

- FOURTH;  be conscious... be alert... be mad when you see people (especially those that speak in forked tongue about American made things) to then push massive deals on TV with overseas made goods  - try to have some self control- don't buy it and then 'bust' them through twitter or FB.

- and finally... if you are emotionally paralyzed and sleepless from all this - don't take sleeping pills.... you may need Goodnighties Recovery Sleepwear  (and yes, this brand is 100% MADE IN THE USA)

Give yourself a pat on the back if you got through this - I'm very proud of you! and that I might add,  is a good start:)  Thank you!
xo
The International Laundress