Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Too White A Christmas
I live in a white town.
Everywhere you look. White, white, white...
Damn white Christmas lights.
There's actually a town ordinance against displaying colored Christmas lights. Can you believe it??
So instead, there's trees and houses and lawns ablaze with bright...white.
Looks more like a Clorox commercial.
Better yet, it's for the same reason as no traffic lights (seriously!) and hardly a sidewalk or streetlight to be found.
Ambiance. Or as it's pronounced here - aaaaaaahhhhmmmmBEEyonce.
Lots of people dying from walking in the road or crossing it in the dark...
Keep it happy, people, and carry a flashlight!!
Everywhere you look. White, white, white...
Damn white Christmas lights.
There's actually a town ordinance against displaying colored Christmas lights. Can you believe it??
So instead, there's trees and houses and lawns ablaze with bright...white.
Looks more like a Clorox commercial.
Better yet, it's for the same reason as no traffic lights (seriously!) and hardly a sidewalk or streetlight to be found.
Ambiance. Or as it's pronounced here - aaaaaaahhhhmmmmBEEyonce.
Lots of people dying from walking in the road or crossing it in the dark...
Keep it happy, people, and carry a flashlight!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
A Wild & Weird WAH Position
OK, this is actually a franchise (believe it or not), but one most likely run from home. I hope.
Pet waste removal service.
Yep...professional pooper scooper, kitty box cleaner and goodness knows what else.
Got a great promotional slogan for it: "The more crap you take, the more money you make!"
Dream job, eh?
Pet waste removal service.
Yep...professional pooper scooper, kitty box cleaner and goodness knows what else.
Got a great promotional slogan for it: "The more crap you take, the more money you make!"
Dream job, eh?
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Keep On Truckin'
Just when you think you got it good, it all goes bad.
Or so it seems...
I've been cranking on AdWords campaigns for the past month and starting to get the hang of it...well,sorta...
Then Google shut me down over less than two dollars.
They tried to deduct my payment from my credit card, which declined it because the balance was short under two dollars.
Where I live, that's the price of a 12 oz. coffee!
Shut down for a cup of coffee.
My electronic funds transfer to my card is gonna take A WEEK - so much for the speed of the Internet.
Would you say, "Geez, what'll I do NOW????"
I didn't.
I had other things going that were just as important in the long run: setting up promotions. some restructuring, etc.
And when my campaign goes live again, I'll be in good shape for 2005.
How about you?
Or so it seems...
I've been cranking on AdWords campaigns for the past month and starting to get the hang of it...well,sorta...
Then Google shut me down over less than two dollars.
They tried to deduct my payment from my credit card, which declined it because the balance was short under two dollars.
Where I live, that's the price of a 12 oz. coffee!
Shut down for a cup of coffee.
My electronic funds transfer to my card is gonna take A WEEK - so much for the speed of the Internet.
Would you say, "Geez, what'll I do NOW????"
I didn't.
I had other things going that were just as important in the long run: setting up promotions. some restructuring, etc.
And when my campaign goes live again, I'll be in good shape for 2005.
How about you?
Friday, December 10, 2004
CSI And Life
I don't have much use for TV.
During the day, I'm parked right here. In the evening, I prefer to DO things rather than stare at the tube. In the late evening, I'm right back here.
There's one show I actually try not to miss...CSI.
The original, of course. The one with Marg "You can swab me anytime and anywhere" Helgenberger.
Then politics pop up when a jerk with a vendetta is promoted...
He tries to dig up dirt on Grissom, the team supervisor and trick his staff into ratting him out.
After the smoke clears, the team is split up, the investigator is demoted for not supporting the whole witchhunt, and Marg is promoted to supervisor not of the day shift as she requested, but the second shift, which effectively keeps her from spending time with her daughter.
Marg, I'm here for you. Call me.
All because of one jealous, envious, weaselly jerk.
The saddest part is that isn't just TV. It's life.
When you work for others, you give them all the power. When you work for yourself, you hold that power.
It might be time to think more about that. Just maybe.
During the day, I'm parked right here. In the evening, I prefer to DO things rather than stare at the tube. In the late evening, I'm right back here.
There's one show I actually try not to miss...CSI.
The original, of course. The one with Marg "You can swab me anytime and anywhere" Helgenberger.
Then politics pop up when a jerk with a vendetta is promoted...
He tries to dig up dirt on Grissom, the team supervisor and trick his staff into ratting him out.
After the smoke clears, the team is split up, the investigator is demoted for not supporting the whole witchhunt, and Marg is promoted to supervisor not of the day shift as she requested, but the second shift, which effectively keeps her from spending time with her daughter.
Marg, I'm here for you. Call me.
All because of one jealous, envious, weaselly jerk.
The saddest part is that isn't just TV. It's life.
When you work for others, you give them all the power. When you work for yourself, you hold that power.
It might be time to think more about that. Just maybe.
Friday, December 03, 2004
ATTENTION: Trends
Oh happy day! This little posting is also available as an article for reprint, I think of everything, huh??
ATTENTION: Trends
By Dan Reinhold
www.WAHumor.com
Trends are essentially fads or societal movements that have reached maturity rather than croaking at a young age.
Here's a list of current trends from no less a source than Entrepreneur magazine:
Authenticity This is the trend of unique, frequently local products - microbrews, hot sauces, cheeses, clothes and so on. Environmentally and socially responsible companies operating locally are more and more the way to go. Please pass the authentic Cape Cod cranberry sauce...
Age 35 Question: What do a single GenXer, a thirtysomething dad and a middle-aged parent of a preschooler have in common? Answer: They all act, think and BUY like they're thirty-five. Why? Because they all WANT to be. Young folk now have a more mature, sensible mindset (ex: midriff tops on the way out...sorry, Andre, time to change your wardrobe), those actually in their 30s are feeling in their stride and baby boomers are clinging to youth with an iron grip.
Multitasking and memory loss It seems everybody multitasks now. It seems everybody HAS to. Even magazines are packing in photos and lists for quick reading. However, indulging your attention on something for a maximum of 15 seconds (20 if it's reeaaallllyy interesting) is messing with our memory function along with depression (sad because we're not absorbing more?) and stress (frying to a crisp because we're absorbing more?)
Obesity America is getting bigger, but the country's the same size. With the fatting of Americans comes the coin toss: helping people lose that weight or help them live with it. Think about it...if you've ever read or seen Dr. Seuss' "The Sneetches", you'll understand perfectly.
(FYI: I heard on the news this morning that certain medical testing equipment is much less effective with obese people. For example, abdominal ultrasounds. Hey...I just report the news, I don't think it up.)
One of the saddest facets of this trend is children's plus-size clothing. Lane Bryant showed kids that big is cool, so now we may be upgrading the suspension systems on all the school buses. After all, why exercise when there's elastic waistbands?
The third place Here's one we WAH types may see as "the second place": adult hangouts. Home and work are the "first" and "second"places, but when you work at home, you're down to one. Y'see? Instead of sitting around the malt shop with Archie and Jughead, post-teenagers want a change in atmosphere AND a place that wants them to hang out. You've seen it first with Starbucks and Barnes and Noble. It's going further with WiFi access (free, naturally) in many places, as I discovered at the new Panera Bread location near me. Sit a spell, stay a while, spend a pile...
Snobization Great word, huh? It describes the town where I live to a T, but we won't get into that. The American middle class is becoming snobbish, and they want affordable ways to be snobbish. Such as Todd Oldham's stuff at Target. It sounds like Versace setting up in a corner of KMart, but it's happening. Labels and luxuries without mucho moolah.
Uniqueness This ties in a lot with authenticity and snobization. It centers more on a desire to be the first kid on the block with the latest cool stuff. Because big and mass produced does not equal unique, the little guy with the cool thing of the moment wins. The more unique you can be, the more you're part of the crowd. Go figure...
Life caching Ahhhh, memories. We got 'em and we want to keep them...forever, in 100% retrievable formats. No one's going to settle for sitting in the rocker on the front porch reminiscing about times and events that probably never happened, or at least not THAT good or bad. Scrapbooking is really cutting up these days (sorry), and data transfer shops are popping up that cater to people, not businesses. How about a coffee-table book made from your digital photo collection? Being done. Think memory retention and retrieval, and you just might cash in on caching. Again, sorry.
That, according to Entrepreneur magazine, is the the way the wind is blowing. Get your kite up soon or risk being blown away.
With two boys, a dog, a cat, a wife and a household to keep together to boot, Dan Reinhold is the editor of WAHumor to hang on to his sanity by showing how insane the work-at-home community can be. Work at home? You deserve a laugh! Come visit http://www.wahumor.com/ and join the fun!
ATTENTION: Trends
By Dan Reinhold
www.WAHumor.com
Trends are essentially fads or societal movements that have reached maturity rather than croaking at a young age.
Here's a list of current trends from no less a source than Entrepreneur magazine:
Authenticity This is the trend of unique, frequently local products - microbrews, hot sauces, cheeses, clothes and so on. Environmentally and socially responsible companies operating locally are more and more the way to go. Please pass the authentic Cape Cod cranberry sauce...
Age 35 Question: What do a single GenXer, a thirtysomething dad and a middle-aged parent of a preschooler have in common? Answer: They all act, think and BUY like they're thirty-five. Why? Because they all WANT to be. Young folk now have a more mature, sensible mindset (ex: midriff tops on the way out...sorry, Andre, time to change your wardrobe), those actually in their 30s are feeling in their stride and baby boomers are clinging to youth with an iron grip.
Multitasking and memory loss It seems everybody multitasks now. It seems everybody HAS to. Even magazines are packing in photos and lists for quick reading. However, indulging your attention on something for a maximum of 15 seconds (20 if it's reeaaallllyy interesting) is messing with our memory function along with depression (sad because we're not absorbing more?) and stress (frying to a crisp because we're absorbing more?)
Obesity America is getting bigger, but the country's the same size. With the fatting of Americans comes the coin toss: helping people lose that weight or help them live with it. Think about it...if you've ever read or seen Dr. Seuss' "The Sneetches", you'll understand perfectly.
(FYI: I heard on the news this morning that certain medical testing equipment is much less effective with obese people. For example, abdominal ultrasounds. Hey...I just report the news, I don't think it up.)
One of the saddest facets of this trend is children's plus-size clothing. Lane Bryant showed kids that big is cool, so now we may be upgrading the suspension systems on all the school buses. After all, why exercise when there's elastic waistbands?
The third place Here's one we WAH types may see as "the second place": adult hangouts. Home and work are the "first" and "second"places, but when you work at home, you're down to one. Y'see? Instead of sitting around the malt shop with Archie and Jughead, post-teenagers want a change in atmosphere AND a place that wants them to hang out. You've seen it first with Starbucks and Barnes and Noble. It's going further with WiFi access (free, naturally) in many places, as I discovered at the new Panera Bread location near me. Sit a spell, stay a while, spend a pile...
Snobization Great word, huh? It describes the town where I live to a T, but we won't get into that. The American middle class is becoming snobbish, and they want affordable ways to be snobbish. Such as Todd Oldham's stuff at Target. It sounds like Versace setting up in a corner of KMart, but it's happening. Labels and luxuries without mucho moolah.
Uniqueness This ties in a lot with authenticity and snobization. It centers more on a desire to be the first kid on the block with the latest cool stuff. Because big and mass produced does not equal unique, the little guy with the cool thing of the moment wins. The more unique you can be, the more you're part of the crowd. Go figure...
Life caching Ahhhh, memories. We got 'em and we want to keep them...forever, in 100% retrievable formats. No one's going to settle for sitting in the rocker on the front porch reminiscing about times and events that probably never happened, or at least not THAT good or bad. Scrapbooking is really cutting up these days (sorry), and data transfer shops are popping up that cater to people, not businesses. How about a coffee-table book made from your digital photo collection? Being done. Think memory retention and retrieval, and you just might cash in on caching. Again, sorry.
That, according to Entrepreneur magazine, is the the way the wind is blowing. Get your kite up soon or risk being blown away.
With two boys, a dog, a cat, a wife and a household to keep together to boot, Dan Reinhold is the editor of WAHumor to hang on to his sanity by showing how insane the work-at-home community can be. Work at home? You deserve a laugh! Come visit http://www.wahumor.com/ and join the fun!
