The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie Weil comes out on
Thursday. She believes that corporate blogs will become a
new form of marketing vehicle, even though she admits
that the most provocative blogs tend to be be published
by individuals. At the end of this post I'll link you to one
of the best-read blogs in Europe, according to Ms. Weil.
"Blogs are no fad. They are cheap and easy to do. And
blogs fulfill that deepest of human needs as defined by
psychologist Abraham Maslow: self-actualization. People
write blogs because they want to know themselves and
want to be known by others and because they want their
lives to count. When a communications medium is...
tapping into a deep need, it's no fad."
Richard Karlgaard, publisher of
Forbes magazine, on his blog,
December 26, 2005
OK, here's the link to Hugh Macleod's blog ~ it's a good one.
gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards" by hugh macleod
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
no phone, no bucket, no service
We are dealing with AT&T aka SBC aka Pac Bell because
our land line home phone is dead and has been since we
arrived home Friday morning. I punch many buttons on
my mobile and from work today and basically I get that
tedious bureaucratic run-around that we all know so well.
There is a problem in one of the outside cables and the
man in the bucket won't be here until Tuesday, maybe
Wednesday. I'm lucky that our nabes want me to use
their Wi Fi connections otherwise I'd really be up the creek.
I endured my first day back at work today. 204 emails
about a vast assortment of subjects and issues. My friend
Michael told me a few years ago that God gave us the
delete button in the hopes that we will use it freely and I
did so today. Amazing how many problems dissolve with time.
our land line home phone is dead and has been since we
arrived home Friday morning. I punch many buttons on
my mobile and from work today and basically I get that
tedious bureaucratic run-around that we all know so well.
There is a problem in one of the outside cables and the
man in the bucket won't be here until Tuesday, maybe
Wednesday. I'm lucky that our nabes want me to use
their Wi Fi connections otherwise I'd really be up the creek.
I endured my first day back at work today. 204 emails
about a vast assortment of subjects and issues. My friend
Michael told me a few years ago that God gave us the
delete button in the hopes that we will use it freely and I
did so today. Amazing how many problems dissolve with time.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
take me to the ferry building
If I didn't work most Saturdays I would be here at 8am as we were this morning. The best breakfast is from Rose Pistola sitting right out here next to the Bay. Today there was a buzz amoung the vendors because Tony Blair is in town and who knows where he'll show up? After breakfast we bought many pounds of colorful tomatoes, basil, peaches and an unusual melon for me to ball for tomorrow's breakfast. I also bought a huge bunch of flowers for $5.00 and admired the many strange and colorful people and dogs. A ton of toddlers too, many eating fruits and vegetables!
Our land line is down and Bossman thought I had unplugged the phone, but alas, he reached me by email. I have been "borrowing" the nabe's Wi Fi in order to keep up with friends and blogs. Also Round Robin #10 has started and I am doing daily 10 minute writes again. Next vaca is not until September. Can I stand it?
Our land line is down and Bossman thought I had unplugged the phone, but alas, he reached me by email. I have been "borrowing" the nabe's Wi Fi in order to keep up with friends and blogs. Also Round Robin #10 has started and I am doing daily 10 minute writes again. Next vaca is not until September. Can I stand it?
Friday, July 28, 2006
planes, trains, taxis...
OK, good thing we've had some experience traveling. Here was our yesterday:
Noon ~ check out of hotel & check in bags at train station
1pm ~ lunch at the fabulous Portland Grill (30th floor, SW 5th & Yamhill)
5pm ~ climb on train that was supposed to leave at 2:25pm
8pm ~ during bad dinner, conductor announces that train must turn around but first lights and AC off for 2 hours
1am ~ train arrives back in Portland
3am ~ we FINALLY get refund and head for airport, Amtrak pays for taxi
6am ~ travelers take last two seats on United flight to SF
8am ~ taxi home from SFO
Still no sleep, sort of a West Coast only kind of jet lag, I guess.
It's good to be home and the fog looks and feels luxurious.
Only 3 semi-important pieces of mail in this mess on our garage floor.
I miss having a cat or two welcoming me home, Husbando doesnt.
Noon ~ check out of hotel & check in bags at train station
1pm ~ lunch at the fabulous Portland Grill (30th floor, SW 5th & Yamhill)
5pm ~ climb on train that was supposed to leave at 2:25pm
8pm ~ during bad dinner, conductor announces that train must turn around but first lights and AC off for 2 hours
1am ~ train arrives back in Portland
3am ~ we FINALLY get refund and head for airport, Amtrak pays for taxi
6am ~ travelers take last two seats on United flight to SF
8am ~ taxi home from SFO
Still no sleep, sort of a West Coast only kind of jet lag, I guess.
It's good to be home and the fog looks and feels luxurious.
Only 3 semi-important pieces of mail in this mess on our garage floor.
I miss having a cat or two welcoming me home, Husbando doesnt.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
keep portland weird
I've seen that bumper strip on lots of cars up here (not
on the SUVs, of course) and it expresses my thinking
completely. Not this weird, of course ~ we were at the
zoo when the following occurred yesterday. Safely in the
shuttle bus, otherwise we would have helped:
Zoo sex predator attack thwarted, police say
The box of blueberries was larger(!) than the ones we
all love at the fruit store at 30th and Church. Honest.
Or at the fruit store we all love at 30th and Church.
Your choice of phraseology.
This morning we watched the Jon Stewart rerun as we
pack up to go. No rush, no hurry. All of our clothes are
dirty, so it's easy to squish them into the suitcases.
Now I think a final walk around town after a truly special
vacation. Next post from Frisco...
on the SUVs, of course) and it expresses my thinking
completely. Not this weird, of course ~ we were at the
zoo when the following occurred yesterday. Safely in the
shuttle bus, otherwise we would have helped:
Zoo sex predator attack thwarted, police say
The box of blueberries was larger(!) than the ones we
all love at the fruit store at 30th and Church. Honest.
Or at the fruit store we all love at 30th and Church.
Your choice of phraseology.
This morning we watched the Jon Stewart rerun as we
pack up to go. No rush, no hurry. All of our clothes are
dirty, so it's easy to squish them into the suitcases.
Now I think a final walk around town after a truly special
vacation. Next post from Frisco...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
our last full day of vaca
Blueberries ~ $2.50 for a large box, how's that One Foot? We started our busy day walking up to Mollie's, then taking the bus up to the Portland Zoo. From there a free shuttle down and around the unbelievable lush and green Washington Park and another stop at the Rose Garden. It was mercifully cool and refreshing today. We had a marvelous/fabulous lunch at Park Kitchen (artichoke soup!) and then walked over to this impressive Farmer's Market. So far I do believe that Portland has everything that a city needs, and it does seem like an easier city to live in than SF. Of course we aren't here for the endless winter rainy season. This has been such a fine vacation, tomorrow we're back on the train for the LONG trip home with bad food.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
why I love Portland
Now isn't this just a great idea ~ a play fountain in the heart of the city? In the background the river is just barely visible. We drove for more than 3 hours over more and different moutain roads, but it was such a joy to return to Portland, that I really didn't mind it at all. We couldn't wait to get out and walk around again once we checked back into "our" hotel Mark Spencer. Tonight we are heading back to sit outside at Jake's and tomorrow Mollie has booked us, so we will have a little time with Jon Stewart tonight and then an early to bed. Now I'll try to see if I can find our Giants ~ they are playing on the East Coast and I have pennant fever once again. I'd better stock up on Advil and Pepto when we get home to SF. It is a lot cooler here than it was, by the way...down around 70 degrees, I think. Lovely city!
Monday, July 24, 2006
sisters, brothers, words & boxes
We started our day buying gas ($3.05) and then heading
for the Sisters, 20 miles from Bend. It's a rather precious
little town, but we found a delightful coffee place (photo
to follow) and sat out on the big front porch and listened
to the locals chatting to each other and recapping their
weekends. Very pleasant. I should mention here that the
roads here in Oregon are extremely well maintained,
nothing like our pot hole ridden ones in California.
After walking around town for an hour or so, we got
back in the Malibu to drive a little further and take a
better pic of the 3 mountains. Then we met our friends
back in Bend at the McMenamin Brothers' restaurant
and wolfed down our well done "rare-please" burgers.
The McMemamins are a big deal here in Oregon and
Washington with hotels, restaurants and theaters.
All very clever and extremely popular.
Husbando and I walked some more around the Drake
Park and then at the spur of the moment, decided to
see a movie! There were 4 of us in the audience to
see Word Play, a delightful film about crossword
puzzles, Will Shortz and the fanatics who enter the
yearly contest in New York. We both enjoyed it
thoroughly and recommend it to all word people.
Now, after a little ice cream, we are watching tv
and pre-packing for our trip back to Portland in
the morning. OK, time to fuss with iPhoto. I do want
to mention that one of the pluses of traveling with
msBook is that I can transfer the photos every
night while the memory is still somewhat fresh.
for the Sisters, 20 miles from Bend. It's a rather precious
little town, but we found a delightful coffee place (photo
to follow) and sat out on the big front porch and listened
to the locals chatting to each other and recapping their
weekends. Very pleasant. I should mention here that the
roads here in Oregon are extremely well maintained,
nothing like our pot hole ridden ones in California.
After walking around town for an hour or so, we got
back in the Malibu to drive a little further and take a
better pic of the 3 mountains. Then we met our friends
back in Bend at the McMenamin Brothers' restaurant
and wolfed down our well done "rare-please" burgers.
The McMemamins are a big deal here in Oregon and
Washington with hotels, restaurants and theaters.
All very clever and extremely popular.
Husbando and I walked some more around the Drake
Park and then at the spur of the moment, decided to
see a movie! There were 4 of us in the audience to
see Word Play, a delightful film about crossword
puzzles, Will Shortz and the fanatics who enter the
yearly contest in New York. We both enjoyed it
thoroughly and recommend it to all word people.
Now, after a little ice cream, we are watching tv
and pre-packing for our trip back to Portland in
the morning. OK, time to fuss with iPhoto. I do want
to mention that one of the pluses of traveling with
msBook is that I can transfer the photos every
night while the memory is still somewhat fresh.
a tree in the middle...
We had prime rib here last night at this famous restaurant that has a big old tree (it looks fake) in the center of all the tables. It is next to the Deschutes River and would have been fun to sit on the patio, but it was still too hot, even after 6pm last night. Today Husbando and I are going to the Sisters (3 mountains cleverly named North, Middle and South) and then we will have a late lunch with our friends. I can hardly wait to get back on those mountain roads!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
honk if you're in a hurry!
Our friends here in Bend say the drivers are even worse
than in California, and I believe it. When we were driving
to exclaim over the parks, mountains and rivers today,
others were speeding by and honking in their HUGE trucks
and SUVs. Where are they going? To the river to relax?
It is still v. warm here ~ about 100º. We did go "to town"
this morning and had coffee at Mirror Lake and walked
around Drake Park. Then drove to Butte Point or Point
Butte and admired the Deschutes River which is glorious
and runs through and around Bend, always popping up
to surprise the tourists.
Just let me mention that I want to be watching the Giants
right now. I know that's short sighted and insular of me,
but the Blogmaid just wrote that we are moving ahead
and I know that we have won 5 games in a row. Oh,
happy day...thanks to everyone who keeps emailing me
with these important details!
MsBook likes the Comfort Inn, thank you for your concern.
OK, I need to send a couple more photos and give you a
few more Bend details here.
than in California, and I believe it. When we were driving
to exclaim over the parks, mountains and rivers today,
others were speeding by and honking in their HUGE trucks
and SUVs. Where are they going? To the river to relax?
It is still v. warm here ~ about 100º. We did go "to town"
this morning and had coffee at Mirror Lake and walked
around Drake Park. Then drove to Butte Point or Point
Butte and admired the Deschutes River which is glorious
and runs through and around Bend, always popping up
to surprise the tourists.
Just let me mention that I want to be watching the Giants
right now. I know that's short sighted and insular of me,
but the Blogmaid just wrote that we are moving ahead
and I know that we have won 5 games in a row. Oh,
happy day...thanks to everyone who keeps emailing me
with these important details!
MsBook likes the Comfort Inn, thank you for your concern.
OK, I need to send a couple more photos and give you a
few more Bend details here.
geezers in the park
I pretended to be taking a photo of Husbando here so you could see these two with their "fortune finder" machine thingies that zoom along on the grass or sand. I was hoping they would smash into each other. When I pointed them out to Husbando, he said, "they advertise those in the AARP magazine." I don't want to spend my Golden Years searching for quarters in a park...
drake park, bend
How's this for a serene Sunday morning? It is quite beautiful here and I regret all the snide comments that might fall into the blog later.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
3 waterfalls, 2 dams, a few "issues"
I'm reporting from Bend, Oregon ~ the Comfort Inn, to be
exact. It's still warm, but it's good to settle in after driving
for 4,000 miles on winding mountain roads. Today AND
yesterday. Yikes.
So yesterday we got our gold (color) Malibu rental car in
Portland and when we discussed traffic to/fro Bend, the
agent said, "The traffic will be heavy at rush hour because
of all the people from California". This was a few moments
after she asked Husbando if he is Jewish.
Oh, by the way, it is amazingly beautiful country. We drove
East on 84 and stopped at every waterfall within 80 miles.
We had bad burgers for lunch at Cascade Locks along the way
and to our amazement, every seat faced the huge Columbia
River and it turned out to be a visual treat just to sit there
for an hour and not mention the food.
We toured the Bonneville Dam (a WPA project) and then
the navigator wanted to see Timberline Lodge, so the
sweet (yet beleaguered) driver got lost about 45 times
trying to get there. Even though I am the Queen of U-turns,
it is not easy to do those on mountain roads. It was getting
late and nerves were frayed when we finally reached that
destination, right at the bottom of Mount Hood. Beautiful.
Last night we stayed at a Shiloh Inn in The Dalles, a seedy
town where the main activity might be drunk driving. We
scored a balcony overlooking the Dalles Dam, so we just had
room service and stared at the dam and decided we had
both been snappish during the long and difficult drive,
so I apologized for both of us and the evening was really
quite pleasant.
But, Mon Dieu! This morning I was sending waterfall photos
to Flickr® for commano and the spinning beach ball of
death appeared and would not stop. I mean NOT, for all
the bourbon in The Dalles. So I took her to hospital (the
Windy River Computer Repair Shop on 2nd Street) and
of course she worked fine. I decided that traveling with
msBook is not unlike having a dog (I never toured with a
child) because I have to worry about the heat, the Wi Fi
and what if someone steals her?
Now, however, it is so nice to type away and I dread
trying to send photos to the blog. I've read some emails
and will answer them shortly. We are going to have
dinner at our friends' home here in Bend (ex-Californians!)
tonight. Oh, our bad lunch today was at the Big Bear in
Redmond and the AC was on too high and I had to wear
my Giants jacket because it was colder than notthat's
office. Sheeeeesh. We suspect that a lot of Mormons
live here, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
This is not a diverse area by any stretch of anyone's
imagination. At lunch I whispered too loudly to Husbando
that I wish I had my "I'm so glad I live in San Francisco
T-shirt" on and he pretended we didn't know each other.
There was a bike race on these mountain roads today,
can you imagine? Up and down and around...it's bad
enough in a car, ask the navigator.
exact. It's still warm, but it's good to settle in after driving
for 4,000 miles on winding mountain roads. Today AND
yesterday. Yikes.
So yesterday we got our gold (color) Malibu rental car in
Portland and when we discussed traffic to/fro Bend, the
agent said, "The traffic will be heavy at rush hour because
of all the people from California". This was a few moments
after she asked Husbando if he is Jewish.
Oh, by the way, it is amazingly beautiful country. We drove
East on 84 and stopped at every waterfall within 80 miles.
We had bad burgers for lunch at Cascade Locks along the way
and to our amazement, every seat faced the huge Columbia
River and it turned out to be a visual treat just to sit there
for an hour and not mention the food.
We toured the Bonneville Dam (a WPA project) and then
the navigator wanted to see Timberline Lodge, so the
sweet (yet beleaguered) driver got lost about 45 times
trying to get there. Even though I am the Queen of U-turns,
it is not easy to do those on mountain roads. It was getting
late and nerves were frayed when we finally reached that
destination, right at the bottom of Mount Hood. Beautiful.
Last night we stayed at a Shiloh Inn in The Dalles, a seedy
town where the main activity might be drunk driving. We
scored a balcony overlooking the Dalles Dam, so we just had
room service and stared at the dam and decided we had
both been snappish during the long and difficult drive,
so I apologized for both of us and the evening was really
quite pleasant.
But, Mon Dieu! This morning I was sending waterfall photos
to Flickr® for commano and the spinning beach ball of
death appeared and would not stop. I mean NOT, for all
the bourbon in The Dalles. So I took her to hospital (the
Windy River Computer Repair Shop on 2nd Street) and
of course she worked fine. I decided that traveling with
msBook is not unlike having a dog (I never toured with a
child) because I have to worry about the heat, the Wi Fi
and what if someone steals her?
Now, however, it is so nice to type away and I dread
trying to send photos to the blog. I've read some emails
and will answer them shortly. We are going to have
dinner at our friends' home here in Bend (ex-Californians!)
tonight. Oh, our bad lunch today was at the Big Bear in
Redmond and the AC was on too high and I had to wear
my Giants jacket because it was colder than notthat's
office. Sheeeeesh. We suspect that a lot of Mormons
live here, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
This is not a diverse area by any stretch of anyone's
imagination. At lunch I whispered too loudly to Husbando
that I wish I had my "I'm so glad I live in San Francisco
T-shirt" on and he pretended we didn't know each other.
There was a bike race on these mountain roads today,
can you imagine? Up and down and around...it's bad
enough in a car, ask the navigator.
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