I Need To Listen To More Music

All of my life, until I went to law school, I listened to a lot of music. A lot. I have my favorites, and I have to admit, I am one of those who listens to my favorite songs over and over and over. And then some. I have always had some kind of stereo. Until law school. Number one, I didn't have time to listen to a lot of music. Plus my stereo equipment took up too much room and looked tacky. So out it went, I bought a little CD player with radio, and to be honest, I have never figured out how to use it. It looks nice ont he end table, but I can't get stations without static, and anyway, it is no good and a pain in the nect. I think I will pitch it soon. I have an iphone but haven't figured out how to do music on it yet. I also have an MP3 player that I have never used. That could be my answer, but I really need to get some mp3 speakers. I miss my music and tension relieving it provides!

Going To Visit My Friend In The Hospital

I found out the other day that a high school friend of mine is in the hospital. She was sick way back then, but got better. Seems the old illness has come back, and it has been exacerbated by a bad drug. She sounds like she is in a realy bad way. She will probably get better once again, but she will have a long road to recovery. Another mutual high school friend and I are going to see her this weekend. She has already been to see her, and she has prepared me. She doesn't look well, she has difficulty talking, and basically seems worse than she really is. She did not get to talk with her much, as nurses in their brightly colored nursing scrubs were coming in and out of the room, as was the speech therapist and family members. I hate to think of her in this position--she is so sweet and nice. She loves her job, so I hope she can keep it--she has been out of work for quite a while now. I hope she has a full recovery. It is just not fair.

Cleaning Out My Closets

I have been cleaning and organizing my small condo for some time now. It has taken so long, you would think I owned a mansion. I don't know why housework and house organizing takes me so long. I can do work work all day long and get a lot accomplished, but give me a little housework to do, and I hardly make any progress at all.

And I know my friends wonder why it takes me so long. They ask me to do something, and I say, no--I have junk mail to sort, drawers to clean out, and closets to clean. My stash of girls belts alone will take a ton of time to go through.

Then, I have to sort my books and give some away. Then clean out the drawers and the heavy sweaters I don't wear anymore. Then clean out the kitchen cupboards to be able to store more food. But back to the closets.

Somehow I have to merge two closets into one. Give enough clothes away to move clothes from the guest bedroom closet into my closet. And then I have to get rid of a lot of accessories: shoes, purses, girls belts that I have accumulated, etc. Regarding the girls belts, it makes me sad, because some of them are so small, and I wish I could still fit into them. But I am not going to keep them. Even if I lose as much weight as I want, I will never lose that much!

Wanting To Get Back In Shape Now For Sure

Ok, I am on my way to better fitness! I have been trying to eat better and get more exercize. Little by little I doing both. I just need to ramp it up! What brought on this and why now? Well, I am not getting any younger or smaller. :) I want to look pretty and wear my skinny clothes. I have not had to wear plus size clothing yet, but it was getting close!

Also, I recently had a physical for the first time in a long time, and I am OK, but I need to make some changes now, before I am not OK. I need to lower my blood pressure a little, get my good  cholesterol number up, and just be healthier!

Also, my mother has given me some of her discarded plus size clothing, which is never a good sign. She has lost a lot of weight recently and the clothes are too big for her. They are too big for me too, but what is scary is that she thought I needed them. Eek!

Not that there isn't cute plus size clothing out there--there is. And if I needed to wear that size, I would still want to look smart. But if I get myself together now, I won't need to wear them, and hopefully, I can look great on my cruise after the first of the year!

I Miss Being Around A Business School

I used to work at a business school, and I miss those days. I picked up a lot of business concepts and terms, like hedge funds, derivatives, supply chain, and Business valuation NYC. I attended lectures given by prominent CEOs from around the world, and conferences featuring leading speakers from government and business.

Sometimes I sat in on classes too and would wonder what it was like to really be an MBA student. When they would toss around phrases like Business valuation NYC or IPO, sometimes it would go over my head, but at other times, it would sink in. I thought for a while about getting an MBA, since the graduates seemed to be so successful. But I think I made the right decision in getting a law degree instead.

But even more important than learning terms such as Business valuation NYC and triple bottom line, was the energy that I gained from those at the school. I learned from them that it is OK to keep learning, keep trying new things, and making and building new things. That you can reinvent yourself. I can't say enough how important these lessons were for me, as I embarked on my new careers. I am forever grateful.

Bar Exam Successful List

The results for the bar exam for my state will be released today. Luckily, I don't have to worry--I passed a couple of years ago. But I know the stress and worry about the list appearing online at a magic hour, and seeing if your name is there. If it is not there, you did not pass. You did not pass Go. You go back home and start studying again. I know--that happened to me the first time. And the whole world, or at least the whole bar exam world in your state, knows it the same time you do.

I hope for the best for all of the test takers. That one score can change your life dramatically. A passing score can put you on track for a new career and prestige, or a failing score can put you into stall mode for a while.

 But if your name is not on the list, do not despair. Just vow to understand why you did not pass and make changes. Maybe you need more quiet time. Or more rest. Or more support. Or a better way to study. Or a better place to study.  Or a group to study with. Or to study by yourself, if you studied with others the last time, and that did not work. Or to memorize more elements or rules. Only you can figure out how to increase your chances next time. But remember--if you graduated from law school, you can pass the bar. You just have to hunker down and do it.

The Wonderful Apple MacIntosh

Remember this little ditty? I was watching the Steve Jobs coverage last night and heard an old report of him saying that the MacIntosh was something that people could take home from work with them, and maybe someday they would even buy a second one to keep at home. I had to laugh! I used to take my home with me to work on the weekends, but I thought I was the only one. I just thought I was wacky and weird. And also thought maybe I shouldn't be moving it. Little did I know that Jobs had made the computer to do just that.

Quotes From Steve Jobs

Like almost everyone else, I am mourning the loss of Steve Jobs. What a remarkable man. And I do have to say, as young man, he was adorable! I listened to a lot of talk shows last night that recapped his life and career. Two of the more interesting points were that he was a real tech genius who wanted to create more than he wanted to make money, and that he dropped out of college, because he knew (like Bill Gates) that he had to be involved in this product, this movement NOW, not a minute or year later. Can you imagine having that kind of feeling or knowledge that NOW is the time to do something. If you don't grab on to it NOW, you are going to lost that moment? What a visionary.

There was a great CNN article today that captured some of Jobs' best quotes. Here are some of them:

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

"We don't get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life"

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose."

"You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

"Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works."

"I want to put a ding in the universe."

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we have done something wonderful, that is what matters to me."

"My model for business is the Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts."

"That's been one of my mantras--focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean so it can be simple. But it's worth it in the end. Once you get there, you can move mountains."

"I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the unsuccessful ones is pure perseverance."

RIP Steve Jobs. We will miss you.

To Move Ahead Or Change Careers, Try Baby Steps First

The article below has some great advice for career changers and those who want to move ahead. If you are afraid to make major changes in your career, start small and slow. Try out new tasks and roles. See how you like it. Remember, change is the name of the game these days and has been for quite a while actually. You need to add to your job skills and look at the horizon at what you need to do to succeed in the coming years.

Also, what helped me make a major career change(s) is to be around other people who make changes frequently. Join business groups that talk about entrepreneurship and change. It will seep into your brain, believe me, and it won't be scary when it is time for you to make a career change.


http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2756-Career-Growth-and-Change-If-fear-stalling-your-career/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42756&sc_extcmp=JS_2756_home1&gt1=23000

I Am Hooked On Breaking Bad

To me, Breaking Bad is the new Sopranos. Meaning it is my newest vice in TV. The word vice, I guess, is ironic, since it is about a super meth lab.

The whole premise of the show though is a little silly. What high school chemistry professor would work in a super meth lab to begin with? What kind of teacher would do that? He has lung cancer, an older child with cerebral palsy, and an infant. So the reason behind his switch in careers is that he wants to look after them. Whatever happened to the idea that that was what life insurance was for?

The other unbelievable part of the show is that someone with lung cancer could look that good and be that strong. I have known many people who have died from lung cancer, and they could never do what he does. They wouldn't live that long. On the show, it says he has gone into remission, something else that hardly ever or never happens. The storyline would be more believeable if he had lymphoma, prostate cancer, or leukemia--cancers that really do go into remission.

But despite these storyline weaknesses, it is a great show and one that is addicting. Haha. It is at the end of the fourth season, and both the authorities and the man in charge is closing in on Walter. Who will win?

The Help Is Gripping

When my book club decided to read  the book The Help almost a year ago, I didn't think I would like it that much. I am not originally from the South and my family never had a black maid. I often don't relate to Southern literature for those reasons. Growing up in the South was a lot different that growing up in the North apparently. Up North, we didn't have black maids and did not have the guilt conciousness that is prevalent in the South. If you are not a racist in the South, you more than likely have guilt consciousness about how blacks were treated. And that is a good thing.  For those who grew up in areas where blacks were servants and not treated equally, and you remember that from your youth, you should feel some guilt, even if you didn't do anything wrong. You were still part of that system, like it or not.

I could not put the book down. Being a journalist, I think I was initially pulled in by Skeeter, who is the journalist and the impetus behind the book. She is super. I would like to be at least a smidgen like her. Then I got hooked on the greater story--telling the story of the maids, and that was so compelling. Even though it is a work of fiction, there were probably some similar real milestones that helped the movement along the way. And you wished that there had been such a book published back in the 60s.

Then I saw the move The Help this weekend and thought it was likewise fabulous. It captured the spirit of the book very well and had a great cast. I shed a tear a time or two. The friend I went with said the book and the movie fell a little short--that the hard work of civil rights came after the time of the book. I told her I agreed with her, but that was for another book and another movie. This one was purely for the maids and their voice.  About time.

Jobs That Don't Require Education

The title of this post might seem weird. I am all about education, so why am I writing about jobs that don't need education? Maybe because in this day and age, it is good to get any job, education required or not!
I talked with a high school friend yesterday who is very down on his luck. He is highly educated--has a law degree and has extensive work experience. But a series of bad or untimely career decisions has left him out of work, and down on his luck. I am actually feeling kind of worried about him.

I was trying to think of what he could do and do quickly to make some money. I saw an ad for drivers wanted that I thought I would tell him about. Such a job would be out of his comfort zone--but which is better--to be out of your comfort zone or homeless? I think the former. I told him about the drivers wanted
ad, but he didn't really understand what I was talking about, so he will have to read it for himself and make up his mind. I have seen a number of drivers wanted ads in recent weeks, so it may be something that people can do start doing quickly and painlessly. I guess it wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, but it wouldn't hurt him to look into it.

The Weather Outside Is Beautiful!

October is a wonderful month in the south. It is the perfect weather to be outside--sometimes you have to wear a sweater, but for the most part it is still warm but not bloody hot. You can actually go outside and enjoy a walk, a football game, or a picnic and not be sweltering but also not bundled up.

But even in the south, it gets cold come November and especially December. I live in an area where the weather can change quickly from warm to cool to cold to blistering hot all in a few hours or days. Well OK, maybe it is not that drastic, but it can fool people from out of town. "It was so hot yesterday--what happened?" you'll see some people shuddering as they huddle by in the unexpected cold wind. "That's just the way the weather is here," we locals will respond. It does make it hard when you only packed for one kind of weather or another and you get hit with a total unexpected change of temperature.

There are times in December/January/February that it is just too cold to be outside. Then you really have to be prepared. I have heard of heated gloves and I may look into them. That along with heated socks may help take the chill off when you just have to be outside and it is 17 degrees F.

Verdict Expected Today In Amanda Knox Case

A jury in Perugia, Italy, is deliberating today in the appeal of the 2009 murder conviction of Amanda Knox. Will she get off? Or will she have to spend about 25 years in prison there? We should know soon. Seems like the tide has change somewhat for Knox. A little while ago, it looked hopeless that she could get released. Lately, however, it seems like there has been renewed hope. The murder victim's sister--Stephanie Kercher--told reporters today that she thinks that the victim, Meredith Kercher, has been forgotten in all of the media hoopla. The story is so sad and strange. Amanda did herself no favors early on with her odd behavior following the discover of the murder. Hopefully, justice will work out somehow, and if Amanda is truly innocent, that that will come out in court.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/amanda-knox-appeal-update_n_991800.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%7C100936

UPDATE: Amanda Knox as well as her boyfriend were found not guilty today in the appeal of their murder tiral. Definitely good, although probably unexpected news. Knox's tears of joy were wonderful to watch as all of her friends and family stood next to her in the courtroom.

My Freelancing Is Drying Up?

Wasn't it only the other day that I was bragging on myself that I was sitting pretty with freelance writing Pulling in a decent amount of extra money every month? Well, how quickly things change. I had two extremely good contracts on odesk, one of the freelance websites. Pulling in some good money. And all of us who use those websites know how unusual it is to make good money on there. Well, I was doing it. And I had plans for that money!

The one contract, to be honest, went two months longer than expected. He hired me for two months, but I went five. So actually, it was a bonus. But he closed the job, saying it was complete. I loved that job, and it paid well. Oh well. I knew it was going to happen--I was just hoping he would use me in perpetuity. The other job pays a little less than the other, but still well. We were backed up on work, and that was a good thing. There was always work to do.  But today, there is none. What happened? I am fairly new with the contract, and others on the team have told me that work ebbs and flows with the project. So, I guess it will come back up. But I was counting on working a lot of hours this weekend. I need the money!

The life of a freelancer. At least I do have a regular job. This is why I would be scared to freelance full time. Things come and go too much. But it is good to have on the side.

Where Should A Company Buy Products?

Whether you are a startup or a multi million dollar firm, and if you sell products, you have to figure out where to buy them. Some are dedicated to buying locally, so their decision is easier. But if you want to buy the best products at the best prices, the whole world is literally open to you.

But how do you start? You need to do research and maybe get some help. If you are buying across the country from where you are, you need to either travel periodically to where your products are being made or hire someone to check on them for you. What if you are buying overseas? Same concept. If you are wanting or hoping to work with China, you could do research on such things as china sourcing; same thing if you are wanting to buy from Mexico or India, or wherever.

Most companies going into a foreign country would probably need help with this. There are so many things to consider: language, customs, culture, etc. It is best to get up to speed on these things. Mentors, or staff experienced in working overseas or china sourcing options might be helpful.

But whether you end up using china sourcing or india sourcing, or mexico sourcing, or trying to go it on your own in international business, do you homework. It's a whole new world.