Granatstein.ca

Lady Luck by Jennifer A Sayers

I’ve been told that I am lucky. I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, I value all the people in my life, their health and mine and the roof over my head, but Good Luck doesn’t find me, I find it. And it’s bloody hard work.

The old adage “The right place at the right time” is definitely part of it, but that place is not at your house — blogging the days away, in your pajamas, with 7 different glasses filled with half-drunken teas, waters, smoothies, soup…well you get the point.

But without the second part of the equation, it’s all-for-not. For luck to be fulfilled, there needs to be action. On Season 3, episode 6 of Mad Men, Don Draper gets an out-of-the-blue phone call from Conrad Hilton’s secretary. He’s never met the hotel icon (or so he thinks) and his secretary is calling to set up a meeting between the two. “When are you available?” she asks, to which Draper replies (in the middle of a staff party), “How about right now?” Spontaneous meetings like this rarely happen, but the fact is that letting an idea get stale, letting someone’s interest in you taper, can happen within hours.

I haven’t seen any data about the longevity of a new business lead or the how quickly someone’s availability (mental or physical) will sustain itself. All I know is don’t drop that ball. Run as fast as you can and slam dunk that little thing we call luck.

Just as people and clients are catching on that a blog is a good thing, there are some serious party crashers arriving with armloads of “The Blog is dead,”  kind of noise. Didn’t your mother ever teach you to bring something nice to share at a party?

Was happy (as always) to read Copyblogger’s POV on the topic, validating for a while longer the existence of my somewhat self-serving, mostly un-read, and overly spammed blog. To increase readership, I’ve been trying to expand my audience, but with the increasing subscriber spam-a-lot issues, I decided to go the old-fashioned route and persuade a small group of potential followers via email to hop on my blog and subscribe via RSS.

Seems I opened a bit of a can ’o worms: I’d say 80% of my audience did not understand the concept of RSS. So…here’s a quick lesson in RSS!

Before I do though, I should add a thanks to my Tech Guide, Mentor, Fixer….Mr. Troy Forster (wild applause) who reassured me that my RSS was not “broken” and provided some of the following insight as to why people are in the dark about RSS. Head towards the light!

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication.

What do you do with an RSS feed?

When you subscribe to something you need a place to read it.

Download a reader like Feedburner or check out Google Reader. Oh geeze…Feedburner has been gobbled by Google. Anyway, get to Google Reader, know it, add subscriptions, group them into categories for ease. It is user friendly: I PROMISE!

Or go the other way….from the Sight of Interest (SOI), look on the far right in the address window and it could look like this:

It also appears as a grey rectangle icon in a Safari address window with the letters RSS in white.

Click on the icon. The articles current and past of the SOI will pop up. On the right column down towards the bottom you will see ACTIONS. Take Action: Subscribe by Mail, Mail the Link of the page to share the content with someone else.

Why would you want to subscribe to a blog or web site?

Because, everyone’s doing it! No…because there is so much great content out there, so much helpful information, and you can have it delivered to you whenever there is a new entry to devour. It will show up for you to sift through easily and then you’ve missed nothing. You probably saved time too since once you get to the SOI, you’re likely to roam about.

Why’s it so mysterious? There hasn’t been a lot of obvious information about it!

While RSS has been around for a decade it has only shown up in recent versions of the Browsers. FireFox 2+, Safari 3+ and Internet Explorer7+.  If you have an old browser, like IE 6, then there would not be an icon in the browser. But even if you did not, to subscribe to a blog, you could still click the link on the page under the Meta heading.

See, it really is Really Simple Syndication.

I decided to put these two pucker products lip-to-lip. Same tube, very close in price, but what’s inside is remarkably different.

Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss in Nectar Nude (15 ml)

$11.99 at EcoExistence, Toronto.

Smoothes on easily with a beautiful sparkly effect. Absorption of good-for-you ingredients were felt immediately on application. The scent is truly nectar-like — zesty but subtle — without being synthetically fruity smelling; however, my guess is that Burt’s Bees has used a synthetic fragrance since “aroma”  is listed on the ingredient list. Fair game though, since a “Natural” product according to the Natural Products Association can have up to 5% non-natural ingredients. The sparkly bits are mica particles that make the gloss feel a tad grainy, but this sensation wears off while the gloss…did not. Wear was medium, about 1 hour.

L’Oréal Colour Juice in Peek-a-Boo Clear (15 ml)

$10.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, Toronto.

I have to admit, for a time, I was enamored with the high sheen characteristics of this one; my lips seemed to have this sparkly, Cinderella quality.  But…they kind of tingled — and not in the citrusy, cinnamony healthy kind of way. This gloss is pretty sticky and  sat on top of my lips, smelling a bit like Vaseline. There is no ingredient list present on the tube which I thought was a must? Wear was med-long about 1.5 hours.

Preference?

Let’s see…what would I rather put on my lips — moisturizing and healing oils from blooms, trees and flower seeds, or polymers, thickening agents, and parabens? Ingredients aside, I think my lips looked more real, more healthy, and in the end were nicely moisturized with Burt’s Bees Super Shiny. I’ll keep the colour juice on hand though, it will be great lube for my son’s skate-board bearings.

INGREDIENT LISTS

L’Oréal  Colour Juice Ingredients: POLYBUTENE • PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE • C18-36 ACID TRIGLYCERIDE • TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE • BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2 • SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE • CERA ALBA / BEESWAX / CIRE D’ABEILLE • PARFUM / FRAGRANCE • CALCIUM SODIUM • BOROSILICATE • CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE • ISOPROPYLPARABEN • ISOBUTYLPARABEN • BUTYLPARABEN • BENZYL ALCOHOL • BHT • SILICA • POLYETHYLENE • TEREPHTHALATE • POLYMETHYL METHACRYLATE

[+/- MAY CONTAIN : MICA • CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE • CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491 / IRON • OXIDES • CI 15850 / RED 7 • CI 45380 / RED 22 LAKE • CI 45410 / RED 28 LAKE • CI 15985 / YELLOW 6 LAKE • CI 75470 / CARMINE • CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 LAKE • CI 42090 / BLUE 1 LAKE • CI 73360 / RED 30]

Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Lip Natural Lip Gloss Ingredients: RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR SEED OIL), HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER SEED OIL), ACACIA DECURRENS FLOWER WAX, PHYTOSTERYL CANOLA GLYCERIDES, AROMA (FLAVOR), SILICA, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND OIL), TOCOPHEROL, MICA. MAY CONTAIN / FRENCH TRANSLATION (+/-):CI 77491/77492/77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 75470 (CARMINE), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), TIN OXIDE

Product: Mini Shoo-foo from Shoo-foo

Where: The Orange Tulip, Ottawa

Price: $1.95

Why: The displays sample was so soft I wanted to get my jammies, suck my thumb and take a nap.

Benefits: Portable (1 ¾” diameter), great for travel and camping. Compostable, scent-free, chemical free, made from a sustainable resource.

Downside: Made in China

The Mini Shoo-foo blossomed into an impossibly soft, generously-sized washcloth that held together well for one use in the bath. It fell apart during the second use and is now composting in the garden.

Why all the buzz about bamboo?

If you’ve ever grown bamboo in your garden as an ornamental you will know that when it starts running towards the foundation of your house, it’s already too late. Chances are it’s already growing in your pipes. As beautiful as it is, bamboo is THE most invasive and fastest-growing plant in the world, reaching maturity at three years with growth that’s been measured up to 3’ in one day. That’s feet, not inches.

Bamboo has now become the darling of the eco-consumer. Its lightening speed growth makes it renewable, but the additional sustainable benefits are hard to argue. Unlike its dirty cousin cotton, this crop does not require pesticides and herbicides and has a low water demand. Used for production of the silkiest, softest textile products that are hypoallergenic, naturally antibacterial and highly absorbant, bamboo deserves its new star status.

The dirty on cotton:

• Cotton is the world’s thirstiest crop with up to 20,000L of water required to make 1kg of cotton – equivalent to a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The water required to supply at least 73% of the world’s cotton crops is withdrawn from freshwater resources, through extensive irrigation and damming.
• Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and defoliants.). (Allan Woodburn)
• Approximately 10% of all pesticides sold for use in U. S. agriculture were applied to cotton in 1997, the most recent year for which such data is publicly available. (ACPA)
• Fifty-five million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 12.8 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2003 (4.3 pounds/ acre), ranking cotton third behind corn and soybeans in total amount of pesticides sprayed. (USDA)
• Over 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to conventional cotton in 2000 (142 pounds/acre), making cotton the fourth most heavily fertilized crop behind corn, winter wheat, and soybeans. (USDA)

I know David Suzuki would have more to say on the topic of over-exploiting a good thing and mono-crop planting, but in comparison to cotton, bamboo is looking good. And hopefully it won’t  take over the world like Kuzdu seems to be doing in the southern US.

YouTube – Kudzu

Sources: Organic Trade Association, Bamboo Body

A year ago at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, at the gift shop, I noticed the small tins. They looked like Altoids (love the tins) but contained “Aromatherapy Body Patches.”  I am ever a sucker for natural remedies and plants, essential oils in particular.   So novel was this approach that I had to pick up a box of Rose Geranium patches.

This particular patch is meant to alleviate the physical and emotional symptoms of PMS/Menopause. PMS is a relatively new condition for me (although some would argue not); I waited a week until my predictable witching hours and slapped one on my arm. The effects were immediate and lasted a full 24 hours. All I need. I have used this particular patch for the past year and  have also tested the Lavender (sleep and relaxtion), Arnica (for pain), Citrus (for energy) patches and Eucalyptus.  They all work. All of them.  Recent news is that the Eucalyptus patch is not only good for cough and cold but for seasonal allergies as well. I love this product line. It’s a safe, effective and inexpensive alternative to pill-popping and great for kids. They smell fantastic too.  

Keep your eye out for these patches in Canada. I’ll be keeping you updated on how to get these gems into your hands and onto your body. If you know a retailer that may be interested, let me know. If you need one right now, let me know that too and I’ll Patch you in. 

It irritated me so much that I couldn’t fix the shuffle on my Touch and of course the answer was online. Among the many whiners and naysayers about Apple products was the answer. It was a very simple icon that was activated on the Now Playing window. The little #1 needed to go away. A simple touch and it was gone and my tunes are back. Got a problem? Check the web.

A speaker dock was the final item on the list that everyone agreed would make the rented abode in the Eastern Townships home. I was going for the small round JLB dock but the only one left was a giant model. Boo! The Bose was tempting but not quite portable. Not in the budget either. The sound of the Logitech was pretty good and it was the most portable. Done. Bought. Fini. We were out of Future Shop in 15 minutes.*

We discovered around Oshawa that the joy of random was snuffed out on W’s iPod Touch. It played the same song over and over no matter how you selected…playlist, song, artist, whatever, so my Touch was the mainstay for the whole trip down.

Day two. Logitech was set up. Charging was an issue for W’s Touch. My Touch however, was working great.

Day three. My son announced his DS was dead and there was no charger. He brought his PSP charger for W’s son WF, but not the DS charger.  WF had his ear buds but not his iPod. And WF didn’t need the PSP charger because he left his Playstation at home. He thought it would be a good thing to leave it behind but I can tell regret is setting in as his eyes are kind of glazing over with boredom right about now. But he is a good sport so he doesn’t say much.

I sit on the couch and read the Logitech manual to see if I could remedy the random and charge issue and I also unwrap the Logitech’s remote. Yay, another remote. It worked! And then……my Touch caught the randomless curse. Had to turn everything off. The repetition was killing the carefully selected songs loaded on my device.

I thought it would be a great idea to download a movie but the night before it took two hours to load The Changling from iTunes.  How about BitTorrent says W? OK, so I download the app and go looking for Anchorman, a pleaser for the whole crowd. I find the url for the movie and on the page is much action of the undressed kind advertising local ladies. I am blocking the screen from the kids. Smut in small towns too? I thought we were hidden in cottage country away from such lasciviousness. You can’t hide when you surf the net.  It was bedtime anyway.

Day four. We have one device left: an old fashioned dvd player/radio. We tune it to CBC Radio1.  The sound was clear and the music resonated with each of us.  Mountain music, up and coming Canadian stars, Ron Sexsmith and of course the tales of Stuart McLean.  It was continuous, informative, interesting. The program hosts did their jobs well (we never heard the same thing twice) and the respite from buggy technology was particularly welcome. It felt truly Canadian to sit in our cottage on the lake after a big day of skiing and listen to the sounds of CBC.

 I guess I should try it at home.

* I am returning the Logitech today. I found the receipt. It’s in a little envelope type thing, the cover of which says, “Don’t fix it…replace it.”  !!!!  This little statement  makes me cringe. This mind-set is a major contributor to our current global financial crisis. No more last-minute (or any-minute) runs to Future Shop for me.

I remember walking into a Harry Rosen store years ago with my roommate who was looking for a gift. She and the salesman caught me smelling the ties. The look on their faces was a cross between amusement and concern. I don’t know why I have to smell everything but I do. I’m not a Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, but I do, and can, smell everything.

This past weekend my family was in from out of town. I cooked up a storm. We ate, we drank we lay about. The next day everyone had left the house.  I went for a run and when I stepped back in, my childhood enveloped me. There was the smell of coffee that transported me to the elaborate brunches at my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Westmount where their yappy snarling Schnauzer guarded the kitchen.  Then…lingering molecules of chicken soup I had heated up the day before took me back to the season of the matzoh-ball: passover at my parents’ apartment. The light was always so dramatic at that time of year…the sunset poured in through the huge windows, heating the rooms, the smell of dill and chicken, suspended.

After the chicken soup came the base note: my mother’s perfume. It was a mix of Clinique Elixir and Must De Cartier – a beautiful blend really – perhaps the Lauders and the House of Cartier should talk? I keep the house cool when Mom’s in town so that she’ll borrow my sweaters. The scent holds for a few days if I’m lucky.

Whoever said you can’t ever replicate the smell of your home was incorrect. They just didn’t get the formulation right.

Until this past May, I’d been freelancing for about four years. And I’d been dating for about two since the demise of my 13-year marriage. I often marvel about how incredibly similar these two careers are. And yes, they are careers. Both can be extremely fulfilling, replete with variety. Both take up every minute of your life when you’re focused, and both can make you feel on top of the world one minute and at the bottom of the heap the next.

Just compare how easily interchangeable the chapters would be if you were reading a book about dating and freelancing: Marketing yourself to get that second call-back; Strategies on making first contact; Focusing your search to get what you want; and of course,  Fear of Commitment. And then there’s the first meeting between freelancer and potential client. It may be at a professional event, or thanks to a third-party introduction, or a response to an online post. You call to follow-up and sell yourself and your services. You think about how GREAT the conversation went! You felt a connection. You dissect every last word, all the body language displayed. You have fantasies about working for this Client and where it will take you. And then you wait for the call back. And you wait. And wait. You are stuck in Dr. Suess’s Waiting Place. You check your email about every 30 seconds to the point where you are sure you’ve damaged the outgoing mail server or whatever. Then, a couple of days later a wave of loss and disappointment mixed with a bit of nausea washes over you, but you are onto the next, you have to be and…because there is plenty of work in the sea.

The next prospect is around the corner. Always. And the first meeting is like a first date. Always. Minus the alcohol. Freelancer and potential client have most likely googled each other to get more information beforehand. Emails back and forth to reschedule follow. The Client is not sure about hiring a Freelancer, but the Freelancer, ever savvy at selling, lands a meeting. A date is set. The two meet, there’s a spark and a connection and a working relationship is born.

In the early stages of the relationship, everything is sparkly and new. A new business win imparts a glow and a walking-on-a-cloud-ankle-clicking optimism comparable to a date that doesn’t include asking for a to-go cup for your coffee. You visualize all good things, see a future together, growth and opportunity. This is “The One,” you think. I could be here for a long time.

Like in any new relationship you care about, you want to do things the right way. Too many phone calls is too pushy. Make the mistake of being too available, too accessible and your value diminishes. Your clients wonder why you aren’t ignoring them like the rest of their suppliers. Maybe, they think, it’s because you’re not busy enough! Yeah, that’s it…And if anyone tells you that this doesn’t apply to the dating game, they are either out of their mind or have never dated.

Sometimes things get messy. Sometimes the work ends abruptly without any known reason. But sometimes beautiful things happen. You gel with a client and their business. You get to know them inside and out, there is great compatibility, you do great work for them and with them, and a long-lasting partnership ensues.

But whether you are a freelancer, or out there dating, many of the same rules apply; in the end, in both circumstances, you want to be remembered as smart and interesting with a lot to offer. You also want to remember now and again to revel in the fact that you can experience a variety of situations and you can always settle down…if that’s what you really want.

Ah…I don’t know. I figure I’d better write a little something if nothing at all. The blog is going to go the way of the dodo if this keeps up.  I’ve crossed over to the smelly side. Fragrance, that is. PR was starting to smell a bit musty…stale even. But darn it…wouldn’t ya know, as soon as I hang up the PR pashmina for a spell, a client is ready to hit YouTube.  Typical.  Interesting to note that just as the PR and marketing world is going through monumental changes (a la social media, etc.), so too is the beauty world experiencing it’s own scan-dals with  companies like Avalon Organics getting busted for greenwashing their adoring consumers. Countless companies from big boy/girl Estee Lauder to smaller brands like Jason are touting their naturalness whilst perpetuating the petroleum in the ingredient list.  Don’t tout – you’ll be found out!!! The petro-narcs are out and about….