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Christmas preparations
There's only a week to go until Christmas, and everyone is feeling… well pretty damn exhausted actually. If your house is anything like ours, December has been a hotchpotch of winter bugs, a handful of late nights with no chance of a lie in thrown in afterwards and afternoons that get dark at 3.30pm leaving you wondering what on earth to do with the children until bedtime. I've also been boycotting Amazon, which has made the business of Christmas shopping much more baffling than it really should have been.
So in the interests of actually enjoying the festive season and making it through to 2014 in a positive, optimistic and graceful manner, here are a few of the mantras I'll be using.
1. Practice your gratitudes
For when the house is a state, the extended family have outstayed their welcome and the kids have woken you up at 5am yet again… It's easy to get irritated by the small stuff, even if deep down you are lucky enough to know that the big stuff is just fine. So, when you find yourself getting irritated by, and irritable with, those closest and dearest, find some time to practice your gratitudes. What are you truly thankful for? What is great about your life and your family? What do you really love about your partner? Mind still blank? Grab yourself some chocolate and think a bit harder. Training your mind is a bit like training your body – the more repetitions you do of something, the easier it becomes. In fact, think of it like your pelvic floor exercises. You really need to be finding some time everyday just to quietly practice your gratitudes (and no-one else need know). Your mind will soon begin to take a more appreciative outlook rather than getting caught up with minor irritations.
2. Remember that you are 'enough' just the way you are.
Don't let that voice in your head that is telling you that you are not good enough ruin your festivities. You know, the one that says you are not good enough at cooking or organising Christmas, that you're not fun enough, thin enough, pretty enough, have a big enough home, have a Christmassy enough home… Insert your own bossy 'not good enough' voice here. How about for the next two weeks, you just give yourself a break? You are enough, exactly the way that you are. And as soon as you hear that voice, recognise it for what it is and politely tell him / her that he / she's not invited to Christmas this year
3. Find yourself some space
One of my favourite parts in the film 'This is 40' is where Phoebe from Friends' husband frequently spends his time on the toilet, pretending he is, erm, going to the toilet. Except he's not, he's just getting a bit of space. Seriously, his wife (in the film, not Phoebe. Obvs.) comes in and demands to see evidence he's actually been going to the toilet, rather than just sitting there mucking about on his ipad. It's hilarious. And probably a really effective strategy for blokes (who, in my experience, don't seem to mind people knowing they are going to the toilet and spending considerable amounts of time in there). The point is, how are you going to create some space for yourself over the Christmas season? Develop some strategies in advance so that you can be sure of the odd quiet 5 minutes without a child or in-law moaning in your ear. I'll give you some suggestions for free: Don't shower first thing in the morning so that around 11.30am when it's all getting a bit much you can legitimately say 'I need to go and shower now'. Pretend to take up smoking. 'Realise' you've ran out of bread / milk / vodka and valiantly offer to walk to the shop in the rain to get some more supplies. Walk the dog. Chuck some milk on your top and pretend the baby's been sick on you so you need to go and change outfits (xref running out of milk). See it's easy once you start thinking about it.
4. Reflect on 2013
Take some time to think about 2013 so that you can 'close' the year on the 31st and be ready to start 2014. What have been your successes this year? What has been challenging for you? What have been your key learnings? What do you know about yourself and your family now that you didn't 12 months ago? If 2013 was to be a chapter in your autobiography, what would you call it? Rather than rushing in to next year, find some time to breathe and to reflect on the year that has passed. Spend some time on this, write things down, push yourself to come up with a bit more than that which comes immediately to mind. Often you'll be surprised at what comes up for you when you delve a bit deeper.
5. Enjoy! (and be joyful)
Deep seated and true joy can be one of the most difficult emotions to bear. You might think 'who am I to be this happy?'. Or (my own personal gremlin), as soon as you find yourself feeling truly happy and content, you might start thinking 'well, this isn't going to last' and start imagining future possible catastrophic events which are going to take away everything that is making you happy. That is because there is a vulnerability inherent in experiencing true happiness. Brene Brown (Daring Greatly, 2012) has written some important stuff in this area and so I'll hand over to her; "Once we make the connection between vulnerability and joy, the answer is pretty straightforward: We're trying to beat vulnerability to the punch. We don't want to be blind-sided by hurt… so we literally practice being devastated or never move from self-elected disappointment'. Her tools for stopping this head f*&k (my words, not hers) are 1) to realise that joy comes to us in ordinary moments, 2) to be grateful for what you have (see mantra no. 1) and 3) to not squander joy (That is, lean in to the joy, feel vulnerable and scared, and then stay there). Make a commitment to yourself this Christmas to allow yourself to enjoy it and to feel joyful.
6. If all else fails, book a flight to the Southern hemisphere asap.
Happy Christmas everyone.
An Amazon free Advent (week 1)
I had been feeling a little uncomfortable about my use of Amazon for a while. The tax thing didn't sit well, to put it mildly. But with two boys under the age of two, I found the convenience of being able to order whatever I needed without dragging them to the shops tended to over-ride whatever guilt I felt.
And then I read Carole Cadwalladr's piece in the Observer on the 1st December ('My week as an Amazon insider'). It was a brilliant piece that turned my vague ill feeling towards the company in to a clear and defined position.
I understood for the first time the sheer scale of their tax avoidance, I balked at their disregard for the agency staff that work there and I realized their claims of creating employment are, frankly, bullshit. Out of all of the shaming stats in the article, this is the one that hit home for me. "Shops employ 47 people for every $10m in sales… Amazon employs only 14 people per $10m of revenue. In Britain, it turned over £4.2bn last year, which is a net loss of 23,000 jobs."
And so I decided to stop my Amazon addiction. Just like that. This is the story of my Amazon free advent.
December 1st.
I know that one of the keys to success when breaking a habit is accountability. I needed to tell someone what I was doing so they could hold me accountable. If someone else was willing to go cold turkey with me too, so much the better.
At 10pm I post on Facebook, "Attempting to give up my Amazon addiction for the month of December. Anyone else in?". "No, no, no!" replies a friend within seconds.
At 10.02pm, my second post goes up following a moment of panic about digital books. Does anywhere else even do them? I felt sure someone on facebook would know.
I'm also feeling a little bit guilty about the two Christmas presents (one for my son and one for my husband) that are already hidden under the bed in that trademark Amazon packaging.
December 2nd.
My facebook posts have received some interesting feedback. My Mum friends, as yet, are not 'in'. 'What else would I do when feeding in the night?' asks one. 'It's not humanly possible' suggests another. A further friend makes an astute point; 'Makes me laugh how everyone boycotted Starbucks for not paying their taxes but couldn't quite manage boycotting Amazon. Probably because there is always an alternative coffee shop. Please support your local traders, they won't be there if you don't.'
And apparently you can get ebooks from ebooks.com, WHSmith online, Waterstones online and itunes.
Meanwhile the news channels are full of incredulity at Amazon's claims to be testing unmanned drones to deliver goods to consumers. This makes me feel a little bit queasy inside and fuels my commitment to the boycott. Conversely, Jeff Bezoz (Amazon's Chief Executive) is talking about it to CBS's 60 Minutes programme and seems to think it's good PR.
December 3rd
Received two Christmas lists today. One came directly via Amazon and was a list of books the sender would like for Christmas. Great bit of marketing and I love giving books for presents, but will have to buy them elsewhere. The other list I received said 'Jaguar memorabilia – loads on Amazon!'.
Someone also tells me about Amazon's mission statement: "To be Earth's most customer-centric company where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online". The use of the word 'Earth' makes me laugh. Why not world? And then I feel a bit sick at their blatant desire for world (sorry Earth) domination. They want to sell absolutely everything to absolutely everyone.
December 4th
Spend a lot of time thinking about doing some Christmas shopping. Just don't seem to quite manage to do any. There is suddenly a bigger hurdle than usual in the way, which is making me feel quite stuck. Rather than just browsing Amazon, I have to find some new, funky websites or push the children down to the shops. That all makes me feel a bit stressed and so I put it off a while longer.
December 5th
Today I received a lovely piece of direct mail – a book catalogue from the campaign group 'Books are my bag'. Their premise is that bookshops are vital for our culture, community and high street. It is indeed a special connection when you get advice directly from a sales person in a book shop who shares his / her reading experiences. And book shops can be lovely places in which to browse and hang out. I realise there are lots of different people engaged in some kind of protest here, in different guises.
December 6th
Result! Two Christmas presents purchased and I also quickly realise the perils of blogging about your Christmas shopping. It's hard to keep things a secret. Doh! A local shop (http://www.lookmumnohands.com) has some lovely and different clothes, calendars and pictures. I pop in for a coffee and end up spending £65 – very much in the 'one present for you, one present for me' mindset. Secondly I go to the website www.photobox.co.uk and order a canvas with a picture of my husband and my son on which will make a lovely personalised present for Granny (who definitely doesn't read my blog!).
In the evening I notice an interesting thread unfold on Facebook. A friend has bought all of her presents locally and lugged them to the Post Office to send to the States. She was asked for £75 for postage, which is reduced to £52 after repeated weighing and box juggling. A further friend comments on the environmental cost of airmail. Someone else has some fantastic advice. First, M&S online ship free of charge if you spend £30. Second, she has done Christmas shopping by calling shops local to her family in Chicago. Apparently they were falling over themselves to help deliver; 'they thought it was cute, calling all the way from England'. Another point of view is delivered as a friend expresses concern at all of the small businesses in the Amazon marketplace (nothing to do with their warehouses) that might be missing out because of an Amazon backlash. So, wow. It's complicated.
December 7th
Have just finished an hour of intensive online Christmas shopping and this is what I've found out.
Amazon clearly dominates the market on cross category customer experience. The mission statement starts to make more sense to me as a customer, rather than it being corporate jargon. It truly is the easiest site to use with the biggest range of products. Nowhere else comes close.
Instead of using Amazon, much of my money ends up with www.johnlewis.com. One big site (or store) selling pretty much everything, with the plus side of their exemplary record of employment practice (owing to its unique ownership structure). See http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about/our-strategy.html to find out more. However, they have nowhere near the range of Adidas sports kit for example, so I'm led to other sites (www.adidas.com), having to enter my details again and paying further delivery costs, to obtain the items I'm after. The customer experience on www.johnlewis.com was pretty good but there is still room for improvement. When I realised something wasn't in my (now checked out) basket, I couldn't edit the order. Instead I had to start a new order which then cost me a £3 delivery charge as the system didn't realise I had spent a far larger amount 3 minutes earlier. I'll email John Lewis about this, as I'm sure the same delivery guy will bring the whole order.
I rediscover the joy of National Book Tokens after googling 'buy vouchers online', reminding myself of presents and school prizes from my youth. They operate across all high street book retailers, and I find out that there are 270 outlets accepting them within 10 miles of my house. Fantastic present for book lovers which helps support local bookstores too. Actually, a fantastic present for people that aren't book lovers and should be, too. Result.
I was hoping that during this experience, I would discover lovely little local shops and new online start-ups selling gorgeous and unique gifts for my family and friends. In reality, I'm still a Mum with two very young boys who doesn't have the time, energy or inclination to spend hours shopping. I have found myself trying to recreate Amazon's offering through other online retailers and realising that these other companies need to up their game with their stock availability and customer online experience if they are to compete in an Amazon world.
I'm left thinking that online aggregators of local high street shops, or even national high street brands, could help to provide viable alternatives. So as a consumer you place one order from lots of shops via a central hub, which then arranges the collection and delivery for you. A local one to me is www.hubbub.co.uk ('a home delivery service on a mission to save the high street') and it's very good. It is just more suited to your weekly shopping requirements than Christmas shopping. And postage and packaging is the other biggie that online companies need to crack, especially on an international level. But again perhaps an international network of local aggregators could solve this – in a 'think global, act local' manner. So if I wanted to buy something for my friends in Chicago, I just look at the Chicago local aggregator tab, choose my presents locally to them in one order to the central hub, along with my Hackney, Manchester and Kent presents, and the local aggregators then arrange the local collection and delivery. A logistical minefield, but ultimately this is what Amazon have got close to cracking.
Letting go of Guilt
Guilt seems like an inevitable part of being a Mum. There's always a list of things that we ought to be doing or ways in which we should be doing things differently. Our time is so stretched that we inevitably use short cuts so as to get by and then beat ourselves up about it. We also come across other Mums who approach things differently, or are perhaps a little less than honest in their descriptions of what goes on in their families, and suddenly that nagging and judgemental voice pops up in our heads again.
The media doesn't help either. We are bombarded with voices criticising what Mothers do. Today's little beauty from the Daily Mail – "Babies can 'contract' depression in the womb: Infants with depressed mothers have abnormal brain wiring". Because that's just what depressed, pregnant women need isn't it? Not only are they feeling pretty damn lousy already, the Daily Mail now tells them their babies are going to have an abnormality as a result. The blame and the guilt are aimed directly at the Mother. It's enough to make you feel quite depressed. Oh hang on…
In my coaching work I have found that sharing experiences of guilt with other Mums can be a cathartic experience. My suspicion was that it would be a comfort and reassurance to share your guilt triggers as it makes you feel part of a club and normalizes your feelings. I actually found that just saying the thing you feel guilty about out loud to someone, rather than just having it incessantly swirl around your own consciousness, was helpful in itself. The guilt trigger that had been gnawing away at you inside can suddenly sound trivial and ridiculous when said out loud. A bit of laughter and a not-taking-yourself-too-seriously perspective can work wonders.
However, just because other Mums share your guilt triggers (ridiculous or not), this is no reason to accept the situation. Guilt is an unhealthy emotion. It uses up a lot of energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Have a think about this. How does Guilt manifest itself in your life? What is the impact on you? Your partner? Your children? Your work? What is the cost of not doing anything about this feeling?
In Elinor Wilde's '100 Working Mums Project', mums said that feeling guilty, stretched, torn and miserable can lead to being snappy with their children, having little energy to spend time with them or their partner and certainly no energy for themselves.
I researched further to try and understand why it is such a negative emotion. A Cognitive Behavioural Therapy book about Guilt helped my understanding enormously (see 'Coping with Guilt' by Windy Dryden). 'Feeling guilty' is the emotion you experience when you blame or condemn yourself for doing something wrong, for failing to do the right thing or for harming or hurting someone. It is actually the unhealthy alternative to Remorse. If you feel remorseful, you accept your whole self whilst taking full responsibility for the behaviour. (So, rather than thinking I am a bad person for doing this thing, you are able to think, I am a fallible human being who in this instance did the wrong thing).
I have certainly found that many Mums experience Guilt in the same way that they experience stress, finding it difficult to pull the two things apart.
But how do we stop feeling like this? How do we let go of our own Guilt? This is when I need to introduce you to my own personal guilt saboteur. I call her Mary. The saboteur is a concept that embodies a group of thought processes and feelings that maintains the status quo in our lives. The best way I have to explain it is as that voice on your shoulder that is constantly sitting in judgement and telling you what you 'ought' to be doing.
My own guilt saboteur, Mary, is constantly telling me that I OUGHT to be a better Mum. I ought to be more present with my boys, ought to spend less time doing 'my' stuff and she tells me I should be able to cope with two very young boys. I should always be happy and upbeat, and should never have to ask for help. For me, she is personified by a lot of the Mums or female carers that you see in children's books – particularly quite traditional ones. Mary Poppins probably does it for me (although admittedly she's a nanny rather than the children's mother! She gets to go off duty occasionally!).
Have a think about what your guilt saboteur is telling you? Hint: Listen out for the phrases 'should be' and 'ought to be'. As a coach, that always tells me that the saboteur is present. Make a list of all of the judgemental remarks that she makes. And then start to think about what your guilt saboteur looks like. Does she remind you of anybody you have met? A character in a film or storybook? I've used Little Miss characters with lots of my clients. If you're stuck you could call her Little Miss Guilty.
Your guilt saboteur is neither good not bad. It just is. She will lose power over you when you can identify the voice for what it is and this is the first step. Stop and notice all of the options available in the situation to you (not just the shoulds and ought to's) and then consciously choose what it is we do really want at that time. If you could put the saboteurs voice to one side, what options are available to you? Is there a more positive angle that you would like to choose to hold regarding any situation? Is there something that you would like to do differently? As soon as you notice yourself saying 'should' or 'ought to', stop yourself. That's your guilt saboteur again! Perhaps change the 'should' to 'could' and see what comes up for you?
Finally, commit to doing something differently. Write down four things you are going to do differently as a result of this exercise. And then tell someone about it. You are much more likely to succeed if you share your intention. I would love to hear from you. Contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com
This is the story of a happy marriage
At the moment I am reading the rather wonderfully titled 'This is the story of a happy marriage' by Ann Patchett. It is actually a collection of Ann's nonfiction; articles that have appeared in various (mostly American) magazines and journals over the years.
One anecdote has really caught my imagination and it is told in the essay entitled 'The Getaway Car'. This chapter, incidentally, is the best description of the process of writing that I have ever read.
Ann had been putting off having the air conditioning fixed in her car whilst trying to make it as a writer. She has no money and is relying on fellowships and waitressing jobs to earn enough so that she can put her energies in to writing.
Aged 27 she receives her first book deal for $45,000. All she can think to spend it on is having the air conditioning fixed in her car which has been out for two years by this point. When she goes to the mechanic, he tells her that the a/c was low on coolant - 'a problem that was resolved for fifteen bucks'.
I love this story and it clearly resonates still with her (she is publishing this latest book aged 49 and comments 'that's the detail of selling my first book I always remember').
It got me thinking about how often we put things off because we think they are going to be hard. My own recent examples are
-putting off going to a yoga class at a new studio for weeks because I didn't think I'd be able to do the class post 2 pregnancies. (I finally went last week and loved it. It was challenging but exhilarating.)
-in a similar situation to Ann, I had put off getting my push bike fixed. For some reason I'd got it into my head they would write it off. (Actually it had a slow puncture that cost £12 to fix).
-not wanting to move house with an 18 month old and a 2 month old because it would be too hard. (You're probably laughing that I had a fair point. And it was bloody hard!!! But our new house is so much better for our family than the old one - it's bigger and not on a dangerous canal for a start. We worked out how to make the move as easy as possible on all of us, getting as much help as possible (some of it paid for) and I now think it's the best decision we made all year).
What are you putting off because of a myth you've told yourself in your head? What's the truth? Can you uncover the truth without jumping in to some kind of action? I can't guarantee everything will be easier than anticipated, but at least you'll be working with the truth and be able to plan accordingly.
Don't let the myths you tell yourself in your head stop you from doing something that matters.
Project 28 - 40
Please contribute your voice to Project 28-40, an important study into women's experiences in the workplace in the UK. The Project aims to accurately diagnose what is really happening so that more effective actions can be devised to encourage women to develop their careers.
Stop blaming women
Whilst researching a business proposal, I recently came across an article that really gave a clear and resonant voice to some of the thoughts that had been circling in my mind about women in the workplace. Below I've used his article to suggest three key steps that organisations need to take if they are to address their lack of female talent at a senior level.
The full article 'Stop blaming women: Prescribing a 21st century approach to gender diversity' is written by Jon Dymond and appears on the HayGroup website1.
The first key point Dymond makes is that seeking to retain senior female talent within any business is more than a social equality exercise. Gender makes a difference. Dymond delivers a number of sharp examples showing how increased senior talent equates with increased ROI. He also points out that 'women executives score twice as high as their male counterparts on empathy and conflict management capability and five times as high on self-awareness'.
Step 1 : Why do you want more senior female talent anyway?
Any business wanting to make a difference in this area must first ask itself why. If it is solely because the management feels like it should, then that's fair enough. You don't want to ignore half of the population when looking for the best people. But there is probably a more compelling call to action in there. What difference do women currently make within the business? What areas do they excel in? What business outcomes could female talent drive? I would suggest that it is a deep and shared knowledge of this that is needed for any initiative to land in a meaningful way, and with buy in from key stakeholders.
Dymond then goes on to argue that 'the real misdiagnosis in today's debate is the implication that the fault likes not with outmoded organisations but with women themselves'. I agree.
Too many times have I listened to organisations stating at best (complaining at worst) that women want career breaks, flexible working and work/ life balance. The reason behind this, according to the organisation, is motherhood.
True, it would be tricky for a Mum (not impossible – I know plenty who 'manage') to balance being on call 24 hours a day, incessant business travel and long hours. But the same is true of men. Dymond again gives some of the moment examples : 'Witness Andy Hornby at AllianceBoots, Jeff Kindler at Pfizer, Masataka Shimizu of Tokyo Electric Power and Antonio Horta-Osario at Lloyds Banking Group: all quit their jobs or took leave due to the stress of work'.
And this is just one of the ways in which we misdiagnose the problem. Other wrong assumptions organizations make, according to Dymond, are:
-that women need to behave like successful men to succeed (actually women bring their own way of doing things that can often be more effective than the male way)
-that offering women the chance to work more flexibly will improve diversity (evidence shows that this isn't necessarily the case)
- that the reason women don't want to take on top jobs is because they are women (it's not just women that sometimes don't like what they are being asked to 'lean-in' to, it can also be true of men),
Step 2 Stop asking what women want. Start listening to what people want. What we're looking at here isn't actually just about women. It's about people. What people in the 21st century are looking for from their employers, amongst other things, are flexibility and balance. And organizations are going to get the best out of their people if they are able to provide this. Instead of thinking 'how can we accommodate women better?', a company instead should be thinking 'what kind of environment do we need to provide to allow our employees to realize their full potential? What is going to keep people creative, dynamic and with a sense of purpose?
It is only after understanding the 'problem' fully and accurately that work can begin on addressing it. It is imperative to really get to grips with these issues, turn the hypotheses to fact or fiction and get them understood across the whole organization (and not just within a small working group).
Step 3 Get radical when designing your strategy Of course you need to pull together a strategy that can effect change within the organization. The point here is that this should be outside of your (by which I mean the organization's) comfort zone. It shouldn't be something a roomful of people nod their way through as it is presented. They should feel uncomfortable. Dymond points out that the current way of doing things is based on 20th century requirements. What is your business' management style for the 21st century? How will you harness all of your talent? How will you listen to and deliver what people want from their employer? Dymond has some fantastic starting points (see the full article) but I say listen to your people first and create something innovative that works for them.
Breastfeeding nonsense
Mothers are to receive £200 in gift vouchers as a financial incentive to breastfeed their children in a pilot scheme in Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Mothers will receive £120 in vouchers at 6 weeks if they sign a form saying they have exclusively breastfed, and then a further £80 at 6 months.
How anyone will be able to tell whether they are telling the truth is the first mystery about this bizarre scheme. What are they going to do - ask the mothers to prove they are still producing milk?
But more seriously, why does anyone think mothers need a financial incentive to do the best thing for their children? That's what we do. We are constantly striving to do the best thing for our children and to reduce that down to essentially bribery is insulting and patronising.
And the financial incentive is already there folks - formula costs about £10 a tin which lasts about a week, so by my lousy maths that's £260 in your pocket already if you don't buy formula for the first 6 months of your child's life. Honestly, if you're not breastfeeding it is not because you're trying to save a bit of cash.
Because the truth of the matter is that breastfeeding is difficult. And this is what the Breast is Best brigade sometimes fail to take just quite enough account of. It hurts. Your milk doesn't always arrive by magic when your baby needs it. Your baby doesn't always know how to latch on. You don't know how to help him latch on. It flipping hurts - in a toe curling, hold your breath, ouch, ouch ouch! kind of way. Some babies have tongue tie which makes things harder still. Some babies are twins and the mothers don't have enough milk to support both of them. Actually some babies aren't twins and their mothers don't have enough milk to support them. Some mothers have too much milk which causes interesting situations in coffee shops. And did i mention the pain?
I could go on… Actually, hell, I will. It involves getting your boobs out in public - in the park in winter, in department stores, in supermarkets. Actually wherever you might happen to be when your baby fancies a snack, you will have to get your boobs out. There is leakage. There is, for some poor women, mastitis. And there is the fact that if you are going to just feed your baby solely breast milk for the first 6 months, you will not be able to be away from your baby for more than a couple of hours for 6 whole months. Perhaps this is fine if you just have the one baby and no desire to do much for yourself or anyone else for six months (and there are women out there who do this and I truly salute them), but sometimes there are other children to look after, take out of the house or maybe the Mum just needs to pop in to town for a coffee without the baby just to keep some sanity.
Wow I'm beginning to convince myself that we should be handing over shiny gold coins to breastfeeding Mums with immediate effect… But it's missing the point. Despite all of the above, breastfeeding (when it works) is an amazing experience and, of course, gives you and your baby wonderful bonding and health benefits. But sometimes, it does not work and there's a whole load of health and sociocultural reasons why this might be the case. (As an aside, my NCT breastfeeding counsellor didn't invite men to the breastfeeding session because it is forbidden by Jewish law. Which really just highlights the complexity of the issue).
The point is Mums are heaped under enough Guilt about this one thing, that they really don't need anymore. Sometimes Breast is Best. But, also, sometimes, it really isn't (like when you've got twins and they're not putting on weight because you haven't got enough milk to feed them both. Or when you're admitted to hospital with a raging temperature and mastitis. Just for instance.) We are all striving to do the best thing for our children and a fistful of Argos vouchers is not going to change anything.
Instead what we need are breastfeeding trained midwives in hospitals who have the time to show us and our babies what to do. (Another aside, a midwife that passed through my room in the hospital told me that breastfed babies don't get wind and don't need burping. wtf?!). We need attention and support throughout the first 6-12 weeks, helping us to overcome any problems that arise. We need community midwives and health visitors (again with up to date breastfeeding training) to spend proper time with us when there are challenges. We need the professionals to be honest in the media and in birth preparation sessions about the difficulties we may encounter.
We don't need any more Guilt. And we don't need those flipping Argos vouchers.
In praise of East London
I love living in Hackney. I think most people living here feel the same. It does feel like a truly special part of London.
And there's nothing like leaving the E postcode to remind yourself of why you love your area so much. I went out for the day in Tooting yesterday and it served to remind me of how lucky I am to live in the East.
I don't want to generalise about Tooting too much but it did feel like a different city. The Mums were different in the playground, the kids were different. And the traffic…! It felt more urban (as in there is less open space and, again, the traffic) yet it's further from the centre of town.
But it's not just luck why my family ended up here. We were looking for somewhere that was close to the centre of town and yet easy to get out of town too. It's less than five miles from our house to my husband's office - he runs or cycles it daily. And yet the A12 provides us a quick escape route to Kent. Yes, sometimes the Blackwall tunnel ruins a Friday night but usually it's OK if you get your timings right. We were also looking for somewhere with open space and with Victoria Park, Haggerston Park, London Fields, Well St Common and the canal on our doorstep, Hackney truly delivers. (Someone once told me that the largest green space in Islington is the pitch at the Emirates). And finally, we were aware that the Olympics were coming. We were excited about having them on our doorstep and we felt sure they would bring a lasting legacy to East London. (On reflection, I think they have served to shift the centre of gravity in London towards the East.)
And so it isn't luck at all. I did this. I made an active choice to make this my home, based on the things that are important to me. These values could probably be expressed as Flexibility (I can enjoy city or country life in an instant), Family time (the short commute allows us more time together), Open space (I love being outside and it makes me feel whole and grounded), Community (people coming together to achieve something great).
If you have the good fortune and foresight to be able to base key decisions on your values you will feel very lucky indeed.


text:
Main Street & Hinman Avenue
Evanston, Illinois, 60202
Commute to Downtown Evanston
Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
Score Details
Main Street & Hinman Avenue has a Walk Score of 89 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
Main Street & Hinman Avenue is a three minute walk from the Purple Line at the Main stop.
This location is in Evanston. Nearby parks include Thomas E Snyder Park, Eiden Park and Fitzsimmons Park.
Nearby schools include Lincoln Elementary School, Nichols Middle School and Daniel & Ada Rice Education Center.
The closest grocery stores are Belgian Chocolatier Piron, Main Foods and Whole Foods Market Evanston South.
Nearby coffee shops include Brothers K Coffee House, Starbucks and Starbucks. Nearby restaurants include Siam Paragon, Oceanique and Lucky Platter.
Main Street & Hinman Avenue is near St. Paul Park, St. Paul Park and St. Paul Park.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from Main Street & Hinman Avenue.
Rail lines:
Purple Line
0.1 mi
UP-N Union Pacific North
0.1 mi
Yellow Line
1.1 mi
Red Line
1.1 mi
Bus lines:
205 Chicago/Golf
0.1 mi
201 Central/Ridge
0.4 mi
206 Evanston Circulator
0.4 mi
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Popular apartment searches include hardwood floor, fitness and fireplace. View all Evanston apartments and rentals.
This location is in the city of Evanston, IL. Evanston has an average Walk Score of 74 and has 74,486 residents.

subset: commoncrawl


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About The Idaho Foodbank
The Idaho Foodbank is an independent nonprofit organization that has worked with a network of partner agencies to distribute free emergency food to individuals and families in need for 30 years. More than a statewide distribution system, this network of more than 200 partner agencies consists of emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and programs that collectively work together to relieve hunger in Idaho.
In addition to free food distribution, The Idaho Foodbank provides specialized service programs that serve an important role in communities that lack resources for hungry families and children. These programs include:
- Backpack Program: supplies weekend nutrition to school children who would otherwise go hungry over the weekend.
- Mobile Pantry Program: provides emergency food to rural areas and areas lacking emergency food services.
- Grocery Alliance Program: partners with grocery stores and supermarkets to provide fresh nutritious food.
- Picnic in the Park: provides nutrition for food-insecure children during the summer months, when the school lunch they depended on is unavailable.
- School Pantry: improves access to nutritious food for hungry students and their families. Each pantry is located in a public school and provides a safe, discreet, and convenient source of food for any child who is enrolled at the school, as well as for their family members.
- Beef Counts: an innovative program established and endorsed by the Idaho Cattle Association, The Idaho Cattlewomen Council, Agri Beef Co., and the Idaho Beef Council to provide fresh beef into the Foodbank network.
Individual donations, grants and corporate donations are the primary sources of funding for The Idaho Foodbank. The organization does not depend on government funding or subsidies. Food donations are accepted from manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, community and corporate food drives and through the national Feeding America network. Tax-deductible cash donations are critical to underwrite the costs associated with acquiring, transporting, warehousing and distributing food throughout the state of Idaho.


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Monarch Blog
The latest news, travel tips and behind-the-scenes action from Monarch Airlines
Are you the lucky winner of a KitKat® prize?
Have you been participating in our weekly KitKat® competitions? Are you one of our mysterious winners who hasn't yet gotten in touch? We've been giving you the chance to win a box of KitKat® to share with friends and family, every Monday for six weeks. We've named all the winners on Facebook and Twitter are you among them? Please get […]Continue Reading »
When we consider the great philosophical question – is it better to give or to receive? – we don't normally have such a challenge to answer it! Just after Christmas we invited our followers on Twitter and Facebook to share pictures of their most embarrassing presents, for the chance to 'swap' them for flights. It quickly became apparent that […]Continue Reading »
Who won the Overheard on Holiday competition?
It's amazing the things you hear on holiday, isn't it! Whether you're eavesdropping on an (albeit loud) cafe conversation, or can't help overhearing a chat in the seats in front of you on the plane, people say the darnedest things. In a recent Facebook competition we asked customers to share the weirdest things they'd overheard in order to win […]Continue Reading »
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The Accidental Husband: (BLR)
Falling in love... even the expert is confused.
Dr Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman) is a popular New York radio DJ whose sensible practical love advice is listened to and loved by women everywhere. Off-air her own life is equally successful with wedding plans to dependable fianc Richard (Colin Firth) running smoothly until she discovers that she's already married to someone else!With her life turned upside down Emma frantically tracks down her mystery husband firefighter Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to annul the marriage. However as the two spend more time with each other she soon discovers that following her own advice might not be as easy as she thought!
The Accidental Husband (Blu Ray)
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I'm thinking ahead towards the next release of pieces.
This is exactly where my head is, going forward.
In the mean time, two new pieces will be available on ALICIA HANNAH NAOMI on the 2nd of April.
I'm thinking ahead towards the next release of pieces.
This is exactly where my head is, going forward.
In the mean time, two new pieces will be available on ALICIA HANNAH NAOMI on the 2nd of April.
I dig up things
and turn them upside down to look at their roots…
I see stories end to end,
I make a road again.
I didn't know I could do this:
seeing from the inside.
Aoi Kotsuhiroi
A selection of images from the ALICIA HANNAH NAOMI Journal
Photographer: James Balog
Having taken to working on our independent art projects during the weekend days and curling up on the couch to watch inspiring documentaries in the evening, it was exceptionally perfect timing when Edit Evening suggested we watch Chasing Ice on Saturday night.
For weeks I've been working on a uni assignment inspired by Iceland's infamous glaciers, yet despite all my research I knew nothing of James Balog or his work with the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS). Chasing Ice documents the work of the EIS, who use time-lapse photography, conventional photography and video to document the effects of global warming on glacial ice. It is the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted. The EIS aims to show epochal change happening within the time frame of human life, and to provide scientists with a photographic record to understand the mechanics and pace of glacial retreat and how it relates to climate change.
Chasing Ice one of the most hauntingly beautiful, emotive and tragic documentaries I've ever seen. Balog himself described witnessing the effects of global climate change as a "miracle and horror".
Poignant and majestic, getting to see the glaciers in such high definition as captured in the documentary is as close as I'll get to them for now. It has long been my intention visit Iceland on my next overseas trip, to see the glaciers first hand and maybe a glimpse of the aurora borealis if I'm so lucky – but now I feel like I need to make that trip happen as soon as possible because the glaciers might not be there if I wait much longer, and that knowledge is heartbreaking.
After seeing the documentary I felt harmoniously validated in the direction I've been taking my jewellery. It's given me a renewed passion and energy for the assignment I'm currently working on and drive to explore this subject matter further.
Chasing Ice is available to download through Netflix and iTunes (US only). The DVD will be available to order in November 2013. For more information on Chasing Ice visit www.chasingice.com.
"The reason I don't use many colors is that there is color in the world. I'm not thinking of my clothes in a white room. I'm thinking of them in the world, and there are enough colors out there. I don't need to do colors in collections. I'm more worried about shape. Whenever I see a lot of color, it just seems ambiguous to me." - Rick Owens on why he doesn't use a lot of colour in his collections.


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Scott Stapp is a somewhat divisive figure, his falling out with his band mates in Creed and his well-documented runs alongside his actual singing as a criticism. Those who love Creed, love his voice and that's something that will never change, that's there for life. It's present and correct on his new solo album Proof Of Life a stunning tour de force of everything good in the modern rock genre. Mike Newdeck caught up with him to discuss his life and the new album.
"It's one thirty in the afternoon here in Florida." The singer exclaims. "Mark (Tremonti) lives here too and he's been here since he was twelve years old and we've known each other since high school."
Things in the UK seem a little different from the U.S particularly with regard to Stapp's most famous project Creed and their comparative popularity here.
"I think our popularity there is great." He offers. "I know we didn't go there much but I'd say the demand is definitely there. We get constant demands to play there all the time and thank goodness for Facebook and Twitter. They really get to let us know what's going on in the rest of the world and it's obvious that there is and has been a big demand for us to play there. That goes for me as a solo artist too and so I'm getting really excited to get over there in 2014."
Stapp's solo album Proof Of Life has already been released Stateside during 2013 and through the excellent Spinefarm records it will gain a UK release in January 2014. I jumped the gun slightly by naming it as one of my top five albums of 2013. Yes it's personal but not in an off putting way and certainly it features some quite brilliant songs with lyrics written by Stapp himself whilst it was inevitable that co-writing would perhaps take some of the shine off the personal edge. Picking from a large batch of songs must also detract slightly form the thread.
"Well I only wrote fourteen songs for this album." He explains. "So that really puts that idea to bed and it's me who writes all the lyrics despite the co-writing that goes on; it's how I did it with Mark really. it was great to work with other people and they were really excited about it and very receptive to the way I wanted to do things. The various people that I wrote with helped with the sonics of the songs and the structure and melody so that we could get a different feel throughout the album. The writers and musicians that I worked with really wanted to help me with my artistic vision. It really was one of the most rewarding creative experiences of my career since the first two Creed records."
Doesn't some of the spontaneity disappear when you're effectively made to write with people that are perhaps forced upon you? Stapp explains.
"It's not really a label decision to be honest, although they obviously have some say." He notes. "It's more governed by me and my producer Howard Benson. Some of these guys are my friends and so if I liked what we had done when we jammed together then those were the people that I wanted to write with. Other times Howard and I would sit down and we'd agree that it would be cool to work with a particular writer, and then I'd give them a call and suggest that we did something together with a view to it being on my record. It was a pretty relaxed organic set up really with people either dropping over to my house or me to theirs or perhaps they'd pop by the studio. It was really old school with two guys sitting down with an acoustic guitar and free-styling to get something right with shared ideas and creativity. That made it really spontaneous with each day being different and giving us different material depending on the feelings and experiences at that moment. The mutual respect shown by all of the writers has really made this stuff shine and that's my honest opinion."
Creed was often labelled as a Christian band and indeed Stapp has made no secret of his Christianity particularly in his book 'A Sinners Creed' where he charts his journey from rock star to junky and alcoholic with his faith attempting to break through. No free from the shackles of addiction Stapp has more time for God.
"I love Jesus Christ I really do." He professes. "I've turned my life over to him as my personal savior; I'm a Christian through and through. I go to church sometimes and I read my bible every single day as well as trying to please god as I understand him from his word. On the other hand I don't use it as a caveat for my songwriting; I don't use it as a badge and so I don't just talk about Jesus in my songs. A good analogy would be a professional surgeon who may just happens to be a Christian. They don't carve the cross of Jesus on you when they're cutting you open they just do their normal job, it's a lifestyle choice and nothing else. It's a belief system above all else which you vilify in your actions and how you treat other people, how you love them or respond to them. I don't write prophetic songs that are preaching. Obviously there will be times when I express some of the things in song writing but there's no agenda.
A good example would be 'Jesus Was A Rockstar' from the new album.
"I mean I'm not trying to not offend people really." He confesses honestly. "I'm trying to be myself and be honest in everything I do which really goes outside of the Christianity too. Everything has an impact on your psyche whether it's the drugs, alcohol or your faith they all have an impact on the way you live your life especially if they conflict and in turn this impacts on your art and with me my songwriting. 'Jesus Was A Rockstar' really lays out the case for Jesus Christ…nothing more nothing less."
Being a devout Christian as well as a singer and a songwriter-a fairly famous one at that- surely means that Stapp would at some point be open to doing a full on worship album.
"I'll be honest, it's never really crossed my mind." He admits. "I would have to be spiritually compelled to do that and I haven't really had that feeling that would push me in that direction. It's ironic though isn't it that if someone in a rock band who's an atheist sings about there being no god, or god is dead then that just gets labelled as being rock and roll and yet when another band sings about god they get put into the Christian category . I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't use my art to prophesize and preach about my faith."
Stapp doesn't temper his writing as a way to garner popularity and it would seem that commercial success is not necessarily a pre-requisite.
"Well I'd never have written 'Jesus Was A Rockstar'." He intimates. "I can honestly say that I never write with the thought of commercial appeal, if it's got those elements then that's because I've always written like that, that's how I do it and not because I've made an effort to give it those elements. It's probably why we had such success with Creed in the early days because of the way we wrote the songs and the way people heard them with a commercial edge. I really don't ever think; let's make it very catchy, very offensive, and very biblical or whatever it just comes naturally."
If the commerciality of the album is down to Stapp's natural ability to pen hook ridden songs does he feel that producer Howard Benson has very much influence on the final product?
"You've got to go back really." The singer suggests. "Creed was always commercial and it was perhaps based on the relevance to the music at the time rather than any production techniques or influence that a producer had. It's really more down to the songs and the environment that they're aired in."
Stapp's last album The Great Divide lacked the depth, personality and commercial appeal of 'Proof Of Life' and save for Stapp's instantly recognizable voice could have been from a different band altogether.
"I was on coke when I wrote that album." The vocalist admits candidly. "It wasn't when I wrote it but when I recorded it and that's really the main difference. Those songs were never fully developed because of my struggles and you can see huge similarities but then you notice where the songs just didn't progress due to my battles and personal demons."
Many rock stars purport to have written and recorded their best songs under the influence of drugs. Stapp doesn't necessarily agree.
"I've never written under the influence." He confesses. "But I've certainly tracked and produced the songs and I'd say that the opposite is true from my point of view. You simply can't get it right when you're like that, you can't get any of the nuances, it's all or nothing and your judgment isn't there as to whether something sounds good or bad. It certainly doesn't work for me."
It's been a long time since the release of The Great Divide and yet Proof Of Life has once again appeared on Wind Up a natural progression from the Creed deal or something new?
"It's part of a long standing deal really." The vocalist explains. "This album would have come earlier but I wanted a break and wanted to get Creed up and running again in 2009 when Full Circle got made and then of course we toured for four years. When I'm doing the Creed thing then its one hundred percent Creed and nothing else. After that time it felt right to move away from it and start doing other things one of which was my solo album. The label felt that it was the right time too and so that's what got it kick started. Wind Up was relaxed about the output and it just seemed like the time was right, I did most of the pushing really. They're great, they've always helped artist development and they've been great to me over the years. This just seemed like the right time to do it."
Wind-up appear to have stuck with Stapp through thick and thin, unguided loyalty or good business sense?
"To a certain extent, you'd have to ask them." Stapp offers. "But I mean from my point of view I'm a loyal person and let's be honest we have a long standing relationship. They believe in me as an artist and a songwriter and that belief in me over the years has paid them great dividends. It makes business sense I guess."
'Proof Of Life' is an album of two halves, the first a heavier modern rock affair, the second being more reflective introspective and subtle. Stapp explains that ultimately that was the intention.
"The album is supposed to tell a story of the journey." He explains. "It's about my life and when love, grace and recovery entered it then there was a shift in my life that's reflected in the story and hence the album. Clarity and resolution take over as the album progresses and the story is expressed in the music. It came naturally on the album because the story wasn't planned and that I suppose makes it easier."
So ultimately Stapp has recorded his first concept album.
"I wouldn't go that far." He laughs. "But I know what you mean and it's been mentioned before so there must be something in it. Perhaps I don't really understand what a concept album is but I suppose if I wrote a story then that falls into the category of concept album…..i think."
The album itself tells a story-albeit a cryptic one if you haven't heard of Scott Stapp-and yet the lyrics remain subtle throughout the outpouring of emotions. It must be quite an effort to be subtle and not just pour everything out in some cringe-worthy confessional. Stapp disagrees with the reined in emotions theory.
"I actually thought that I had poured all my heart into this record." The singer insists. "It's not about discipline music for me is about how I express my emotion and feelings. The unsettling part for me was that I wanted to be totally clear on what I was saying. I wanted to just say it without hiding any of the emotions behind analogies. It had to be brutal and it had to be blunt with the intent there to express my feelings.
"Slow Suicide" opens the album whilst "Crash" comes at the end. At first the titles seems to be straightforward enough.
"That song is about confronting myself really." Stapp recalls. "Looking at what I'd done in certain times of my life and not hiding from the harsh realities of life and what I was doing to myself. There was then a realization that I had to do something and get away from doing what I was doing to myself. I had to resolve the issue and reverse the kind of slow suicide that I was putting myself through with my vices and addictions. You can apply the song and its lyrics to life involving other toxic situations that we actually choose to put ourselves in. Anything that robs you of your life and its joy is really giving you a slow suicide. 'Crash' was just an honest song written sat down with an acoustic guitar it's reflective and looks at where I'd been and how far I'd fallen. I was always a "take me higher guy" and I lived that on every level and I realised that there were these extremes that I'd chosen to live with; the way up highs and the way down lows. I needed to learn to stay in the middle because it wasn't healthy at all. The song is about the fall from high to low and the crash that goes with it. Ultimately once I started to understand what I was doing then I could move to resolve it the song passes on the experience of the crashes that I had along the way."
Stapp's voice has always been an acquired taste and early in the band's career he was labelled an Eddie Vedder sound-alike particularly by those who appreciated eighties American rock and saw anybody who represented grunge as the enemy. On 'Proof Of Life' it cannot be argued that Stapp has never sounded better although the signature tone still remains.
"Sobriety has played a major role in that to be honest." Stapp admits. "That and experience is key really. I mean I've done a lot of singing now over the years, I should know what I'm doing by now. I now take my art seriously-mainly down to my sobriety-and that makes a hell of a difference. I take advice and have coaching on how to use my voice properly and how to sing well using the proper techniques. I get advice on how to protect my voice and how to make it stronger and that hard work has paid off on this record. My performance has been boosted my not using marijuana or using alcohol and that's another thing that makes a lot of difference to how good you sound and how good you feel when your emotions aren't numbed. Let's not forget that Howard Benson has helped me not only to better myself but he's pushed me to the limits of my capability and he did that by getting me to tap into my emotions rather than getting me to sing everything fifty times until it was perfect. Howard trusts me as a vocalist and so it was the buttons that he pushed with me emotionally that got the best out of me during the songwriting."
Proof Of Life' will see a UK and European release through Spinefarm. A tour is still to be finalised but will include the UK.
"It's going to start out in the States and then we'll eventually roll it out worldwide including Europe and the UK, I don't know anything concrete yet but it will happen that's for sure with maybe more than the odd date in the UK."
And what of Creed is there any news on that front?
"Well it just seems that the band are all moving in different directions. "Stapp admits reluctantly.
"Mark's got his thing going on and I'm quite happy doing my solo stuff, it's seems we're all happy doing something else and so it really doesn't look like they'll be anything in the near future."
Money is clearly not an issue as Stapp explains.
"Well we were offered five million dollars to make another record." He snaps. "We all said no because as I said we're all happier doing our own thing. I know I can't really speak for them but from my own perspective I'm content doing what I'm doing and there's no need to change that."
Stapp –if you believe the book and what he tells you-has changed, found god again and moved on. How does he see himself now?
"Well yes I have." Stapp continues somewhat bizarrely. "But with regards to the Creed situation it wouldn't really affect that at all because I've always been the same person within that situation and how I was as a friend and a loyal band mate."
In truth the Creed thing seems to grate somewhat with Stapp and in my opinion the Creed phenomenon continuing really depends more on Tremonti than it does on Stapp. Stapp may need Creed more than he admits and yet 'Proof Of life' is a superb album in its own right. From an outsiders view point Stapp needs Tremonti less than he thinks.
Gerard Way Performs 'No Shows' On Conan
Gerard Way performed the single "No Shows" on Conan, the latest to be taken off of his debut solo record "Hesitant Alien".
Gerard Way performed the single "No Shows" on Conan, the latest to be taken off of his debut solo record "Hesitant Alien".
Counting Crows Announce Winter Tour Dates
After releasing the highly anticipated "Somewhere Under Wonderland" album this September with a debut at #6 on the Billboard Top 200, Counting Crows will be continuing their Somewhere Under Wonderland tour this Winter with dates across the Midwest.
After releasing the highly anticipated "Somewhere Under Wonderland" album this September with a debut at #6 on the Billboard Top 200, Counting Crows will be continuing their Somewhere Under Wonderland tour this Winter with dates across the Midwest.
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Internet Sales Perspective
What would happen if four customers walked into your dealership but only three salespeople were available to help? Would the fourth customer be ignored and told to come back another time? Or would a manager, or someone else, step in to help? One thing's for sure: if nobody stepped in to help, you would lose a potential sale. And if this happened repeatedly, well, I wouldn't want to be in that sales meeting.
Of course, you're probably thinking that the likelihood of this happening in your dealership is slim. Yet it does happen in most dealerships every day. The only difference is the customers are currently Internet leads in your CRM and not in your showroom.
Not the same, you insist? Think again.
The results of Pied Piper's recent 2012 Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) study indicates that nearly 25%, or 1 in 4 customers, who submit Internet leads are not contacted by the dealership within 24 hours. Another 16% of inquiries received only a simple automated response, followed up by a personal e-mail from a salesperson.
The best-performing brands in the Pied Piper study were Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. According to Pied Piper CEO Fran O'Hagan, these brands performed the best because they have processes in place to ensure that Internet leads are handled properly.
I'm betting that, if I asked you if your dealership had a documented Internet sales process, you would say "Yes, absolutely." Yet the study proves that these processes are not always being followed. Sales Managers can see when a salesperson drops a customer on the lot without a T.O., or skips from the Meet and Greet to the Write Up without stopping to build rapport or land the customer in the right vehicle. It's a little harder—but not much—to see what steps are and are not being followed in your Internet process.
If you want to improve your sales performance, improve your Internet lead response with the following steps:
1) Ensure your written processes are being followed. Hold salespeople and managers accountable for the e-mails, phone calls and follow up required to turn Internet leads into showroom visits. Regular meetings with the manager are the best way to accomplish this.
2) T.O. every lead, just as you would a showroom customer. Don't let salespeople close out Internet leads in the CRM. Require that a manager review each lead and then close it out for the salesperson. Have the manager send out an e-mail to every lead that is closed out asking about their experience and asking them why they didn't buy. You might be very surprised at how many customers will say they were never contacted.
3) Consider a technology like an automated virtual assistant that can engage and re-engage a large volume of Internet leads. The assistant passes hot leads to the salespeople so they can focus on phone calls and setting appointments with in-market customers.
How do you ensure that processes, both in the showroom and in the Internet department, are being followed?
Tags: auto marketing, Automated Virtual Assistant, best practices, Internet leads, Internet marketing for auto dealers
Automated Virtual Assistant (AVA) | Internet leads
Urban Science recently analyzed its lead management data and, according to these recent articles in the Sacramento Bee and by CBS Detroit, is offering several rosy projections for auto dealers in 2012:
That's the good news, but here are the challenges involved:
Increased competition means that dealers have to respond to leads not only quickly, but with a quality message. According to Urban Science's best practices for lead management, dealers should include the following critical elements in their online customer responses: responding quickly, quoting a price, providing alternative vehicles in a similar price range, confirming that the vehicle requested is available in a range of offerings and that the dealer offers the customer next steps – such as coming in for a test drive.
I would add these four best practices to that list:
1) Persistent follow up. Not everybody who submits leads buys within 30 days. Continue to follow up over at least 90 days and have a long-term follow-up plan in place. If your lead volume overwhelms your follow-up capacity, consider a technology solution that focuses on lead re-engagement.
2) Manage lead volume. No more than 80-100 leads per month for an experienced salesperson. If your current sales staff is overwhelmed, consider a technology such as an Automated Virtual Assistant that can engage with thousands of leads every month and has been proven to raise closing rates from the average 6-12% up to 28%.
3) Management involvement & accountability: The more the GM is involved in the process, the more successful it will be. Every week the GM should review the metrics with the Internet department. How many leads did we get? How many are open? How many calls have been made? How many appointments set? Accountability breeds responsibility.
4) Manager confirmed appointments. Customers feel special if they are contacted by the manager and offered a warm welcome, increasing their likelihood of showing.
How is your Internet department preparing for the increased lead volume? What best practices are you implementing to stay competitive?
Tags: Internet leads, Internet Marketing, Internet Sales Manager, auto marketing, Internet Sales, Automated Virtual Assistant, AVA, best practices


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It's so hard to explain without showing you.
I guess it's important to learn your own technique by watching some tutorials.
This is a good one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_2Jp6qM73Q
This is a VERY BAD one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRBd6QjI9vg
(Too 'rushed', started with too many dark colours, not patient and delicate enough, didn't take advantage of all the nice things watercolours can do. she used the paint like it could have just been oils)
I think 'building' colour with light washes and being patient/letting parts dry is very important. I might get around to making a video if anyone is interested.
I bought the 'Promise' model from 'Singer'. They are under $200 and very, very sweet machines. Not noisy, has enough features to keep you occupied, nice size, not hard to use.
Good luck and enjoy!


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Dream Dictionary
Welcome to Dream Dictionary!
You'll have a stroke of money luck if someone else was driving you, but if you were driving yourself, it is a warning to avoid gambling and be cautious in money matters for the next few weeks.
Dream Decoding 101
Take our crash course in dream interpretation!
Bedside Notes
Print this notepaper to jot down dream details before they fade away.
Need help?
Step-by-step instructions for using Dream Dictionary


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Ratings: Y&R Hits New Low in Women 18-49 Viewers
Ratings Report for the Week of April 14-18, 2014
NOTE: Please do not copy and paste the entire ratings. Thank you.
Numbers are based on Live+Same Day ratings
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)
Total Viewers
1. Y&R 3.3/11 (same/+.2)
2. B&B 2.6/8 (same/+.2)
3. GH 2.1/7 (same/+.1)
Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 711,000 (-16,000/-107,000) <—— New low *
* Previous low: 712,000 (December 3-7, 2012)
Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.1/8 (same/-.2) <—— ties low (2nd straight week)
4. DAYS 0.8/6 (same/-.1)
Women 18-34 Viewers
Women 18-34 Rating
1. GH 0.6 (+.1/same)
2. Y&R 0.5 (same/-.1) <—— ties low (2nd straight week)
3. DAYS 0.4 (same/-.2)
Women 25-54 Viewers
Women 25-54 Rating
1. Y&R 1.8 (same/-.1)
2. GH 1.5 (same/+.1)
3. B&B 1.4 (-.1/same)
Day-To-Day Ratings – HH/Total Viewers
Monday: 2.7/3,650,000
Tuesday: 2.6/3,720,000
Wednesday: 2.7/3,708,000
Thursday: 2.7/3,494,000
Friday: 2.5/3,533,000
Monday: 1.9/2,577,000
Tuesday: 1.8/2,432,000
Wednesday: 1.8/2,426,000
Thursday: 1.7/2,251,000
Friday: 1.7/2,295,000
Monday: 2.3/2,996,000
Tuesday: 2.2/2,796,000
Wednesday: 2.2/2,878,000
Thursday: 2.0/2,516,000
Friday: 2.0/2,614,000
Monday: 3.5/4,735,000
Tuesday: 3.5/4,807,000
Wednesday: 3.4/4,702,000
Thursday: 3.2/4,234,000
Friday: 3.2/4,450,000
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- Carlos
Y&R was ok this week. If I was executive producer the first thing I would do is fire Lilly, NewAbby, Colin, and Dylan(maybe). I would re-hire Billy Miller, Michelle Stafford, Emme Rylan(oldAbby), Drucilla, Lorie Brooks, and Michael Muhney. I would take Hunter and Michael sort out all the problems decently, and offer these actors alot of money. I would re-hire Kay Alden and Josh Griffith to get this show back where it was. But I am going to be Executive Producer of the new online soap opera that me and my wife created. best wishes to Y&R.
- Bexx
If you were the executive producer CBS would be embroiled in litigation, and young girls would be under the idiotic misconception that they can just "sort out" their problems with the men who abuse them. I swear sometimes I wonder if a 'human' is really typing this tripe.
- JayTN
A lot of those "actions" that our faux-EP would take are things outside the control of Jill Farren Phelps, or any executive producer. JFP has to take into consideration her "overlords" at Sony (which produces the soap) and CBS (which licenses and airs the soap).
This person is probably letting their own personal cast likes and dislikes color their judgment. "Old Abby" (Marcy) Emme Rylan is over at GH in a front burner storyline, so it would be difficult to get her back. "Drucilla" (a.k.a. Victoria Rowell) just lambasted Y&R, so I'm sure Sony/CBS are just busting down the door to get to her.
I'm also sure Sony would really appreciate an EP that played fast and loose with the purse strings, since Carlos seems to think that Y&R has money to burn. JFP was reportedly hired to make the soap cheaper, not more expensive.
- carlos
Sorry JayTN, it was my opinion and maybe I took it too far. JFP is a really good person, it's just the dragging of stories. I like Y&R, me and my wife watch everyday when we come home from work just to relax our selves. I live all the way in Trinidad, I wouldn't want to leave here to go to work for CBS, it was a IF statement. so again i'm sorry, I wont be coming on this site any more because I hate arguing with people and making them upset.
- sands of time
Please don't stay away! You are entitled to your own opinions.
The more posters, the better!!!
- JayTN
No one is arguing here. You posted your opinion and I posted mine in response. My point was that a lot of the things you said that you would do as EP of Y&R are really outside the scope of what an EP actually does.
On a personal note, every soap is guilty of "dragging" stories. Former "Days" head writer James E. Reilly was the king of dragging out stories. His soap "Passions" was still focusing on the same storylines that were introduced on day one.
- Carlos
Sorry Bexx, I shouldn't have posted anything because I don't like to argue with people and maybe I took this too far. I put my opinion in this statement and didn't put that in the ending, and the Michael Muhney allegations were rumors. If the Michael Muhney rumors were true and he did what he did then that's very wrong and i'm against it. I like Y&R, me and my wife watch everyday when we come home from work just to relax our selves. I live all the way in Trinidad, I woudn't want to leave here to go to work for CBS, it was a IF statement. And I am Human. Thank you very much.
- Bexx
No need to apologize, you can say what ever you wish.
- sands of time
It looks like Y&R is really bad if people are wanting a sexual deviant to go back if he truly did those things.
- Shameka
Team Days just saying
- Trish Wicks-Watts
What about them. They are the only ones down from last year. Given the reaction from Monday's bait and switch, this weeks will probably be down too. They better hope May sweeps are good.
- sands of time
You must be talking about a negative reaction to the dream. If people are upset, it's because the show was very good and they were fooled. It was so good, they wanted it to be true!
- Shameka
Days has better story lines than all of the few soaps left..The only storyline I like on YR is Cassie/Victor/Sharon story…
- Trish Wicks-Watts
That might apply to people that tune in everyday. What they promoted was a reveal and the people that tune expecting that and didnt get it weren't happy from what I've seen. Next time they promote something big, people might not be as inclined to tune in. Let the show speak for itself, don't try and sell something it's not. It won't work well for you. We will see what people thought of their ploy next week.
If I remember correctly, you thought the WilSon adding would be good for them and what I saw said it wouldn't be. It wasn't if you remember. This was the same, people were upset and Allison Sweeney who was live tweeting was trying to explain it to the unhappy viewers.
- vivien
yeah, they'd better not "cry wolf" again, people will get wise .. I was one of the people who hadn't watched in awhile and got lured back for the "big reveal". I remember thinking "Wow, if DAYS could keep up the pace like this ALL the time, people would watch more!" DAYS used to specialize in "fantasy" sequences, and we loved them because it would tide us over until our couple finally kissed for real, for instance. But I don't ever remember a fantasy sequence being promoted by the likes of Michael Fairman, Ali Sweeney, et al, as if it were the real deal! DAYS must be DESPERATE!
- Kelsey
YR hits record lows in demos. Good going losing Billy Miller
- TV&MovieBuff
But who knows how much time he wanted off to do other projects. ABC made that mistake with Anthony Geary years ago and now he disappears for months at a time. And it always affects his and other stories. And now they are committed to something that evidently they can't get out of. Who knows where it would have ended with Billy Miller. Either you want to do a show or not.
- Trish Wicks-Watts
Everyone was down Thurs and Fri. I know I didn't watch because of Easter weekend, maybe others did the same. The early part of the week looked good.
- Patrick Ferrando
ALL the shows are down in every demo except BB/GH who are up slightly in 25-54. But I don't think YR is hanging its head as it is up the most in TOTAL viewers over a year ago, and the show was ridiculously good this week with the notCassie storyline. And the show is still number one is every demo except 18-34.
- Kelsey
JFP needs to go period. And her Billy recast is atrocious.
- Patrick Ferrando
I'm all for JFP leaving, but Tom is the original Billy. So atrocious doesn't fit here. He originated the character and plays it his way, like he should.
- Kelsey
I know he's original Billy. I watched him the first time around and loved him as a teen. He now doesn't fit the role and isn't cutting it to me. Or many others.
- Patrick Ferrando
The only characters I don't like are Tyler and Dylan. The rest are pulling their weight.
I'm still not on board with the new Kelly, but she is a good actress.
- MySpoiledRottenGr8DaneGuinness
I'm still not on board with the new Kelly either, but I'm hoping she'll grow on me…and I agree she is a good actress.
- Bexx
This past week was great, definitely had those moments where I couldn't wait for the next episode. I'm looking forward to the blowback when everyone finds out what Victor did. I hope they finally shut him out, and not just for a few weeks.
- Bexx
My poor Y&R, I hope they have something planned for sweeps.
- cr5704 .
I just wonders now that Katie is cancelled will gh move to free
- JayTN
I'm assuming you mean "three" instead of "free". The answer is no. ABC no longer is responsible for the 3 PM hour, individual affiliates (local stations) are. With "Katie" gone, each affiliate is responsible for finding a replacement, likely one of the upcoming talk shows.
- sands of time
Maybe Katie took over the free channel and cr5704 had to pay for GH elsewhere.
- JayTN
Then he should ask for a refund.
- TV&MovieBuff
Well at least they are not all down in almost everything like last week. And 3 of them are now showing yearly averages up over last year in total viewers. Demos still look pretty bad.
One of the articles someone posted last week on SON and an article I found at Variety mentions that the soaps and shows like The Chew are growing in the hard to get demo 12-25 female demo. It is nice that the soaps are attracting that young audience but if the majority of those are under 18 it will be several years before those viewers transfer over to the 18-45 demo and actually count where the soaps need them to count.
- sands of time
As a reminder, please help control the talk show population, watch as many soaps possible!
- MySpoiledRottenGr8DaneGuinness
Haha…love it!
- sands of time
Y&R sank to new lows! OUCH!!!
- JayTN
Yet Y&R still put more distance between itself and the last place soap in total viewers. Y&R saw the biggest year-to-year increase in viewers, while the last place soap was the only one not to see similar increases. Y&R is also tops in every measurement listed above: total viewers, household ratings, women 18-49 viewers/ratings, women 18-34 viewers/ratings and women 25-54 viewers and ratings and the same soap is last in all of those measurements. Now that is worthy of an OUCH!!!
- sands of time
Read my post above.
- sands of time
Yes, DAYS is lower than the same week last year, but last year had huge gains from the year before! DAYS is still higher than that of two years ago.
- JayTN
Yes, but it is down from the same week in 2011.
Week of April 18, 2011: 2.403 million viewers
And those increases from 2012 is only 21,000 viewers (2.397 vs. 2.376)
- sands of time
You're clawing at the air.
- JayTN
I'm only doing the same thing you are. "Days" is down from 2013, so you point out that it is up from 2012. I just pointed out that it is down from 2011. You're the one who is constantly trying to put a positive spin on every single negative concerning "Days". Given its less then spectacular numbers, that is quite an undertaking.
- Alex
You're a real shame for all the other DAYS viewers and fans with your ridiculous and hysteric comments. Not to forget the homophobic attacks you come up with whenever you see an opportunity. Do you honestly think anyone cares about that nonsense and are you really crazy enough to think you are "helping" DAYS in any way???
DAYS has had an overall very good season so far, but there has been a significant drop in the ratings over the last six weeks. And it was deserved in the perception of many viewers because of the total lack of good storytelling and interesting storylines, even around a potential highlight like the WilSon wedding that was completely wasted, since there was no real build up and real story for it. Even more after the recast of Will, there should have been a real and intersting story for Will and Sonny before the wedding. So good, so far. No need for your paranoia and hyperventilation!
- Alex
I meant HYSTERICAL comments, of course.
- Trish Wicks-Watts
I completely agree with you on WilSon. Who just drops in an actor and acts like nothing happened. Even if it was a small crisis it would have been better than nothing. With Will finding out about Nick, he could have been angry at Sonny, but before the change Will forgave him. Will needing time to think and Sonny trying to convince the new Will of his love, would have given the audience time to adjust.
Then not promoting it made it even worse. It didnt feel like Days was behind the couple. This was coupled with their other popular couple EJami going through the EJabby. Their two most popular couples turned upside down at the same time. It was a bad move in my opinion.
- vivien
Stop attacking Sands, he truly loves DAYS and wants it to succeed. Like it or not, there are viewers who are turned off by Wilson PDAs. Sands isn't one of them! But you can't deny the Wilson wedding was a flop in the ratings. Lowest-rated day of the week in a low-rated week.
- GH DAYS fan
Should I quote the ugly homophobic comments you made in several threads? And stop spreading lies: the WilSon wedding day wasn't the one with the lowest rating that week, and the week in question as a whole was actually better than the all the other weeks since.
- JayTN
There is nothing factual about your statement. In fact, it is "pants on fire" false.
First, the actual wedding ceremony between Will and Sonny occurred on Thursday. "Days" had a viewership of 2.314 million that day, fewer than any other day of the week. (If you don't believe me, you can look it up in the ratings archive here)
Second, "the week in question…was actually better than all the other weeks since" is blatantly false. The week in question, March 31-April 4, set a season low in weekly viewership (2.423 million for the week). "Days" also lost viewers in each of the three female demographics from the week before. The numbers fell even further the following week, setting another season low in viewership, but "Days" rebounded in total viewers and two of the three female demographics last week.
- GH DAYS fan
So, you just continue lying.
It's a fact that the big drop of ratings was weeks before the WilSon wedding and that the weeks after the WilSon wedding DAYS drew lower ratings than that week.
So, only homophobes like you can continue blaming the weak ratings we've seen from DAYS for six weeks on Will and Sonny.
- sands of time
Be careful, I told it like it was and was called a homophobe and bigot.
- JayTN
Generally, when a person cannot stand on facts to make a point, they tend to result to name calling (kind of like the elementary school come back "I know you are, but what am I") or they try and change the topic (like insinuating anyone who looks at the facts and says that the week of Will & Sonny's wedding saw the lowest ratings of the season for "Days" is homophobic).
- sands of time
Thank you vivien. I think a huge DAYS fan like me makes huge Will and Sonny fans feel threatened. I'm OK with all characters and situations on DAYS as long as it works. If it no longer works, I will refuse to be bullied into being quiet. I was only happy for what Will and Sonny were bringing to DAYS and I spoke highly of them, but now there seems to be a backlash and people want to throw names for telling it like it is. If the numbers don't go up, then DAYS should reavaluate certain positions. My agenda is to have fun and push DAYS to succeed. If people can't understand that, then they have problems. It's not about homophobia or bigotry. It's about survival.
- Lampshade
To be fair sands, Days being higher than it was two years ago wouldn't be difficult to achieve. Ratings plummeted into the toilet following that 'reboot'.
I agree with another poster, don't try and oversell DOOLs achievements. I am a loyal fan of over 40 years, but I recognise the issues and am realistic. Some problems are serious but not insurmountable, all it takes are better writers.
- sands of time
I have been very happy with this week's episodes! It is becoming downright explosive on many fronts!! I hope next weeks numbers reflect that!!!
- Me
People are sick of Sharon and Nick. The music box is old. Dylan just doesn't fit. I like Steve B. Y&R isn't a good fit. The new Billy doesn't fit with anyone. As far as GH. Ava needs to be caught. They should have let Sabrina and baby be ok. Its a shame for Patrick. The fake Luke s/l suxs. It will probably come out that Johnny is behind it. Jilian doesn't know. Monica needs a man. Also I The s/l with the kids dating is stupid. They are to young. As far as B&B the Ally and Oliver s/l is a little much. Liam needs to find someone else. Hope confused is getting old. Quinn needs to be pregnant by Bill again. Ridge and Katie don't go well. I thought that I would like them, Na. Brook needs to stay with Bill. Ridge with be good with Taylor.
- Patrick Ferrando
It depends which fans you ask about Nick and Sharon. I've been reading mostly positive stuff on Twitter and Facebook. But anyway, loving the Cassie stuff. Can't wait for next week!
- Andrew Hass
I'm happy that 3 of the soaps went up this week after two straight weeks of all 4 going down.Yeah GH lost viewers but they are up from the same time last year.
- let the numbers speak
So, overall the trend in comparison to last year continues to be very positive. Only DAYS has seen a series of weaker weeks, but still far away from the lows they had about two years ago, and their season average is still the best in many years.
- Lampshade
Days was better viewing that week, problems aside. But this needs to continue lurching from one sweeps to another won't cut it for long term success. I've been enjoying BB and YR as well. I've happily adapted to the new/old Billy Abbott, although given the choice would prefer Miller only because he was better looking IMO.
Can't comment on GH, not ready to go back and from what I've read still not to my liking.
- TV&MovieBuff
Update on the Viewers Gain or Loss for Week #16:
I posted the first one of these last week at SON in the ratings thread.
I'll try to post updates in each thread from now on. I think this shows
why you can't go by week to week ratings. You have to go by trends. What
a difference a week can make.
2014 Update (16 Weeks Viewer Gains or Losses)
1) Bold & the Beautiful (-198,000 – 7 weeks up, 9 weeks down)
2) Young & the Restless (-273,000 – 7 weeks up, 9 weeks down)
3) General Hospital (-292,000 – 8 weeks up, 8 weeks down)
4) Days of Our Lives (-352,000 – 7 weeks up, 9 weeks down)
B&B's biggest gain was week #12 — a gain of 356,000. Their biggest loss was week #3 — a loss of 447,000.
Y&R's biggest gain was week #1 — a gain of 473,000. Their biggest loss week 3 — a loss of 489,000.
GH's biggest gain was week #13 with a gain of 417,000. Their biggest loss was week #11 with a loss of 372,000 viewers.
Days biggest gain was week #1 — a gain of 273,000. Their biggest loss came week #3 — a loss of 352,000.
- TV&MovieBuff
Oh and before Mr. Numbers jumps in. These are based on the Live plus 7 numbers that are available to the public. I do not have a secret person that supposedly feeds me numbers that no one else gets. I base these solely on the numbers that are made pubic each week. They are what they are. Anyone can take those same numbers and do the simple arithmetic and come out with the same info.
- sands of time
Thank you for the numbers!
- let the numbers speak
So, over 600,000 total viewers gained by the top 4 soaps in comparison to THE SAME WEEK LAST YEAR!!
And that's the only comparison that matters and makes sense — over an extended period of time, of course.
Don't let Mr. Bluff fool you with his "viewers lost in 2014″ game. Not only soaps, but any show, loses viewers when you start counting at the beginning of the year and continue until spring break. That's a totally absurd way of looking at these numbers, which obviously only serves the purpose to create an image of soaps losing and losing viewers.
The fact of the matter is that all the 4 soaps are having their best season in MANY years so far. And everyone can verify that with the numbers that are available to the public. I've explained it over and over again, so even Mr. Bluff should get it by now.
- KansasGuest
You have to remember that article titles are meant as punctuation marks & have no bearing on actual ratings analysis. It's not that "they don't get it." Titles serve a different purpose – they are simply magnets to get people to read; and bad news usually attracts more hits than happy news. If the title of every weekly ratings report was "More Viewers This Week" it would get boring fast, and people would take it for granted – much like the weather report for San Diego, CA. ("Sunny and in the 70's again today.")
- RobNYC
I like many others have stopped watching Days in part because i am not at all pleased with recast of Will. He is entirely different and as a couple they are no longer believable or interesting.I have not sworn off the show completely but watch less and now find Will and Sonny a "must miss" part of the show. Used to love them.
Also, the full hour format soaps are too slow moving these days and kind of boring. I still like B/B. Zips along and is over before it gets boring and too repetitive.
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I was originally thinking to then try out touring cars, but with the popularity of F1 at the track, the relative low-cost, and talking some with Eric about onroad racing, I think it is a good way to go.
Yeah, I think a practical way to go sounds like an F104v2. I assume the perfect tires you are talking about are those Shimizu #572 rears and #571 fronts you mentioned earlier? That sounds great if Norcal has all this in stock, though I might hold off a bit on getting the F1 car until I get the pan car back together and run it a bit.
I think I found a pic of your TOP Rebel from the Top Gun races,
Looks great! Anyway, besides the WRC F-ONE 200, the other "oddball" car that was interesting to me is the TRG111. Pretty neat looking car,
Too bad the Kyosho and Serpent seem to wide and maybe not easy to make narrow. I wonder if Associated or Losi will ever get around to building a F1. But yeah, I would like to learn on a practical car and maybe try out an odd/rare car sometime later.
Wow, that build tip page is impressive! All the weight comparisons is greats stuff.
There are a lot of bodies for the 180mm cars, but they are all modern. Last time I ran my F103, it was with a Lotus 78 body. There are no "old" bodies for F104's that I know of.
You can't go wrong with any Tamiya F104 chassis, be it the new Version 2, or even the original Pro chassis with the fiberglass T-bar (IMO the T-bar car is much easier to set up because it has less adjustments, and I guarantee you it is at least as fast as the V2). Nor-Cal has one of the V2 kits in stock as well as the perfect tires.
Starting with a Tamiya car will save you a lot of headaches, and as you gain experience racing, then you can start branching off and running the oddball cars if you like. Tamiya cars almost always hold a lot of their value too, so if you decide to move on you aren't going to get bent over trying to sell a used car.
Speed in the F1 class mostly comes from attention to detail when building the car and setting it up. There are tons of little tricks (all for almost free!) you can do that add up to taking tenths off your lap times....that all comes with experience and practice. Check this out if you have time, just the building tips alone (ignore the hopups...) will help any F1 car: http://www.uf1series.com/_sub_pages/2011/F104X.html
My apologies if you race already and know all this stuff. Just going from my experience. Fernando Jose has a fleet of Tamiya cars and frequents this board and he has more information about this class than anyone I know....I am sure he can chime in. He's helped almost everyone in this area out in one way or another.
Sounds like you have a pretty nice collection of F1 cars! Besides racing the TOP Racing, do you also race the TECH Racing and Corally on occasion? That is good to know a bunch of these cars can be modified as you explained. I guess I need to become more familiar with the F1 cars to completely understand though.
Anyway, was mostly curious to see what all was out there and under development.
In general it seems a Tamiya F104v2 is a good car to get started at Norcal? I'm guessing the F104 bodies all fit on the F104v2?
I do like the classic F1 shapes, I like that one F103 body of the Ferrari 312T3. Wish there was a Ferrari 312T4.
Non-Tamiya cars you can do this to include the 3Racing F109, Top Rebel F1, Tamiya F103, and probably many of the weird off-brand Japanese and Taiwan cars on your list since they are based on the F103.
I have a Tech Racing TF108 Limited and the Tamiya F104 front end will fit with a little bit of drilling on the chassis. Forget putting an F104 front end on a Corally. I have one too.
One thing is for sure, even if you showed up with a wide car with rubber tires, you won't be turned away. I just like the scale look of the narrow cars. The more the merrier, IMO.
The good thing about having a narrow car is you will definitely be hooked up on the track by purchasing one set of Shimizu tires, part #572 for the rear, and #571 for the front. You can fiddle with inserts if you want, but I run stock inserts and the car is still way faster than this driver!
Anyway, also found a bunch more existing and new cars out there and though I'd post them incase anyone is interested (or wants to add to the list). The TRG and WRC Racing cars are very interesting, are being imported to the US, and are 190mm in width. I assume the Corally, Kyosho, TOP Racing, and upcoming Serpent are not legal?
3RACING F1-09 (200mm) *discontinued?*
3RACING Sakura FGX (188mm)
Corally F1 NGX (198/204mm) *discontinued*
Corally F1SL (204mm?)
HPI F10 (176/180mm)
Kyosho KF01 (200mm?)
Tamiya F103 *discontinued*
Tamiya F104 (180mm)
Tamiya F104w (200mm?)
Tamiya F104w GP (200mm?)
Tamiya F104v2 (180mm)
TECH Racing TF-108
TECH Racing F125BRK
TOP Racing Rebel R-F01 (200mm)
TRG109 *discontinued?*
TRG111 (190mm)
WRC Racing F-ONE 180 *discontinued?*
WRC Racing F-ONE 200 (190mm)
coming soon: Serpent F110 (200mm?)


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