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Position Purpose
The Neighborhood Service Manager is responsible for all physical operations of the Neighborhood, particularly preservation and maintenance of the asset. This position manages toward the owner's objectives as described in the operating budget, in accordance with policies and procedures defined by the company with the primary objective of increasing the net operating income of the Neighborhood. The Neighborhood Service Manager provides a quality living environment for Neighbors and establishes a positive, productive working relationship with the Neighborhood staff. Coordinates and supervises activities relating to the maintenance and repair of physical systems of buildings and equipment.
This position reports directly to the Neighborhood Director and supervises all maintenance personnel such as: Neighbor Service Technicians, Neighborhood Porters, and Housekeepers. This position has a bonus potential of 8%.
Essential Functions
Neighborhood Management
Personnel Supervision
Daily Operations
Industry Expertise
Upholding Standards
Required Qualifications, Skills, And Experience
The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities:
High school diploma or general education degree (GED)
Minimum of five years experience and/or training in apartment maintenance
Minimum of two years supervisory experience
Must have minimum three certificates from related institutions reflecting completion of maintenance related courses, such as BOMA, IREM and/or vocational programs, or four or more year's inter-company experience.
Effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, Neighbors, and the general public.
Must possess basic computational skills; add, subtract, divide, and multiply. Must have the ability to compute rate, discounts, interest, and commissions. Must be able to prepare and analyze data figures and transcriptions generated by a computer
Computer proficient in Windows, MS Office, Word, Excel, Outlook, OneSite and the Internet.
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written or oral form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations
Ability to speak, communicate, read, write and understand the primary languages used in the workplace including, but not limited to, English in order to maintain safety in the workplace and serve internal and external customers.
Working knowledge of federal, state and local governing laws.
Must be available for on-call services
While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to use hands to handle or feel, to reach with arms, and to talk or hear.
Most work tasks are performed outdoors. Temperature is moderate.
Must be able to sit at a desk for several hours per day. Walking and standing are occasionally required. Length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance.
Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. occasionally.
Requires standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity.
Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with Neighbors, supervisors and subordinates.
Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception.
Ability to work primarily with fingers to pick, pinch, type and carry out substantial movements (motions) of the wrists and hands as well.
Must have finger dexterity to be able to operate office equipment such as computers, printers, 10-key adding machine, electric typewriter, multi-line touch tone phone, filing cabinets, FAX machines, photocopiers, dolly and other office equ
Prometheus Real Estate Group


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UK Newswire Archive
Northern Rock: Government attempts to stem banking crisis
20-09-2007 11:13The Labour government's pledge to guarantee savings at the Northern Rock building society has been forced on it by a massive public display of no-confidence in Britain's banking sector.
No War, No Warming, Rise Up!
20-09-2007 10:13For months a movement has been developing that consciously and intentionally links the related issues of the war in Iraq/oil wars and the heating up of the earth that is disrupting the world's climate. On Monday morning, October 22, in Washington , DC on Capitol Hill and elsewhere around the country, that movement will become visible as large numbers of people engage in nonviolent direct action to disrupt business as usual. We will be calling for an end to this criminal war and strong action to slow, stop and reverse global warming ( http://www.nowarnowarming.org/ ).
"Ignominious" British in Basra
20-09-2007 10:10The British government promoted its occupation of Basra as an exercise more sophisticated and intelligent than that conducted by its ally the US in Iraq. From the moment the British hunkered down in Basra after the March 2003 invasion of Iraq it seemed the British government and much of the mainstream media never missed a chance to boast of the softly-softly, 'hearts and minds' approach of its occupation. We were assured that this had everything to do with the experience it had gained in previous British military exploits, particularly in Northern Ireland, while the US were still learning lessons from their historic defeat in Vietnam. This projection of the fair-playing Brits was repeated ad naseum until a string of dramatic events took place in front of the world's media which put an end to this myth making. Events such as prisoner and detainee abuse by British soldiers, and SAS special forces undercover operations apparently designed to foment civil strife, exposed the British army as no different to any other hostile military occupier. Everyone outside the Ministry of Defence and Cabinet agrees that the British 'deployment' from Basra Palace to the airport eleven kilometres out of the city is a defeat.
C.U.T.S ( Communal Use Textile Studio), Liverpool.
20-09-2007 09:55A Newly-opened community resource for creative textile recycling in Central Liverpool, with sewing studio and screen-printing facilities. Details of up-coming workshops for October and November 2007.
Israel's Agenda For Ethnic Cleansing and Transfer
20-09-2007 09:04The stage for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians has been set in the Occupied Territories, and ethnic cleansing is in progress. At present, this is the major project of the state of Israel. For an impartial person of medium intelligence, a tour of the Occupied Territories may be sufficient to understand this fact.
Zeitgeist the Movie
20-09-2007 08:58What does Christianity, 911 and The Federal Reserve have in common?
Palestine: The Trademark of Resistance (by Latuff)
20-09-2007 07:56
Zimbabwe: Why Africa finds it hard to support MDC/ and Ghana supports Mugabe
20-09-2007 06:15Weve seen a lot of media driven hysterical attacks on Zimbabwe, its govt and its people by white europeans, even those on the left who should know better than to be led by the mass media. So lets see how real africans feel
STILLMANS EXPOSED! Ponies abandoned for slaughter
20-09-2007 02:56
Neo-Fascist Plot Against Iran Meets Resistance
20-09-2007 02:03You have to wonder what pressure the media has come under, to produce such deceptive spin.
UN Condemns Israel's Escalation of Gaza Crisis
20-09-2007 02:00Since this is a crisis caused by Israeli and American covert operations in collaboration with corrupt elements of Fatah, it stands to reason that this was the plan all along.
Liverpool IMC Info Night
20-09-2007 00:19
Full article | 2 additions | 1 comment
Setting up the Gatwick No Border Camp
20-09-2007 00:16
Pix from the No Border Camp
19-09-2007 23:56
Impressions from the NoBorder camp
19-09-2007 23:41"The best organised camp I have ever seen", said one.
Return Beatrice to Liverpool
19-09-2007 22:32
Leafleting at St Lukes at the top of Bold Street on Saturday 22nd September 1.30 - 2.30 for Beatrice and others, as sadly Beatrice's case is not exceptional, many others suffer from these racist immigration controls.
Time for Navy to Ship Out of Illegally Occupied Hawaii
19-09-2007 21:56
Allotment Holders Sowing the Seed of Resistance in Reading
19-09-2007 21:28
BALOCHISTAN - ICJ - Articulating the case and educating the West
19-09-2007 20:30
Deliberate Lies, Strange Deaths and Agression to the World Economy
19-09-2007 20:15

subset: commoncrawl


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Ice or cold therapy has numerous beneficial effects on the body both immediately after injury and in the later stages of rehabilitation.
It is believed that by cooling the surface of the skin and deeper tissues, the blood vessels narrow and hence decrease the amount of blood being delivered to the affected area, in turn therefore reducing swelling.
Healing is enhanced because this reduction in swelling allows more movement in the muscle and joint and so reduces the functional loss associated with injury.


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So this is my second finished art journal page this week. I have been really determined as a working artist to continue to grow my business and seek out more opportunities. I took that determination as my inspiration for this journal page.
Let's start at the beginning, shall we? This is in my Dylusions large journal. I did nothing to prep the surface of the paper. I used a new Dina Wakley Media stencil "Scales" and did an ink blending technique using Tim Holtz Distress Inks in shaded lilac and seedless preserves to apply the stencil design. I sprayed the page with Dylusions ink spray in Vanilla Custard. Once dry, I used my sakura gelly roll pen to add some fun doodling to the scale shapes. I stamped an image from the new DWM stamp set "Text and Scribbles" ink blank ink. I also applied a piece of DWM washi tape in bullseye.
I used a female silhouette mask and placed it in the center of my page. I then used my mini-blending tool from Tim Holtz and my new Dylusions paint in Peony Blush to apply around the masked area. The great thing about the DWM washi tape is it withstands paints and sprays, so I just painted right over it.
I then chose my large leaf border stencil from Dylusions and painted the design on in Dylusions Vanilla Custard. I then used the coordinating large leaf stamp and stamped it over the painted design in blank ink. I used my black pentel brush pen to doodle around the figure to create radiating lines off the head of the figure.
I used Dylusions new stamps set Flight of Fancy and heat embossed the wings in black and applied watercolor. I then did a bit of journaling around the figure with my white gelly roll pen. Looking at it now, I do realize how terribly out of proportion the wings are in relation to the size of the female figure. But I like it anyway. That is the fun thing about art journaling. You don' t need to concern yourself with perfection.


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Walsall Council are encouraging children to walk to school through the launch of the 'WOW' (Walk Once a Week) Campaign.
In this age of sedentary entertainment, the Campaign is aimed to help children achieve the recommended levels of activity recommended by the government to ensure our children stay fit and healthy. The campaign also has the additional benefits of helping parents to save on fuel and the environment, whilst also alleviating the traffic pressures in the town.
The scheme will encourage children by rewarding those who walk to school once a week with a special badge on a monthly basis.
So support your children by encouraging them to walk to school or by walking with them- always good to look after the health of our future generations!
To find out more ways to get fit and gyms in Walsall, click here.
Alex M
Member since:
10th July 2012
My name is Alex Murray. I am passionate about what goes on in and around Walsall. I hope you find my blog to be interesting and thought provoking. Please feel free to give me your feedback.


text: I usually have this sourdough pretty well mastered, but the starter wasn't refreshed and i used it anyways. The starter bubbled overnight with new flour and water, and then I added more flour, salt and diastatic malt powder. 5 hours later, the dough isn't risen the way I'm used to seeing it. I gave it a few turns and it has nice texture and some bubbles, but no real lift. What to do?


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Big booty Latina glory hole action. When Steve spies a hole in the door to hot MILF Canela Skin's bedroom, he can't help but take a peek and is rewarded with a view of the Latina babe playing with her big tits! Noticing the movement at the doorway, Canela puts on a show for Steve, who sticks his hard cock through the glory hole. Turned on by the gesture, Canela gets on her knees and gives Steve a sloppy blowjob through the glory hole, then retreats to the bed and gestures to Steve invitingly. Entering the bedroom, Steve hurries to eat Canela's pussy, then gives the Latina MILF a healthy dose of dick before she swallows his load!
Canela Skin Big booty Latina glory hole action
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This fantastic recipe for Cranberry Orange Muffins from Sally's Baking Addiction may not call for alcohol, but that doesn't mean it won't pair exceptionally well with our Real Cosmo premixed cocktail! The citrusy notes of the orange in particular tend to really come through after refreshing your palate with a little bit of Cosmo. Give this recipe a shot and let us know what you thought on our Facebook page!
Lemon Lime Margarita Pound Cake
Hello cocktailers! This weekend we decided to try our own take on this fabulous Tequila-Lemon-Lime Margarita Pound Cake recipe from the kind folks over at Creative Culinary! As always, we subbed out the tequila in favor of our Real Margarita premixed cocktail, and boy is it delicious!


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National Lottery equipment manufacturer GTech has been left with no
full-time PR staff in the UK, just two months before a decision is due
on the allocation of the next franchise.
PR co-ordinator Victoria Young left the company this week to join the
corporate department of Ketchum as an account manager. She worked at
GTech for nearly two years after four years in arts PR for Mayfair's
Entwistle gallery.
Young's resignation follows the departure in January of PR director
Joanna Manning-Cooper (PR Week, 21 January 2000). PR is now handled from
the company's US headquarters in Rhode Island, by vice-president Bob
Rendine and corporate communications director Julie Fenton.
A media ban by the Lottery commission ahead of the decision on franchise
licenses in June has deprived the company of the need for pro-active
Both Manning-Cooper and Young's role for the last two years was to
improve the firm's image following an unsuccessful court battle with
Richard Branson.
According to Rendine, Young's position would not be filled but a
successor to Manning-Cooper was still being sought. The appointee will
report to Rendine and will also oversee community relations. As GTech's
role in the next Lottery franchise will be as a supplier rather than
operator, the person will be responsible for PR on a European scale.


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[Billhead - Earthenware]
Lawrence Pottery. Lawrence, Mass. Bought of Geo. Pearson & Co. who manufacture and keep constantly on hand at their factory in Lawrence, all kinds of Earthen-ware, with Rockingham Glaze, of the best quality, at the following prices.
Lawrence, MA: circa 1870.
Price: $300.00
See all items in Food Equipment
See all items by Billhead - Earthenware


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TOKYO -- Mizuho Financial Group has sharply lowered its profit forecast for the year ending this month as it scales back the branch network that once formed a core part of its business but has become a liability as customers move to digital banking.
Japan's third-largest banking group on Wednesday said it will book a special charge of 680 billion yen ($6.1 billion) to write down the value of retail assets, such as physical branches, as well as foreign bond holdings. The bank intends to scale back its operations in the volatile bond market in a bid to achieve more stable revenue.
Mizuho said writing down the retail assets will ease the burden of depreciation expenses for its retail operations, which are costly to maintain and have barely been profitable. Much of the charge stems from new software systems that the retail business is in the process of implementing. This partly reflects a revaluation due to the strategic shift, but it is also intended to save the company from having to amortize the costs over five to 10 years.
Net profit is now forecast at 80 billion yen instead of the 570 billion yen previously projected.
The move suggests the bank sees few avenues for immediate profit growth other than tightening its belt, amid a global economic slowdown along with an aging and shrinking population and rock-bottom interest rates at home.
Demand for loans remains lackluster in Japan. The three top banks -- the other two are Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group -- currently use only about 60% of their deposits for loans, and have been looking abroad for profitable investments. But this strategy has been less effective since the U.S. central bank started raising short-term interest rates, thereby increasing the cost of investing in American securities.
"Mizuho Financial Group's profit warning highlights the key risks facing Japanese banks," said Tetsuya Yamamoto, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody's Japan. "Its restructuring costs for its domestic business show that branches are no longer valuable assets. Valuation losses on foreign bonds reflect the risk that Japanese banks take in investing overseas."
Yamamoto said the losses stem from "Mizuho's efforts in eliminating structural issues in order to reduce future downside risk," adding that "other Japanese banks will also face losses if they take similar actions."
The write-downs will be incorporated into a medium-term business plan to be unveiled in May. Mizuho President Tatsufumi Sakai called them "forward-looking write-downs to promote flexible and agile management."
"During the postwar high-growth period, we invested in retail networks to attract deposits and make new loans," Sakai said. "Such a business model no longer works because the population is declining. Our business plan cannot be predicated on the assumption that interest rates would someday go up."
Sakai intends to give up all performance-based compensation for this fiscal year to take responsibility for the heavy impairment loss. Other directors will also receive reduced or no compensation.
This is not Mizuho's first push to cut costs in a more challenging business environment. In 2017, it announced it would cut 19,000 jobs and 100 branches over the following 10 years and shift its focus to digital banking services, the rise of which has drawn customers away from bricks-and-mortar banks.
As part of this pivot, Tuesday's charge included 40 billion yen in write-downs on branches to be merged or shut down -- calling for several dozen more locations than the original plan covered. Meanwhile, Mizuho launched a new digital currency platform this month in partnership with around 60 other banks, taking advantage of direct connections to users' bank accounts to gain an edge over finance industry newcomers such as chat-app provider Line.
But Mizuho officials acknowledge it will likely take time for such efforts to boost the bottom line.
Mizuho's rival megabanks have been quicker to adapt to the digital shift. MUFG and SMFG wrapped up their branch-related write-downs by fiscal 2017.
Physical footprint reduction is a challenge shared across the industry, including among regional banks, said Katsuhito Sasajima, a senior analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities. If Mizuho "had waited longer to write off stores and other fixed assets, it could have faced mounting costs for repairs and restoration," he said.


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Indra Nooyi who served as PepsiCo CEO for 12 long years has finally decided to call it a day as the top boss at the global beverage giant.
Indra Nooyi who served as PepsiCo CEO for 12 long years has finally decided to call it a day as the top boss at the global beverage giant. According to the company statement, the corporate veteran will step down from the position on October 3 this year. She served the global behemoth for 24 long years. She was the first ever woman to be appointed the CEO at PepsiCo, in the year 2006. Company President Ramon Laguarta, who has held the post since 2017, will takeover the position of CEO after her. Indra Nooyi will remain chairman of PepsiCo till 2019.
Indra Nooyi holds the credit for being regularly named among the world's 100 most powerful women.The 62-year old businesswoman ranked 11th in the Power Women 2017 list.
Also read: Share Market Live: Sensex, Nifty hit new all-time highs as Infosys, HDFC twins lead
It was earlier in the month of February this year, the topmost cricket body, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that she would join the ICC Board as its first independent female director in the month of June.
Indra Nooyi is an IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Calcutta alumni. It was in the year 1994,she joined the chips-to-soda manufacturer and soon worked her way up to become the CFO in 2001. She had replaced Steven Reinemund as the CEO of the company.
Indra Nooyi directed the global strategy of the company for over a decade and also led to PepsiCo's restructuring. It included the 1997 divestiture of Tricon, which is now known as Yum! Brands.
She is widely known to speak on various issues such as work-life balance as well as women empowerment. Recently, she had shared that her mother wanted her to get married at 22.
"Growing up in India, I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to lead such an extraordinary company. Guided by our philosophy of Performance with Purpose — delivering sustained performance while making more nutritious products, limiting our environmental footprint and lifting up all the communities we serve — we've made a more meaningful impact in people's lives than I ever dreamed possible," Indra Nooyi said in a statement yesterday.
Get live Stock Prices from BSE and NSE and latest NAV, portfolio of Mutual Funds, calculate your tax by Income Tax Calculator, know market's Top Gainers, Top Losers & Best Equity Funds. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.


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Like protein, fiber slows the rate at which your body plows through carb calories so you feel full for longer and maintain steadier blood sugar levels, one reason why research consistently links fiber intake to weight loss. That means fibrous whole grain bread tends to be a better choice than white bread and also explains why fruits, which contain fiber and valuable vitamins in addition to sugar, beat straight-up candy every time.
Both the Genesis Framework and StudioPress themese are reasonably priced and in my opinion the best!! If you are confused by what the difference is between the framework and theme, don't be. The Genesis framework is like the vehicle for your blog basically it what keeps it functioning and moving forward. The theme is the paint job for your vehicle — basically it what makes your blog pretty. You can read about both here. Or you can click here to download The Genesis Guide for Absolute Beginners (PDF – 1.4 MB)
I think we can all relate to this feeling, because, let's face it—losing weight is hard AF. It takes a lot more than just a spurt of motivation and a trip to the produce section at the grocery store to really see lasting results. And thankfully for us, the internet has helped us all obtain the information we need to lose weight by the simple click of a button.
About: Going through a divorce can do nasty things to a person — it can cause weight gain, low self-esteem, job changes, you name it. It certainly was a downward spiral for Emma, who went through the ringer before meeting (and getting engaged) to her current fiancé — but along the way she learned how to find the joy in life and learn to love herself. Emma decided to start a blog as a way to bring her newfound positivity to others. Her outlook on healthy living and eating, fitness and weight loss is charged with positivity. She's a glass-half-full kind of person, and reading her blog can make you one too.
There are many reasons why you might want to lose weight. If you have been significantly overweight or obese for a long time, then you might have concerns about what the extra weight could be doing to your health. Obesity increases your risk of many health problems, including diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, and some types of cancer.[1] If you have recently gained a bit of weight, then you might just want to lose some weight to fit back into your old jeans. Whatever your reason for wanting to lose weight, there are some important strategies that you should know about.
Lose fat with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). If you're trying to lose weight fast, HIIT training can super-charge your metabolism for upwards of 24 hours after exercising.[27] This means your body will continue burning calories long after you've ended your workout. HIIT burns more calories in less time than steady-state cardio. In one study, researchers looked at two groups, one running for 30 to 60 minutes three times per week, the other doing four to six 30-second treadmill sprints, resting for four to six minutes between each sprint. After six weeks, it was found that the group doing HIIT training lost more weight.[28]
Over the summer, I began to figure out what "eating healthy" even meant. I spent the summer learning to balance meals with protein, veggies, fruits, and carbs. I learned what kinds of foods were good for me and ate less and less processed foods. Once the healthy foods were a regular part of my routine, I didn't have to think as much about making healthy and smart choices. My self-control was more focused on trying to avoid slipping into old habits.
Tanee's transformation is remarkable. As if her staggering 200-pound weight loss isn't impressive enough, Tanee also overcame severe depression and managed to get her life on the right track. Now, she uses her journey to inspire others every single day. Her website and blog are a catalyst for an online support-system and community that others can use to stay on-track themselves. Bravo Tanee.
Sara's blog is about much more than just her effort to lose weight and transform into a healthier lifestyle. It is about the ups and downs that go along with it, the ugly truths and the joyous victories. It's also about her working to fulfill a deep desire to become what she refers to as a true runner, someone with stamina and strength to keep logging in the miles. Her blog is all about finding the joys in fitness, such as hiking a trail rather than just hopping on the step-climber at the gym, as well as always wearing bright pink when running. Follow along with her as she gives excellent feedback into weight loss products, divulges yummy healthy recipes and dishes all about her day-to-day journey to get fit and healthy.
Last January, I started the year off training for a big kickass squat PR. 💪🏼⠀ ⠀ This year, my weights are lighter. My body looks and feels unfamiliar. My training is different, but I'm still thankful for the days I can move and feel strong. Something tells me the end result will be better than a squat PR. In fact, it'll probably the best accomplishment of my life. 🤰🏻💗⠀ ⠀ #birthfit #babybuilding #movementislife #squats #fitpregnancy #secondtrimester
Figure out how many calories you should eat each day to lose weight. Losing weight isn't all about weight. The more aware you are of the calories in the food you eat, the more easily you'll be able to eat the right amount of food and do the right amount of exercise to drop a couple of pounds. Take your food journal and look up each item individually. Keep a running tally and add up your calorie total for the day.
Let's go back to the beginning. I was always thin-ish. From my skinny teenage years to "just a healthy weight" college years, I was always thin-ish. Like I maybe topped 130lbs by the age of 21. Like most of you may know, Mark and I started dating at 14, got married at 20, started a business at 22 and then graduated college by 23. By the time we graduated college, we had somehow managed to build a legit company… APF, Inc. What literally began as Mark's desire to be self-employed combined with his amazing gift of self-taught construction skills and my marketing "abilities", quickly went from a backyard hobby to a full fledged stone countertop company. He spent his junior year of college fabricating granite in my Uncle's backyard with a $2,500 saw loan from my uncle, a rope and a truck to maneuver the slabs along with a big humongous dream. This is going somewhere I promise ;-). He took Tuesday/Thursday classes and worked Monday, Wednesday and Fridays fabricating in the ole' backyard. I was answering client e-mails and returning client calls between classes and at night while we worked at a local restaurant on the weekends. By our senior year, our company had grown just enough to afford for us to lease our own fabrication facility and that's when life started to officially get CRAZY. It was amazing but it was absolutely INSANE. Once Mark graduated in December 2004, he was able to devote his full attention to the company and then I joined him when I graduated in May 2005. Upon my graduation in 2005, we had just moved to a much larger fabrication location, had approximately 11 additional employees and we were opening up a separate showroom location in downtown Monroe, GA. As exciting and wonderful as it all was, it was a stress that I cannot put into words. We had both worked so hard to grow the company yet didn't quite realize what we were getting ourselves into. As two 23 year olds "self-thrust" into suddenly owning a company, we started to truly bring the phrase "Work Hard, Play Hard" to reality. Well as much fun as it was at times, the stress was intense. From managing employees to handling customers and issues and bills and everything in between, I got to a point where I started taking anxiety medication. Biggest mistake EVER.
Sure, ketchup is tasty, but it's also a serious saboteur when it comes your weight loss efforts. Ketchup is loaded with sugar — up to four grams per tablespoon — and bears little nutritional resemblance to the fruit from which it's derived. Luckily, swapping out your ketchup for salsa can help you shave off that belly fat fast. Fresh tomatoes, like those used in salsa, are loaded with lycopene, which a study conducted at China Medical University in Taiwan links to reductions in both overall fat and waist circumference. If you like your salsa spicy, all the better; the capsaicin in hot peppers, like jalapeños and chipotles, can boost your metabolism, too.
Weight loss for women necessitates eating less than you burn. First, determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR) using an online calculator to tell you how many calories your body burns through normal metabolic activity in a day (which can account for 60 to 70% of how many calories you burn daily). Then, determine how many calories you need to take in to maintain your current level of activity. You can also ask at the gym to have your body fat measurement taken and BMR calculated for you.
You don't have to take a three-month sabbatical in Bali or enrol on a 'breathing class' in a Scandi Yogi retreat to find inner calm. You don't even have to meditate (though it'll almost certainly help). If a few minutes of deep-belly breathing in a quiet spot doesn't chill you out, try a bodyweight workout or taking a walk around the block. Exercise boosts your circulation, transporting cortisol to your kidneys, which flush it out.
When I was younger, I'd managed to maintain my weight of 130 pounds by being active. I belonged to the dance team and played intramural sports, so it wasn't difficult for me to motivate myself to exercise. After college, I started a desk job, and with that came long hours, pizza lunches, and plenty of happy hours. I continued to exercise almost every day, but it wasn't enough and my weight climbed to 153 pounds, which was too much for my 5-foot-4-inch frame.
One of the most attention-grabbing things you will notice about Michelle's blog is her story. It's about more than just weight loss, it's about a young woman's path to self-acceptance as well. As a teen, Michelle was told she was overweight even when she wasn't, and subsequently entered into young adulthood fulfilling her own negative self-image. She then spent years going up and down in her weight, gaining and losing, and finally decided a blog would be a great way to keep herself accountable and maintain her weight for life. She went from 233 pounds to under 138, and keeps it off by running, updating her weekly weigh-ins and even competing in triathlons.
About: Yes, this is another one with plenty of followers, but it really is the best for one group: mom. Let's say you are a mom. We'll bet finding time to exercise and eat healthy seems damn near impossible, yes? Then Brooke's blog is for you. It's armed to the tee with quick fitness routines, easy-to-make recipes, heck, even stuff you can do with your baby. And if that's not enough, you can also use it as a go-to resource to get the skinny on things like baby names, connecting with your loved ones and activities to do with the kiddos.
How can the life of a single mother of two beautiful children be like? Ever wondered? Well, this blog contains all the answers to your questions. A woman that is interested in literally everything geeky, loves Christmas, loves her children, and struggles with her weight since, well, forever. Because of everything she went through in her life, she considered that food has always been a friend, never questioning, never abandoning her, and always being there for her. This led to a severe obesity problem for this blogger, Kristen, and what she decided to do is change her appearance completely. With small steps and very slowly, but carefully and with determination, she is one step closer to achieving her goal. Her life is an amazing journey and is definitely worth taking a look at.
In addition to improving your health, maintaining a weight loss is likely to improve your life in other ways. For example, a study of participants in the National Weight Control RegistryExternal* found that those who had maintained a significant weight loss reported improvements in not only their physical health, but also their energy levels, physical mobility, general mood, and self-confidence.
When researchers at the University of Tennessee put a group of volunteers on one of two diets—one high in calcium and one not—and cut each group's calorie intake by 500 calories, they found that the people getting calcium lost twice as much weight (an average of 13lbs) compared with people on the standard diet. Study author Michael Zemel, Ph.D., believes extra calcium helps the body burn more—and store less—fat.
Also some research shows that the human body is primed to consume most of its calories during daylight hours. But the lifestyle is problematic for many: Because family meals and dinners with friends often are scheduled for after sunset, "people who try to stop eating after 7pm can't do it every day for the rest of their lives," says Dr. Seltzer, who supports an alternative strategy: Eating a hearty meal at your regular dinnertime.
About: Mindy doesn't just blog about weight loss, it's actually her job to help people lose weight. She's a busy, Washington, D.C.-based one-on-one weight loss coach, and (luckily for us), spends some of her spare time blogging about it too. Her blog is great in that it clearly comes from an experienced professional, but it's also fun to read and features Mindy's quirky personal touch, just what the doctor ordered for people as they work to drop those extra pounds.
To prep his patients for success, Dr. Seltzer tells them to plan around a large evening meal by eating a lighter breakfast and lunch—NBD since most people who eat a meal before bed tend to wake up feeling relatively full, he says. Research suggests balanced bedtime meals may also promote steady next-day blood sugar levels, which also helps with appetite regulation.
I wish I could tell you the habits formed without a problem, but it was HARD. I had to figure out what worked best for me. I learned that packing my lunch the night before work was super helpful. I also learned that nights were hard for me. There were days I ate super well all day long but then felt like I ruined it when I ate a bunch of candy or dessert. I would also indulge over the weekends, late at night, or when going out to dinner. I was also not in shape so working out was hard. I felt super weak and was tired after work so it was extra difficult motivating myself to get to the gym only to find out and remind myself I was not good at running or lifting. It took me a while to learn that exercising over my lunch break was a good fit for me – it gave me a break from work and I had enough energy to push myself. There were a lot of days of missing the mark, when I would be too tired to work out or days when I didn't think about what I was consuming and ate whatever was in front of me (not the nutritious kinds of food). There were many days when I felt like I was making any progress whatsoever. The biggest and most important thing I started to learn in this summer was to give myself grace. I hard to learn to forgive myself and move on when I fell short of the mark I set for myself. I had to learn to keep my head up and remind myself that the tiny baby steps would lead to progress.
The main advantage of the low-carb diet is that it causes you to want to eat less. Even without counting calories most overweight people eat far fewer calories on low carb. Sugar and starch may increase your hunger, while avoiding them may decrease your appetite to an adequate level. If your body wants to have an appropriate number of calories you don't need to bother counting them. Thus: Calories count, but you don't need to count them.


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This month's edition of Off the Shelf takes a look at Brené Brown's Rising Strong. This might be my favorite of Brown's books!Read More
Off the Shelf: Happy Pretty Messy: Cultivating Beauty and Bravery When Life Gets Tough
This month I'm reviewing Happy Pretty Messy: Cultivating Beauty and Bravery When Life Gets Tough by Natalie Wise. This is a fabulous read for anyone, but especially entrepreneurs!Read More
Off the Shelf: Book Launch Blueprint
This month I'm reviewing Book Launch Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Bestselling Launch by Tim Grahl. Grab a copy if you haven't already checked out this book. Wonderful read!Read More
Off the Shelf: Essentialism
Every year is the year I'm going to declutter and minimize the "stuff" I have hanging around in my house. And every year…it doesn't happen.
As a business owner, I'm in the same boat. I want to reduce the number of services I offer so I can simply focus on what I love (but I love it all). I want to stop being so busy and start getting more done (but there's so much to do). Sigh.
I've read all the books and pretended to do all the homework, but yet nothing changes. So when I heard about the book Essentialism, I knew I needed to check it out. And you know what? I just think I might have gotten some key takeaways that can help me get to a more essentialist mindset.Read More
Off The Shelf: The Magic Art of Tidying Up
Welcome back to Off the Shelf, friends! We're trying something a bit different with Off the Shelf in 2017. Instead of me posting reviews each month, an entrepreneur friend and I will be trading reviews of the same book. In the spirit of National Organizing Month, first up is the best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I had somehow never read.Read More
Off the Shelf - November
The Effortless Every Day: How to Design Your Daily Life to Free Up Time and Energy for What Really Matters
Katie Lee
The author outlines her vision for the book simply: "I hope this book finally answers your big questions about how to become who you've meant to be." She offers a three-part system to design your lifestyle, and she emphasizes making small, daily changes to your daily life. (My take on this emphasis? Small = manageable. Daily = habit-forming.) To implement this system, the author notes, we need to stop "Pinteresting." Examples of small changes include going to bed 15 minutes earlier and getting outside each day.
Part I is Digging Deep. In this section, she notes that time is flexible and that this is important because "[i]t's not what our society has told us." We should focus our energies and devote time to the most important things and say no/do less. Part I contains an exercise called Priming for Change.
In Part II, Dominating Your Day, the author discusses identifying what you want, what you need, what needs to be eliminated (i.e., what's getting in the way if you getting what you want), how you'll make this happen, and analyzing so you can course-correct as needed. Areas in which she suggests making changes include health, home, relationships, and professional goals. The author is a proponent of the SAVERS method from Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: Silence (meditation), Affirmation, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing (journaling). (Check out my review of Miracle Morning)
Part III is Setting Up Systems. This section is, in the author's words, "how to get changes to stick. Different changes take different amounts of time to stick.
We must make room in our lives for what we want, whether that be a spouse, more clients, to travel, and more. Once we implement these small, daily changes, all that's left to do (ha!) is to enjoy life.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I love to pick a few favorite quotes from business books, and The Effortless Every Day has some great ones:
"Life takes practice."
"Most modern women are short on time. Perpetually."
"We only have so much decision-making fuel in each day or week."
"There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone."
"Guilt is not something you're either conflicted with or doesn't bother you. It's a learned muscle that you practice."
"Define your ALL. Then ignore the rest."
Online Marketing for Busy Authors
Fauzia Burke
As a new author myself, this book was of particular interest. The author confirms early on what I, and other authors, already know: Marketing is a long game, not a sprint. This is true whether you are a first-time author or a multi-book author, and no matter what publishing method (traditional, self, of hybrid) you use. This book is interactive, with worksheets and checklists throughout. The author breaks down the process into three parts: Getting Organized, Turning Your Thinking into Action, and Staying the Course. In Phase 1, the author notes that today is a good time to be an author because authors have "direct access to their readers." This phase is about personal branding, dreams, readers, goals, and priorities. In the chapter on goals, the author asks: "Why did you write your book?" (I hope you identified this BEFORE writing.) This section contains a chapter of advice from publishers, agents, and other authors. In Phase 2, the author discusses creating an online marketing plan (that is both sustainable and scalable), building a website, blogging, social media, and book publicity. The author's advice with regard to marketing is simple: "Double down on what's working and ditch what's not." Phase 3 is about promoting without being promotional, monitoring, and adjusting. The worksheets and checklists throughout the book are helpful exercises in crafting a long-term marketing plan.
Winter Garden
Kristin Hannah
Winter Garden is the story of three women: sisters Meredith and Nina, and their mother, Anya. Meredith runs the family business her father built; Nina travels the world as a photographer, coming home sporadically at best — and leaving the same way. Their mother, Anya, is cold and detached. She has had a stifled, at best, relationship with her daughters since they were children, with husband/father Evan the glue that holds these three strong women together. Nina rushes home when Evan has a heart attack, and on his deathbed he convinces Anya to tell their daughters a story — a story she began years ago but never finished — to the end. Anya tells the story in pieces as Nina works to pull them out of her. The story is one of love, heartbreak, and survival from Leningrad during World War II. The "twist" in this novel was well written and unexpected, which was, frankly, refreshing, and there were sub-plots: Nina's inability to commit to Patrick, who desperately wants her to, and Meredith's denial that her marriage is in trouble now that her children are out of the house (in college) and her father is gone. The novel ended a little abruptly for me, but that didn't take away from the lovely and heartwarming story of strong women learning to love and lean on one another.
Books on My Holiday Wish List
If you know me, or have been reading this blog for awhile, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that my holiday wish list is filled with books. (There are also many coffee-related products, but I digress.) People ask me all the time what I'm reading, so I thought it might be fun to share a few books from my wish list. Note that not all of these are new releases. (I hope someone tells my husband to check out this blog!)
The Art of Slow Writing: Reflections on Time, Craft, and Creativity
Louise DeSalvo
From Amazon: The Art of Slow Writing is the antidote to self-help books that preach the idea of fast-writing, finishing a novel a year, and quick revisions. DeSalvo makes a case that more mature writing often develops over a longer period of time and offers tips and techniques to train the creative process in this new experience.
I think this book might be suited more toward fiction writers (which I am not!), but an editor friend recommended it so highly that I want to read it.
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
Amy Cuddy
From Amazon: By accessing our personal power, we can achieve "presence," the state in which we stop worrying about the impression we're making on others and instead adjust the impression we've been making on ourselves.
I've been a wee-bit Amy Cuddy obsessed since seeing her TED Talk. (Power poses, anyone?) I cannot wait to get my hands on this book and soak in every word. Calm is something I'm working hard to achieve as my business grows quickly — a good problem to have, I realize.
Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen
From Amazon: Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star's memoir. This is a book for workers and dreamers, parents and children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks, or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll.
I get it: You love Bruce, or you don't. I happen to love him. I've seen him in concert 19 times and can't wait to go again. His lyrics soothe me, and I hope the same is true of this book!
Small Great Things
Jodi Picoult
From Amazon: With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.
Jodi Picoult has been one of my favorite fiction writers. She takes research seriously, and it shows in her writing, and she tackles social issues in her books, which I love. I haven't read one of her books in a few years, so I'm curious if this book is as good as her others were for me.
The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds
Michael Lewis
From Amazon: The Undoing Project is about a compelling collaboration between two men who have the dimensions of great literary figures. They became heroes in the university and on the battlefield―both had important careers in the Israeli military―and their research was deeply linked to their extraordinary life experiences. Amos Tversky was a brilliant, self-confident warrior and extrovert, the center of rapt attention in any room; Kahneman, a fugitive from the Nazis in his childhood, was an introvert whose questing self-doubt was the seedbed of his ideas. They became one of the greatest partnerships in the history of science, working together so closely that they couldn't remember whose brain originated which ideas, or who should claim credit. They flipped a coin to decide the lead authorship on the first paper they wrote, and simply alternated thereafter.
I love, love, love Michael Lewis and his writing. I will read just about anything he writes, even if it's a topic I might generally not be interested in. Can't wait to dig into this one.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter
Kate Clifford Lawson
From Amazon: In Rosemary, Kate Clifford Larson uses newly uncovered sources to bring Rosemary Kennedy's story to light. Young Rosemary comes alive as a sweet, lively girl adored by her siblings. But Larson also reveals the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly difficult in her early twenties, culminating in Joe's decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.
Why am I so obsessed with the Kennedys? I don't know, but I sure am. It boggles my mind that Rosemary was treated the way she was — by her own father, no less.
As you can see, my reading taste is all over the place. What books are on your holiday wish list? Let me know in the comments. I'm always looking for book recommendations!
Off the Shelf - October
Just two book reviews this month, friends! With my own book launching next week, there wasn't much time for leisure reading this past month. We'll get back on track In November!
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life
Hal Elrod
In my effort to be more productive, I purchased the Kindle edition of this book. And then didn't read it for months. That was a mistake! The book essentially opens with the scene of the author's car accident. He calls his survival a miracle and the catalyst for him making the choice to be "grateful for all that I had."
The author talks about mediocrity in our lives -- how we tend do be doing well in one area but mediocre in another (or others). I think a lot about work-life balance, so this rang true for me. What causes mediocrity? The author talks about a lack of purpose as one reason, lack of accountability as another, as well as a mediocre circle of influence, a lack of personal development, and a lack of urgency.
He then talks about how a morning routine can set our day up for success and lists some of the most common results: more energy, lower stress levels, improved health, less worry, more gratitude, uncovering your life purpose. The challenge with any routine, the author says, is finding the time. He insists that it must be the morning because then there is no time for "excuses to accumulate" throughout the day. (Good point!)
Another challenge is figuring out what will be the most impactful for you. The author has six areas he focuses on: silence (meditation; 5 minutes), reading (learning from experts; 20 minutes), affirmations (5 minutes), visualization (5 minutes), journaling (5 minutes), and exercise (20 minutes). This is a 60-minute routine. There is a chapter in the book titled "The 6-Minute Miracle (For the Busy People)" in case you really can't do 60 minutes a day.
Throughout the book are testimonials from real people whose lives have been changed and impacted by implementing a morning routine.
The author also addresses the elephant in the room: sleep. Chapter 5 offers a "5-Step Snooze-Proof Wake-Up Strategy" so we have no excuses not to at least try to develop this habit.
I enjoyed this book tremendously and have implemented some of it. I've got a ways to go, but I'm making progress!
Here are a few quotes from The Miracle Morning that resonated with me:
"While blame determines who is at fault for something, responsibility determines who is committed to improving them."
"Even when life is difficult or challenging -- ESPECIALLY when life is difficult and challenging -- the present is always an opportunity for us to learn, grow, and become better than we've ever been before."
"Our outer world will always be a reflection of our inner world."
The Dressmaker
Kate Alcott
The Dressmaker tells the tale of Tess, an aspiring seamstress who is hired by famed designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be her maid on their voyage on the Titanic. Tess bites her tongue and keeps her head down regularly, both on the ship and once they reach New York City, in the hope that she will earn increased responsibilities from Lady Duff Gordon and be taken under her wing so that she can be a famous designer one day, too.
Lady Lucile Duff Gordon was not a particularly likable woman. Even when circumstances are revealed to soften her (namely, Tess is the same age as the daughter Duff Gordon wanted), it falls flat because she has been so nasty to all those around her. Does she just have a nasty personality, though, or is she evil, as she's being accused of letting others perish while sitting in a mostly empty lifeboat? On that front, I admit it is easy to say that I would've done the right thing on one of those lifeboats. But to consider that there were hundreds and hundreds of people screaming in the water for help, the noise and the panic and the chaos -- well, who can say?
Tess is confronted with knowing, deep down, the truth about Lady Duff Gordon, and either keeping quiet (but retaining her income, job, security) or standing up for what was right. Never mind that the person being taking the rap in her place was Tess's love interest.
I wished there was more about the Titanic in The Dressmaker, but that happened at the very beginning of the book. The book was mainly set in New York, which was fine, but the Titanic was the hook that first interested me in the book. This is not quite a beach read, but it's a fairly light read. Worth checking out!
Off The Shelf - September
The 8-Minute Writing Habit
Monica Leonelle
I must admit I was skeptical about this book, but a few people whose advice I value recommended it, so I was curious to read it. The author had me at "butt-in-chair" is a myth, because I concur wholeheartedly. Though I acknowledge that there comes a time in every project when you need to do this anyway, and though I believe that you can train your mind to create on demand (for lack of a better phrase), I also believe that sitting down to write does not always work. Simple as that.
Leonelle's system has three basic steps:
1. Break through the blocks that are holding you back.
2. Use her nine strategies.
3. Create a plan to write faster and more consistently.
The five blocks she lists will sound familiar. I'll mention just a couple of them here. One is that writing may not pay off. Leonelle notes that writing is sometimes easier when you take away the expectation of outcome. I love that! Don't write while giving yourself pressure about book sales, or number of readers for a blog post, or any other self-imposed expectations. Just write. (Trust me: There will be plenty of time later for expectations!) The next block Leonelle addresses is anxiety — the idea that we get too far ahead of ourselves is true. Think about writing only. Then think about editing. Then think about publishing. Taking the process one step at a time can help reduce anxiety and overwhelm. This is especially important if you are not a writer by profession, because the process is already (likely) overwhelming for you due to its unfamiliarity. Another block is distraction. It's so important, Leonelle argues, to get buy-in from what she terms "your most important people." Whether that is a spouse or partner, a roommate, or an accountability partner, the support and buy-in from a support system goes a long way, Writing is a lonely profession, after all.
Leonelle's strategies are next. She notes that eight minutes is a short enough time for anyone but it's also enough time to produce something. She encourages readers to incorporate the eight minutes into your already-established routine rather than trying to add something new, since we're already so busy. In addition to writing for eight minutes, the strategies include writing in the morning to get it "out of the way" to collaborate with a fellow writer, to set public deadlines (this has been a game-changer for me), and to take your writing mobile (AKA to go somewhere new to write).
The third part of the book is Leonelle's 8x8 Challenge: eight days of writing eight minutes per day. She gives an assignment for each day. Day 2, for example, involves switching up something: stand to write if you usually sit, or dictate your words if you normally type. Day 7 is to make a plan. How many eight-minute sessions do you need to finished a first draft?
The 8-Minute Writing Habit contains many useful takeaways for writers whether beginning or established. I loved the 8x8 Challenge and have done it several times. If you're feeling intimidated by the idea of incorporating writing into your already-too-busy life, check out this method.
Blog in Bloom
Rosie Morley
Blog in Bloom is a dream. This workbook contains examples and exercises (with answers!) throughout to help you work through the logistics of blogging. There are checklists, tips to avoid burnout, and a working blog post before and after. Hedera begins by noting the Golden Rule: Write for your reader. All bloggers want to do this, but sometimes that's easier said than done. To that end, Morley walks readers through how to figure out who your reader is. Blog in Bloom then walks readers through all the areas where we can get stuck and make mistakes.
The first part of the book, Foundations, covers structure and cohesion. Structure discusses the topics planning, subheads, and body. Cohesion includes signposting, using repetition, analogies, and conjunctions.
The next section is Polishing, which includes grammar and mechanics as well as proofreading. (Don't worry: This is more fun than it was in seventh-grade English class!) The grammar and mechanics section includes discussions of sentence structure, punctuation (dashes, hyphens, colons, semi-colons, apostrophes), capitalization, comma splices, fragments, and subject-verb agreement. The proofreading section covers how to proofread, often-confused words, and consistency. (I feel like the list of often-confused words grows by the day.)
And finally, there's You, which tackles style and voice. Style includes person, voice, construction, "weasel words" (words used intentionally to dilute meaning, such as basically or virtually), jargon, sentence length, boring verbs, and plain language. Voice covers contractions, casual writing, and breaking the rules.
Each chapter includes a section Hedera titles "So What?" to explain the why behind the lesson. The tone of the book is casual and fun, rather than stuffy and "there's only one right way to write." Each topic Morley includes is done so thoughtfully to show readers how to strengthen their writing while still keeping in mind — always — the Golden Rule. Blog in Bloom is a great writing refresher for your blog and any other writing you do.
The Husband's Secret
Liane Moriarty
My book club read this book and, though a few of us assumed the secret couldn't be an affair because that's too obvious, what makes me sad was that that was the first thought every single one of us had. Yikes. (Surely that says something about our society today, though I am not sure what!) Liane Moriarty writes rich and complex characters, and this book was no exception. In this twist on Pandora's box, protagonist Cecilia finds a letter in her husband, John-Paul's, desk to be opened in the event of his death. He is on a business trip, and Cecilia wrestles with the idea of opening the letter or not. (I wouldn't have wrestled at all; I know me: I would have ripped that envelope open the second I laid eyes on it! My husband knows this about me, so this would never happen in our house.) The secret was not an affair. Instead, John-Paul confesses to the murder of a teenage girl when he was a teen himself.
Cecilia's story becomes intertwined with that of Rachel, the mother of the murder victim. Rachel bears the loss of her daughter daily and is facing loneliness as her son announces that he and his wife — and therefore Rachel's grandson, one of the few things to bring her joy — are moving out of the country. Rachel believes a man named Connor murdered her daughter. The police said that there was not enough evidence against Connor. One day as Connor was crossing the street, Rachel was driving took matters into her own hands. She accelerated in an attempt to hit Connor but instead hit a little girl who had ridden her bike into the street: Polly, Cecilia and John-Paul's daughter. Polly's leg is amputated, and John-Paul must deal with the guilt of his crime and of keeping the secret. If he had confessed years earlier, Rachel would never have tried to hit Connor with her car, and his daughter would not have lost her leg. Cecilia struggles with guilt, too. Should she tell Rachel? (Spoiler alert: She does.) She also wrestles with the idea that the man she has loved for so many years, with whom she has built a family, committed a crime — and lied about it.
The intersection of the characters' stories is handled with ease, as is generally the case in Moriarty's books. If you're a fan of this author, The Husband's Secret won't disappoint.
P.S. Rumor has it there's a movie on the way based on this book.
What have you been reading lately?
Off The Shelf - August
Check out what I've been reading lately. I've been soaking up summer with my family, so it's an abbreviated Off the Shelf this month. I'll be back to three books in September — promise.
If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Happy?
Raj Raghunathan
The premise of this book is simple yet fascinating: Could the same traits that drive your career success also be keeping you from being happier?
Raghunathan breaks down the science of happiness before getting into how to achieve happiness and/or be happier, and he includes exercises in each chapter to do so. I found this book both engaging and compelling — because it makes perfect sense! As a business owner, I like control. In "real life," trying to control everything is a recipe for disaster. As a business owner, I like to be in charge. In "real life," I have a partnership. But this book teaches readers that we can take those qualities that are positive in our business life and use them to build a happy and fulfilling life.
Rather than "chasing" happiness, it makes more sense to do those things that we like and that we're good at. Those things make us happy. Again, this is not rocket science, but If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Happy? is a great read for any entrepreneur.
Rocket Boys
Homer Hickam
My book club read this memoir a few months ago and I really enjoyed it. In 1957, when Homer "Sonny" Hickam was 14 years old, he and a couple buddies decided to build rockets after seeing Sputnik. Homer saw them as a way out of Coalwood, a dying, West Virginia, mining town where boys, frankly, were expected to work in those mines. His father, superintendent of the mine, was a 100-percent company man. The town relied upon the mine for its vitality in a way that's difficult to wrap our heads around today. (As an aside, one of my nephews visited my husband and me this summer and we took him on a coal mining tour in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. He was (and we were) amazed by what that life must have been like for miners: dark, dusty, cold, dangerous.) Sonny's mother and his science teacher encouraged him to pursue rocket building. His father, like most of the town, was much more interested in the high school boys' football team. Eventually people start to become interested and the boys earn the nickname "Rocket Boys" throughout Coalwood. More and more people become interested in what the Rocket Boys are doing. Throughout the memoir, it's clear what small-town life was like, in Coalwood and in towns like it throughout the country. Spoiler alert: Sonny does get out of Coalwood. He went on to become an engineer at NASA.
What have you been reading this summer? Anything to share? I'm always looking for recommendations.
Off the Shelf - July
Here's what I've been reading. What about you?
Josh Turner
The author says point-blank that this concept is not rocket science, and he's right. However, sometimes we still need to hear it from someone else. This is a quick read filled with valuable information and motivation. The process, Turner says, is a simple one, which he outlines in general terms and then dives into each step. Generally, you must get in front of prospects, convert a percentage into leads, and then convert at least one lead into a client. Without leads, your business is in the danger zone. Getting those leads, Turner says, is easier if you can position yourself as a leader and expert. People — prospects — will then want to talk to you. And getting in front of people is how small business owners can stay off of the cash-flow roller coaster, which prevents growth. Turner urges readers to take advantage of online tools like email but especially LinkedIn and Facebook groups.
The detailed, five-step Booked process is as follows:
Step 1: The Foundation — clearly identify your ideal prospects and optimize your profiles
Step 2: Your Leadership Platform — generate appointments (appointments = sales calls = consultations = strategy sessions) and start a Facebook or LinkedIn group
Step 3: Building Your Database — after an initial blitz, reach out, on an ongoing basis, to new prospects; do this every day
Step 4: Your Messaging Machine — figuring out your numbers (# of prospects you need to reach goal) and which messaging campaign is right for you
Step 5: Email Blueprint
Turner includes scripts to use in Step 3 and notes the importance of doing this every day as well as scripts for each of the types of messaging campaigns in Step 4. He acknowledges that there are a lot of moving parts in the Booked process so it's critical to stay organized and do prep and planning. He suggests that 30-60 minutes each day, five days a week, is the sweet spot for the system to work for you.
I had this book on my Kindle for a while before digging in. Even though a few entrepreneurs told me they enjoyed it, the title made me think it was geared more toward salespeople. I'm glad I gave it a shot!
Here are some of my favorite takeaway quotes from Booked:
"You can't grow by cutting costs. The only way to grow, or to remain stable, is to generate a consistent flow of leads."
"Follow up and persistence is the key to maximizing your results."
"A well-designed email campaign can add 10-20% response rate to the overall system."
The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You
Jessica N. Turner
This book is another one of those no-brainers, right? I love the snippets from real women she surveyed (found myself wanting to track a lot of these women down, either to hug or high-five them — or both) and the quick and easy "exercises" she has throughout, like noting who someone is that you compare yourself to and listing three blocks of 5 to 15 minutes you can find throughout your day. The exercises are all simple and un-intimidating (AKA, maybe we'll actually do them). Turner talks about the challenge of finding balance, no matter our circumstances: married or single, with or without children, income, age. All women struggle with this concept in different ways. It looks different for me (41, married, and without children, full-time entrepreneur) than it does for my sister (31, married with an almost-three-year-old and a newborn, teacher) than it foes for our mother (62, married, four adult children, full-time executive). And that's just in my immediate family.
In the first part of the book, Turner has readers EXPLORE. The chapters cover balance, pressures, guilt, and comparison. You won't read much here that you haven't read and heard before, but it's the groundwork. She then moves into the DISCOVER part, which she calls the heart of the book. I couldn't agree more. Here is where she covers shifting our perspective, identifying ways in which we can care for ourselves (such as health, spiritually, our passions), and finding that time for ourselves. In this section she mentions one of my favorite metaphors for life: Put on your oxygen mask first. Then assist others. In the third part Turner teaches us to MAXIMIZE. This is where we prioritize and learn to use our time efficiently. She includes a discussion of helpful versus wasteful multitasking that I really enjoyed. (My business coach talked recently about how multitasking isn't really a thing, and that really our brains are just toggling back and forth among activities. Maybe that's why so many of us feel like we're on the hamster wheel.) She also includes a discussion of asking for and embracing help, as well as an honest mention of obstacles that can slow us down, such as financial restraints, interruptions, and disorganization. Finally in the fourth part, LIVE WELL, Turner talks about community and rest, choosing joy and giving thanks.
The tone of this book is that of one girlfriend talking to another, and breaking down what we all know we should be doing. If we could each implement even one or two of the results from exercises in the book, we can call that progress.
And as always, some of my favorite takeaways (There were lots!):
"Just because something is a good thing doesn't mean it is good for this moment in your life."
"When you make room in your schedule to breathe, you make room for you — and that is key to discovering fringe hours.
"Self-care needs to be included in what you should be doing. It is not a privilege. It is a necessity."
"Acknowledgment of your passions is significant, courageous, and meaningful."
"We must refuse to let our calendars control us."
"The prioritization of our passions benefits us in every way — internally (spiritually, mentally, and emotionally) and externally (in our relationships with other people and how we interact with them).
"Gratitude transforms us from the inside out."
All You Could Ask For
Mike Greenberg
All You Could Ask For follows the lives of three women — Brooke, Samantha, and Katherine — who don't know each other but whose lives intersect late in the book through a listserv for women with breast cancer. I wished their stories intersected earlier in the book because there was no common thread for me as I read (other than that they all came from Greenwich, Connecticut), making me wonder why and how the three characters, who were so vastly different, would come together. Were they sisters? All friends of a mutual friend? I knew before reading the book that breast cancer was involved (because I am a fan of the author and had heard him talk about the book) but was unsure how it came into play as I read.
The novel is about female friendships and support, yet the characters meet so late in the book that I didn't really get enough of that. What I loved was that the characters were developed well enough that as each was diagnosed and dealt with both her diagnosis and treatment, I felt that we (readers) understood the characters well enough to see why they reacted the way they did. Even if we didn't like it, we understood it. The battle is the same yet the battle plan is different for every single person dealing with the horrible disease. We all know a Brooke, a Samantha, or a Katherine. We can all understand how powerful a force having female friendships is. I hate to call this a "feel good" book since the subject matter is mostly certainly not that, but it's nice to know that these friendships exist in real life and in books. My hope is that anyone dealing with a struggle has these friends to call upon.
What have you been reading?
Off The Shelf - June
Monique Melton
Monique Melton is a brand strategist who's pulling back the curtain on some of her client processes. She helps her clients shine brighter in business and in life. In EntrepreFriendships, Monique discusses the importance of one-on-one, in-person interaction when you're an entrepreneur, noting that it can sometimes be an isolated world. She discusses the types of events to look for, the types of business relationships that exist, and the five types of people you want to connect with (influencers/connectors, connected to influencers/connectors, influencer/connector supporters, industry colleagues, good connections). Step-by-step, Monique shows how to create and cultivate these special relationships she calls EntrepreFriendships, with sample scripts to use at each stage. She explains why the best mindset to have is that of "support and serve." The book is filled with action steps, valuable takeaways, and exercises to help you decide who you want to meet, how to get in front of them, how to build that relationship, questions to ask, questions to avoid, how and when to follow up — and much more. This is a great guide for anyone navigating the world of entrepreneurship.
The Start-Up of You
Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha
I should have read the description more closely before digging into this book, as it's really a guidebook for employees to treat themselves as an entrepreneur in today's economy and workforce, rather than a book for entrepreneurs per se, which is what I was expecting (for no good reason). The book begins by likening cavemen to the self-employed: They had to find their own food and feed their families. The authors talk about the "death of the traditional career path" and how employees are more loyal these days to their horizontal network (their peers/colleagues) than they are to their vertical network (their bosses/management). I haven't worked in a typical corporate environment for more than 15 years, but most everyone I know in real life does, and these statements both ring true. The authors discuss networkers versus relationship-builders and the importance of having allies and groups/community in your business life. Additionally they discuss how to tap into and use your network. The Start-Up of You includes real-life examples throughout from companies like Zappos, Netflix, PayPal, Pandora, and Airbnb.
This book was full of awesome takeaways/quotes. Here are some of my favorites:
· "Adaptability creates stability."
· "Being better than the competition is basic to an entrepreneur's survival."
· "The Best thing to do is to think and plan two steps ahead."
· "No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team."
· "Opportunities do not float like clouds. They are firmly attached to individuals."
· "The value and strength of your network are not represented in the number of contacts in your address book."
Each chapter concludes with specific action steps and networking advice, and the Further Reading section at the back of the book includes descriptions of the books included, which I love!
Still Alice
Lisa Genova
Still Alice is the heartbreaking story of Dr. Alice Howland, a Harvard professor. She begins experiencing more than "usual" forgetfulness but when she gets lost on her daily jog in her own neighborhood, Alice is terrified. At age 50, Alice is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Her journey was frightening and she was unsure how to navigate her new reality, as her job slipped further away until eventually she had to give it up. Alice struggles with hanging onto her sense of self even as it changes by the day.
My heart broke for Alice and her family, and the story reminded me that we don't always react to news and situations the way maybe we should. I hated daughter Anna's reaction, focused almost exclusively on the hereditary angle of the disease, as she was battling fertility and consumed with whether she and her future baby might be affected (though as someone with experience in that arena, it rang maybe just a bit too true).
I have not seen the film, but I have heard that it was a wonderful adaptation of this lovely book.
What have you been reading this month? I'd love to hear your suggestions!
Off the Shelf: May Edition
Each month we'll do a book roundup of some of my recent reads, including two business book and one other book. Check out what I read this month!
Work Your Wealth: 9 Steps to Making Smarter Money Choices with Your Money
Mary Beth Storjorhann, CFP
Let's just cut to the chase: The best part of this book in my opinion is that, unlike just about every other bit of money advice you hear, Mary Beth does not say you have to cut out daily lattes to save $X per year. (Can I get an "Amen" on that?) Instead, her advice on this point, and throughout, is to personalize the money process for you. In other words, instead of your money controlling you, you're learning to control your money.
Mary Beth's tone is real and matter-of-fact but her advice is, and the nine steps are, so practical and seemingly easy to implement that this money book is not overwhelming. So often talking about money (or even thinking about it) causes anxiety. That's not the case with this book. You don't walk away from reading this book with a sense of dread about money mistakes you've made — or worrying that you'll be working until you're 90 in order to have enough. Instead you feel like you can actually do this (and it won't be awful to make any necessary changes to get where you want to be).
Work Your Wealth covers all of the usual suspects when it comes to money and personal finance books: goals, budgeting, debt, investing, retirement planning, credit. It does so, though, in a way that is not condescending and but again, personalizes the process for you. Mary Beth asks what money represents to you so that you can set goals that are appropriate to you. My retirement dreams likely aren't the same as yours, so our daily, weekly, and annual money decisions won't be the same. Mary Beth's encouragement is to make a money plan that will make you happy.
The book includes solid examples with real-life situations and numbers, all presented in an easy-to-understand manner. Complicated terms and concepts are presented in a way that non-finance people like me can understand and, just as important, in a way that is not boring. Mary Beth stresses the importance of tracking your financial progress and why you need to invest — now — both financially and in yourself.
Side note for those of us who are creatives, solopreneurs, and small business owners: Mary Beth includes advice specific to those of us with variable incomes, particularly when it comes to "lifestyle inflation." I love this, too, because I think sometimes we're forgotten in money and finance books.
Mary Beth Storjorhann takes the stress out of thinking about your financial future. After reading Work Your Wealth, you'll feel positive about where you're headed (and how you'll get there). Turns out talking about money doesn't have to be so intimidating after all.
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion
Elle Luna
This was another one of those books where I had heard so much hype and so many positive reviews that I expected to be disappointed. I definitely was not. This book is everything "they" say it is. I can so easily see why this book, which started as an essay, resonated with so many people that it grew organically into something much, much bigger. The author writes that "these pages are a pep talk," and they truly are. It's up to each of us to figure out our own answers, but the content of this book is certainly a road map to follow as we think about our own Should and Must on our own journey.
She lays out in Part I the definitions of each, and the differences between them. She then offers what I consider the crux of the book, in two separate sentences: "Choosing Must is the greatest thing we can do with our lives," followed later by "But if Must is so great, why don't we choose it every day?" Yes! We are conditioned, really, by Should. Should is a part of everyday life. And then there's this: Must is scary! To actually do that thing that is our calling? Yikes. Then you add to that that it takes hard work and time to deal with Should, and it's easy to see why most people never make it happen. So there we are: at the crossroads of Should and Must. We let life dictate why we aren't pursuing our Must: We can't make a living pursuing it. It's not the right time.
One of the big takeaways for me came early in the book. The author was talking about how she loved painting when she was younger but hadn't painted in so long. When, as an adult, she painted, the joy returned. That really struck me: Our creativity stays within us even when we aren't practicing it. For her, that meant painting. For some it's writing. For others, drawing. For others, singing. Whatever it is, we need it let it out and reclaim the joy that results in practicing it! Find your Must — whatever it is — and claim it, friends! As Elle says, honor who you are.
The Royal We
Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Why are Americans so fascinated by British royalty? I have no idea, but I definitely am. This is the first adult novel by Heather and Jessica, whom you may know as the Fug Girls (and if you don't, you should; they are hilariously fantastic!), and it doesn't disappoint. The book opens the day before Bex (Rebecca Porter) marries Prince Nicholas of Wales, future King of England, and the parallels are clearly drawn to Will and Kate from the get-go. The book is told from Rebecca's point of view, showing how it must feel to live life under the microscope once she and Nick are "found out." The plot is fairly predictable for those who know anything about the real Will and Kate, and the supporting characters somewhat recognizable: the ornery younger brother Freddie, the cold and stuffy father Richard, the aristocratic friend-since-childhood who thinks Bex isn't good enough Bea, the sister who seems to grab a lot of attention Lacey. But reading along, via time jumps to the past and back, as the American commoner and the future king get to know one another as friends, fall in love, and dream of their life together is just plain fun. Of course, it isn't all sunshine and roses. There are the tabloids, of course. And there are Nick's ex-girlfriends, who travel in the same social circles and are thus still around more often than Bex would like. There are the inner workings of the royal family, which are beyond complicated (as one might imagine). And of course, there is the fact that Nick will one day be king, like it or not. His life has been planned out already, and Bex really is, in a way, "filling a position," as Bea calls it early on in the book, rather than becoming the wife of the love of her life. The authors say they were inspired by Will and Kate, and in thinking about what happens after the prince kisses the girl at the end of the fairy tale. There's a big difference between being a girlfriend and being a member of the royal family. One Amazon review I saw before reading this book talked about being in a fishbowl where everyone can see everything you do, from all sides, at all times.
The Royal We is a fun and entertaining read. Perfect for sitting on the beach or on the deck this summer! One last note about this book: I assume it goes without saying that I adored the character of Gaz? And not just because he was named after a font (Garamond)! This makes me regret not studying abroad in college even more. (Truly, it's my one and only real regret in my life, but if I could have a friend named after a font, which I just don't know would happen in the good ol' USA, that would be awesome.)
What books have you been reading lately?
Off the Shelf: April Book Review
Each month we'll do a book roundup of some of my recent reads, including two business book and one other book. Check out what I read this month!
The Conquer Kit
Natalie MacNeil
This workbook is described as "a creative business planner for women entrepreneurs" on the cover. MacNeil outlines the process in eight steps, each with several tasks/activities within. I love that she tells you with each one how long it will take. I read this book on a flight recently and so wished I had some of the supplies she recommends having handy in the introduction like colored markers, magazines, and tape. (I'm sure my seatmate from San Francisco to Portland was thrilled I did not have said items.) Since I didn't have access to all those goodies, my copy is currently covered with scribbled Post-it notes from my flight, and I can't wait to dive into the actual activities soon, particularly the Client Welcome System activity in Step 3.
The steps themselves are the usuals suspects: your why, your product(s), systems, finances, marketing, your team, business planning, and goal-setting. MacNeil's tone is comforting while authoritative. The sections on money and contracts, for example, are not at all icky or overwhelming. The activities are thoughtful, have an end result of you gaining clarity and having intention, and include room for accountability when appropriate. Sprinkled throughout the book in just the right places are inspirational quotes. Also, as if that's not enough to get you excited, MacNeil has bonuses available online that include a budget worksheet, contracts, and more.
If you're on the fence about this one or thinking it might be a great gift for someone you know, MacNeil is using 50 percent of book royalties to support students at a school in Tanzania that her company helped build, the Conquer Academy. Way cool.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Elizabeth Gilbert
You know those books that "everyone" is reading so you feel like you need to? That was this for me. I kept putting it off because I just did not care for Eat, Pray, Love. (There. I said it. I know, I know—gasp! I tried. I really did. I just couldn't get into it.) The Washington Post referred to Gilbert's love of creativity as "infectious," and they're right. With every page, you could tell that Gilbert practices what she preaches; she truly believes in and lives the magic of creativity each day. Her tone was light but you could tell she means business and takes this subject seriously—and wants her readers to do the same. She encourages readers to define themselves as creative. Gilbert wants us to declare aloud: "I am a _____."
While I was reading, I started marking what I thought would be my favorite quote or two (or maybe even three) from the book. I ended up with dozens, so I'll just include a few here that really spoke to me:
"You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures."
"I don't sit around waiting to write until my genius decides to pay me a visit."
"Share whatever you are driven to share."
The subject matter here is nothing new, obviously, especially to creatives. But the reminders never hurt, do they? We must acknowledge our fears in order to make room for creativity. Everyone has them, whether they'll admit them or not. Fear stifles creativity, though, so this step is critical. Next we must allow creativity in, literally and figuratively. Make room. Make time. Gilbert spoke about what happens when we neglect our ideas and thoughts: They go away. "If inspiration is allowed to unexpectedly enter you, it is also allowed to unexpectedly exit you," she writes. Think about that for a moment. We need to take our ideas and nurture them, not set them aside for "someday" or "when I have time."
This is not one of those books that disappoints because "everyone" loves it. (Fifty Shades, anyone?) I finished Big Magic sad that it ended—and itching to create something. I am a creator. Are you?
The Island
Victoria Hislop
I read this book a couple months ago for my book club and really enjoyed it. It's a long book but an easy read. I found Hislop's portrayal of leprosy particularly engaging/interesting, as I don't think of that disease as being so prevalent just a few decades ago. The Island tells the story of the Petrakis family, among others. They live in the Greek village of Plaka. When someone in Plaka contracts leprosy they must move to a nearby island, Spinalonga. It is a leper colony—a real place and a real leper colony just decades ago. Elena Petrakis is one such someone, leaving behind her husband and two daughters. Maria, the "good" daughter, cares for her father while Anna, the more self-centered daughter, cannot wait to get away from Plaka. She believes she can achieve a bigger and better life elsewhere. Maria contracts leprosy as an adult and must travel to Spinalonga, where she is involved in the school and cares for a young boy who was sent to Spinalonga at the same time. Maria makes the best of her new life. Spinalonga was a community similar to others except that its residents had an untreatable illness. There was a school; there was a local government. Life went on, just in a different location and new environment.
What struck me most about the book was how accepted this life was. While surely there were exceptions, generally speaking there was no discussion, there was no arguing, there was no complaining. It was accepted that if one contracted leprosy, that was that. You could pack items to take to Spinalonga: clothes, dishes, trinkets, photos of loved ones, etc. But you were going.
From Spinalonga, Plaka was in view. It's difficult to imagine the emotional toll that must have taken on the residents of Spinalonga, to be literally so close yet figuratively so far away from Plaka and "normal" life.
Remember I said this was an easy read? There is an element of romance to the book, as well as familial tension, particularly between the sisters, but to me this was mainly a history lesson.
What books have you been reading lately? I'd love to hear in the comments below. Maybe they'll be in next month's Off the Shelf!


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I am using QGIS 2.2 and want to convert a shapefile containing point coordinates with userdefined svg-symbols to a KML file.
Everything seems to work. The original file is in WGS 84 / UTM zone 32N and I convert it to KML EPSG:4326. When I open the new KML file in Google Earth the position of the points is correct but as a symbol I get Google Earth-Pins.
Is it possible to include the svg-symbol and the label as well in the KML file?


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James E. Bell, 85, of Kenmore, died Thursday (Sept. 23, 1999) in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital after a lengthy illness.
Born in Belleville, Ont., Bell graduated from Fosdick Masten High School. He worked at Colonial Radio and later at the former Hewitt-Robbins Co. as traffic manager. After 47 years of employment at Hewitt-Robbins, Bell retired in 1974 and became the head custodian at Knox United Presbyterian Church.
He was a member and past treasurer of the Transportation Club of Buffalo, past director of the Rushford Lake Landowners Association and a member of the former Ely Parker Masonic Lodge. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling and playing golf.
Bell spent summers at Rushford Lake.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Marion W.; three daughters, Deborah Flierl of Williamsville, Beverly Ryan of Tonawanda, and Nancy Wright of Acton, Mass.; a son, Robert Klein of East Amherst; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Knox United Presbyterian Church, Kenmore.


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I haven't done one of these in a while. But, hey, I felt like shaking off the rust and having myself a little fun. For those who don't remember (and who can blame you), in these segments, I dig out an issue or two from my collection of Who's Who comics, which catalogue the characters of the DC Universe. I flip through and pull out some of the weirdest characters, and we all have some fun and a good-hearted chuckle with the whole thing.
Source: darkknightnews.com
10. Monsieur Mallah
FRENCH MONKEY. Sorry, ape. I know there's a difference, but monkey is way more fun to say. You gotta admit that.
Monsieur Mallah was a simple test gorilla for a mad scientist. The scientist wanted to see how smart he could make a gorilla. And he made him smart enough to talk and be a lab assistant and stuff. Then the scientist got blown up. His brain was placed in a giant metal chess piece, and he started calling himself The Brain. Also, he was now evil.
Mallah assisted because, y'know, when a dude takes you from flinging your own feces to debating Faust, you owe him a few favors. Also, they might be lovers? Like, that has historically been some writers' interpretation. Which is weird, right? Like, straight up bestiality is always weird and wrong. This is why I could never get into Bee Movie. Oh, eventually Gorilla Grodd picked up The Brain and beat Mallah to death with him.
Which is – I'll be honest – hilarious.


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This question already has an answer here:
I have been at interviews at company A and B. Today i received a verbal offer from company A, but they said that I would probably not receive the contract before 3 weeks time. I have no preference between A and B. How should i react if company B also offers me a job? I think it would be very dishonest to say yes, as I have already said yes to company A. But I feel a bit uncertain as I don't have anything in paper. I think that it is very unlikely that company A will not follow through as it is a very well respected company, but I of course can't know for certain. I also have an interview at company C next week. Should I cancel this interview now? I would rather work for A than C.
I don't know if it relevant, but none of these jobs are full-time positions. I'm a 20 years old university student.


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We all were from the same college searching for a getaway and Rishikesh was the best one with a sense of adventure in the lap of the nature. We started our journey on friday evening and reached Rishikesh at around 6. As we had already talked to the guy so upon reaching we just called the guy and he sent us a traveler to pick us up and we went to his office. We talked and decided the price for the 24 km long trip and then he took us to the pubic restrooms to freshen up and as they were surprisingly clean we got ready for the adventure and reached to the point where the rafting was to be started. It was around 3 hours long and it was once in a lifetime experience. Full of adventure and the beauty of the nature. After the raft we were extremely hungry so went to Chotiwala for our lunch as planned. The food was nice but not as good as we expected.
Then we found a hotel for resting as the whole rafting was extremely tiring. Waking up at night we had our dinner in the nearest hotel we could find we went to Marine Drive or simply to the ghat near Ganga. We sat there for around 4 hours till 2 am in night. The roaring river, the chirping crickets, the shining water under the moonlight and the peace and serenity was just priceless.
Then we took some sleep for 3 4 hours and caught a bus back to Delhi at 7am and reached delhi at 1 pm. The trip was really short enjoyable and refreshing. Although we should have visited Neer Garh Waterfall and i recommend everyone to visit it before catching the bus. This short trip is the best for any guy working in a job solo or with some one looking for some adventure and refreshment from his daily boring job.


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Sadi & Ryan
Brownstone Gardens | Brentwood, CA
Photos by Anna Hogan Photography
Video by Joseph Yao
Sadi and Ryan were married at Brownstone Gardens. A garden like venue with 200 guests located in Oakley, CA. We loved their timeless style and simplicity of the décor around the property. Neutral tones highlighted the beauty of the summer blooms and greenery around the venue. We loved being a part of these high school sweethearts magical day! Check out their wedding video by Joseph Yao Film below to get a sense of the evening. Also, a shout out to Anna Hogan Photography for the stunning photos! Vendors: Picture Perfect Petals - flowers, Wilma Lott - catering, Four Leaf Entertainment - DJ.


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88: School Report time for all 20 Premier League clubs
Manage episode 233843871 series 1567729
This week on the pod, we do our annual school report for all 20 Premier League teams. Let us know if you agree?
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Don't forget to join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and tell a mate. Find us on iTunes and please rate and comment so we can fly up the charts. Get in touch with any comments, questions or responses.
162 episodes


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Phillies hoping Kendrick can avoid DL
PHOENIX -- The Phillies badly need Howie Kendrick in the lineup, but he remains sidelined with tightness in his left hamstring.Kendrick has not started since Wednesday, although he pinch-hit Friday. and again Sunday; he hit a bloop single up the right-field line in the seventh inning to score a game-tying
PHOENIX -- The Phillies badly need
Kendrick has not started since Wednesday, although he pinch-hit Friday. and again Sunday; he hit a bloop single up the right-field line in the seventh inning to score a game-tying run in the Phillies' eventual 2-1 loss. He tested the leg again before Sunday afternoon's game against the D-backs at Chase Field, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Kendrick still feels it.
Could this eventually put Kendrick on the disabled list?
"Hopefully not," Mackanin said. "He's available to pinch-hit. Hopefully he's better tomorrow. If not, I'm hoping he can at least DH in Seattle. He's one of our best hitters, and I want to get him in there. But I've got to be cautious."
Kendrick is hitting .355 (43-for-121) with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 12 RBIs and a .901 OPS in 31 games. He seems likely to be traded before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, which puts the Phillies in an interesting spot. They need him on the field, but they also need to be careful, because if he makes the hamstring worse, it could crush his value.
Kendrick has been playing second base since
Eickhoff looking good
Phillies right-hander
"It felt good, no sense of pulling," he said. "We'll see how it feels tomorrow."
Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook and listen to his podcast.