Real, Random & Relevant

I'm Moving. Come with me to Wordpress.

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:22:35 -0400

I promise. All the content that is here, you will find there. Perhaps in better ways.

@kmullett There has got to be a field somewhere to create this...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:13:40 -0400

@kmullett There has got to be a field somewhere to create this literal #QRcodeInTheWild!

Bernhard Hopfengärtner (German, born 1982) Hello World! (2006) Wheat field, 6299.2 x 6299.2″ (16000 x 16000 cm) Photo Credit: Thomas Xaver Dachs

Are you a gem or a jerk?

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:34:01 -0400

Considering I just spent a few hours in the last day with the always inspiring Tim Sanders, there are many ways I can think to answer this question. But, I’m going to stick with my intent from a few days ago. Remember when I asked you to take this survey?

This is why. I came across this headline in my Google Reader: A 30-second test to determine whether your boss is a gem or a jerk.

Let me clarify, I have a wonderful boss, so that was not what got my attention. I love the “gem or jerk” comparison in the headline, which is why I used it for this very post. (Plus, I’m a total nerd and enjoy taking tests.) The test, if you haven’t guessed already, is the simple survey you all (maybe) took. The results of my survey confirm the scientist’s findings.

The study Daniel Pink references found those who wrote the E so they were able to read it, were more ego-centric and would be the “jerk” in the headline. Those who wrote the E so others could read it were more empathetic and were often thinking of others perceptions and needs first. These individuals are the “gems”.

I promoted my simple survey on Twitter and Facebook, which generated 16 responses (at publishing this post). Ten respondents wrote so others could read the E. I thought the majority leaning this way made a lot of sense considering the respondents were most likely social media users. If you use social media successfully, you’re probably empathetic, considering your readers/followers/friends, and others-oriented.

Hopefully, if nothing else, this bit of information causes you to pause and think about your focus on others.

New Music Musts

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:04:22 -0400

Or so I’ve heard.

The new albums of:

The Givers
The Decemberists
Dum Dum Girls
Vetiver
Hey Rosetta
Hypnotic Bass Ensemble
Foster the People
Smith-Westerns
YUCK

Don’t take my word for it. Take his.

Contagious Community: Being Contagious

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:01:18 -0400

Being Contagious

Posted on July 28, 2011 by hschoegler Reply

When Amber and I started this blog, we were sure to write our mission statement and the About Us page. But, I’m not really sure that we’ve really explained what we mean by “contagious”. Here are a few thoughts.

Being social also means being contagious. Social Media is about relationships. If you’re using the tools well, you’re forming connections, having conversations and sharing. When someone (or better yet, many people) share information and it is an idea that is shared multiple times, it becomes contagious. How many times have you read a book because of a recommendation? How many events have you attended because someone shared the invite with you personally? How many times have you made a purchase because you knew someone who loves it as well? If you can yes to these examples, you’ve acted on contagiousness. (Is that even a real word?)

Being contagious doesn’t mean just sharing germs. I work in the healthcare field so it is difficult to use the word and not think about disease. Especially when you’re talking about using social media and “going viral”. That said, it’s the perfect example of the power of sharing something – no matter the size. You don’t have to have a huge wallet to give. You don’t have to have limitless time to serve. You don’t have to be “the” leader to impart knowledge. You have to care. You have to love your family or your friends or your neighbors or your networks or simply strangers. If you have gratitude, you can be generous. And that means doing so with whatever means you have and in every way you can think possible.

With this blog, we hope to be contagious with our personal experiences of service and giving as well as information we think you might find valuable including opportunities to serve. After all, this isn’t about us – it’s about sharing ideas and information in an effort to improve and demonstrate the value of the community we so dearly love.

As a bit of a P.S., I’d also like to note that I believe generosity sustains itself. The more you give, the more you will have to give. (Shout out to my favorite author’s newest book Today We are Rich that really talks about the value of living a generous life. My book review here.) As we’ve been working on this blog, it seems that relevant articles and resources cross my path more than I ever noticed before. I thought I’d share a quick list of recent ones in case they spark something inside you as well.

Quick Survey: Draw an "E"

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:21:08 -0400

If you feel so inclined, take 30 seconds to do this quick experiment. I promise to reward with with the “why” and the results in a future post.

Click here to take survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

Weekend Pinterest Project: Yarn Covered Initial

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:42:01 -0400

In honor of being real (as promised on this site), I should disclose that I almost titled this post “Super Simple String S”. But then I thought better of it. Ha!

Basically, this easy project was inspired when I saw someone pin some string covered letters from Etsy. I thought “smart!” and then “I could do that”. So I did.

In a weekend full of projects, I knew that I could put this to use immediately in a frame collage for my kitchen. Here are the simple steps and how you too can make your own yarn covered initial. ‘Cause who doesn’t want to spend their weekend on a project like this. Ha!

Step-by-Step How To:

I purchased a thin MDF letter “S” in the wood-craft section of my local craft store. I also purchased yarn that coordinated with the colors of the items I planned to hang the completed letter with.
Note: This next step was definitely trial and error so do what you find to be successful. I realized that a) with the shape of letter and b) with the fact I would need to cover the front AND sides of the 3-dimensional letter, I wound the yarn around the letter first horizontally starting with the endcaps and then vertically around the entire letter. (Biggest tip: hot glue is your friend. Every time I started and stopped the yarn, I glued it in place on the back. This also came in handy to keep the yarn in place that was going vertically on the edges.)
I was definitely pleased with the result but went a step further and hot-glued a few old buttons on the S for additional detail.

Total Cost: $1.99 for the initial “S” and $3.39 for the yarn (not all was used)

Weekend Pinterest Project: Antique Fan

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:29:00 -0400

Recently, my grandmother gave me an antique fan she found while cleaning out the attic. I love this sort of thing. I already knew it needed to be cleaned. Badly. But I wasn’t sure how I wanted to restore it. (I use the word “restore” loosely, since I don’t really know how to restore anything.)

Enter Pinterest. And a burst of energy. And my mind works like this:

I have this… Love the Color… I could paint the fan!… Voila!

Step-by-Step How To:

Wearing protective gloves (for all steps), spray WD-40 on the metal piece and scrub with a coarse brush. I used a Stanley brush.
Next, I took a Scotch sponge and scrubbed the whole fan again.
I then took paper towels and cleaned the entire fan from any WD-40 residue. The fan was definitely in better condition, but still needed to be painted. (below: pic 2)
Then, I used Krylon “Gray” Indoor/Outdoor Primer to cover the fan. (I read that Gray was recommended to cover metal.) (below: pic 3)
Finally, having been inspired by the Peacock Blue chest above, I sprayed the entire fan with Krylon “Regal Blue” Indoor/Outdoor Gloss. (below: pic 4)

Total Cost: $4.99 x 2 for the spray paint and primer

What weekend project(s) have you taken on this summer? Have you been inspired by Pinterest too? Need an invite to Pinterest? Let me know!

"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week."

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:00:05 -0400

“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”

- Spanish proverb

courtenaybird: How Google ranks in traffic compared to other...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:53:33 -0400

courtenaybird:

How Google ranks in traffic compared to other social sites — VentureBeat

Love an infographic. Love the rich data set in this one.

Google+: my two cents and more than a dollar's worth of links

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:12:00 -0400

It’s been just over a week since creating my Google+ account and I’ve been able to dabble into various parts of this new “channel”.

(Side note: that’s what I call all social media sites. Goes back to my media buying days. Sort of the old, who is the audience, use, etc. for that TV channel and why would I buy it. Does it meet my goals?)

There has been no shortage of opinions, advice and insights on the new channel. So in the spirit of sharing, here are my brief thoughts on a few of the features of G+.

General

Overwhelming. Not open to all yet but somehow a few are able to have tens of thousands of followers already. These same individuals took years to grow a similar following on Twitter. Is this rapid (but closed) growth good or bad?
A lot of content. Not a lot of organization. And with no limit on characters, there is no consistency among information being shared.
Too much chatter. However, I ~~love~~ LOVE the “mute this post” option, which allows you to end notifications when others comment on a post you have commented on.
Lots of possibilities. Can’t wait to see how it evolves (or doesn’t).

Hangouts

Limited to 10 people max. (Still better than Facebook’s version, which is limited to two people.)
Originator of the Hangout does not have to be present for the hangout to continue.
No time limit.
“View Only” mode offers some potential.
Users without access to webcam, can still participate but by voice only.

iPhone App

Why isn’t it an integrated function of the Google app similar to Reader?
Overall, good. Wish it had landscape mode and Hangout function.

Circles

How are people using these? Are you organizing your circles like you would a Twitter list?

Interested to see what others are saying? Me too.

Inspired to Serve by a Sandal

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:25:04 -0400

One of my favorite blogs to read is Sit a Spell written by Heather Hendrick. She’s honest, raw, and encouraging in her writing. Recently, she’s been writing a series of blog posts about caring for the poor. Before you make any assumptions about this content, let me give the example of one of her posts… “I’m a recovering modern-day slave owner.” Needless to say, she daily encourages me and challenges how my actions measure against my beliefs. For this, I love her and yet don’t know her.

Enter in a recent guest post on her blog about Sseko Sandals. Think of TOMS and now think a bit bigger. Perhaps not in number of shoes sold, but in the impact it’s having in the lives of Ugandan women. These are women who recently graduated from secondary school, and aspire to go on to attend university.

By working with Sseko, these young ladies are able to earn money for their tuition and receive an education that is not often a possibility for a young girl growing up in a war-torn and male-dominated country.

Through her blog, Heather is giving the opportunity to win a pair of these beautiful and powerful sandals. Of course I’d love to win a pair, but even if I don’t win, I’m putting it in the budget to buy a pair for sure. If you’re moved to share the Sseko story, please do so! You can find them online, on Facebook and even Twitter.

Yet another #QRcodeInTheWild. Spotted: In store at...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:17:51 -0400

Yet another #QRcodeInTheWild.

Spotted: In store at @yogurtonyourown.

Scan Result: Loyalty Program sign up.

Review: The scan result is better than just going to the general website but the Loyalty Form has too many fields for mobile access. It was a bit cumbersome to use with mobile device. However, the Loyalty Form online has much more information fields than the paper form and I’m guessing my effort to fill it out might yield higher dividends in the form of yo-bucks and discounts.

Stuffed Green Peppers with Parmesan Knots Ok - I am not a cook....

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:23:46 -0400

Stuffed Green Peppers with Parmesan Knots

Ok - I am not a cook. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end (especially when it the food looks decent), but the process does not make me cheer. However, my husband and I are trying to do better about cooking for our family (individually or together). Here’s a review of our latest meal.

Rating:

Heather - 4 out of 5 stars
Tommy - 3 out of 5 stars
Kids - 2 out of 5 stars

Source for Stuffed Green Peppers

“We had a lot of extra “stuffing”, but baking it in a baking dish makes great leftovers. We used a bit more spices and we shouldn’t have. The kids thought it was too spicey. Also substituted ground turkey for the sausage. Overall, would try again using the sausage for more flavor and spice as called for. Good, healthy low-glycemic meal.”

Source for Parmesan Knots

“The mix you spread on top of rolls tastes similar to Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread. We will definitely make these again!”

(Note: I’m using Evernote to organize our recipes. It makes it easy to make a grocery list and to cook from using a laptop (or tablet if you have one) in the kitchen.)

architizer: “Painting Reality” is an act of guerilla art, where...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:48:34 -0400

architizer:

“Painting Reality” is an act of guerilla art, where cars are the paintbrush and the paint is water-based/ environmentally friendly (and comes in bright colors, too!). Click through for video!

I would love to see this in downtown Fort Wayne. We might really see how active downtown is. Be sure to include the bike lanes too!

jaymug: Outdoor ad for the Post-it ‘Dont forget your friends’...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:47:25 -0400

jaymug:

Outdoor ad for the Post-it ‘Dont forget your friends’ Facebook App. To Celebrate the 30th Birthday of the Post-it note, we created a Facebook Game to remind people what’s most important to us. Our friends. In an age were we are defined by the amount of Facebook friends and twitter followers we have we wanted to challenge people to prove how many of these friends they actually knew. Giant oversized Outdoor Post-it products drove people to the site

Commencement Encouragement

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:27:43 -0400

I know it’s July and the graduation season has ended. But many of us could use a boost of commencement encouragement every day. True?

I came across this article on the 10 Most Memorable Commencement Speakers recently and thought perhaps they went to print before this speech was made. It definitely tops my list of commencement addresses. And for that, it’s worth watching through to the end.

What words would you use to inspire others today that will encourage them for tomorrow?

All the Plus You Need.

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:13:00 -0400

I’m just dipping my toe into all the goodness of Google+. As I’m learning, I’m reading. And there is a lot to read. If you’re starting out too, here is a collection of blog posts talking about what it is, how to use it, and of course, the pluses and minuses. I hope this collection of posts is helpful. It may be a fine line before I “+” into information overload.

Google+ Getting Started

Google+ How To

Google+ General Review

Google+ Goodness

Google+ Minuses

And - if you’ve made it this far, learn with me on Google+.

Skinny, low-calorie beverages for hot summer days

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:37:48 -0400

Skinny, low-calorie beverages for hot summer days:

This is right up my alley as I look at ways to improve my health. I have a (bad) habit of drinking a high-calorie, high-caffeinated drink every morning. I’m working on incorporating more iced tea, so I love these recipes. What is your favorite healthy summer beverage?

via USAToday.com

Chances are when you reach for a cold drink this summer, it’ll be a soda, sweetened tea, sugary lemonade or other high-calorie drink.

One out of four high school students drink soda daily, and two thirds consume either soda or other sugary drinks such as Gatorade, a recent government survey found.

Children and teens consume about 390 calories a day from beverages, says Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and one of the nation’s top experts on beverage consumption.

People, ages 19 and older, consume an average of 412 calories a day from beverages, including soda, fruit drinks, alcoholic beverages, whole and low-fat milk, juices and other calorie-containing drinks, his research shows.

Although some of calories come from healthy choices such as non-fat or low-fat milk, many of the beverages are empty calories with little or no nutritional value, Popkin says.

Nutritionists often encourage people to cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages. An eight-ounce glass of Coca-Cola, Sprite or Lipton Extra Sweet Tea is roughly 100 calories; a chocolate milk shake about the same size has almost 300 calories.

You can cut down on sugar and calories in beverages without sacrificing taste, dietitians say.

Here are some low-calorie summer beverage ideas:

Infused water: You can create your own infused water by taking a pitcher of cold water and adding sliced fruit, vegetables or herbs such as cucumber, pear, mint, orange, lemons, limes, mangoes or strawberries and basil, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian in Chicago and author of The Flexitarian Diet. “It’s a quick and visually-inviting way to get a high-flavor beverage that’s virtually calorie-free.”

Simple juice spritzer: Another refreshing low-calorie beverage is a simple real-juice spritzer, Blatner says., Add a shot glass full (1½ ounces) of your favorite juice such as grapefruit, pineapple, orange or pomegranate juice to eight ounces of club soda or sparkling water, she says.

Lo-calorie watermelon lemonade: Or you can cut the calories in lemonade in half by making a watermelon lemonade, To do that, puree four cups of cubed, seedless watermelon with the juice from three lemons and pour it over ice. One cup of this watermelon lemonade has only 50 calories, half the calories of traditional pink lemonade, she says.”It has 45% of the daily requirement of vitamin C and contains no added sugar versus the more than six teaspoons of sugar per glass in traditional lemonade.”

Juicy ice cubes: Or freeze 100% juice in fun-shaped ice cube trays (hearts, stars, fish) and float them in glasses filled with naturally flavored seltzer, says New York dietitian Joy Bauer. The frozen juice cubes “add color and fun and a shot of flavor when they melt,” she says.

Try a variety of tea: Try making home-brewed iced tea with different types of tea other than plain black — that way you get lots of flavor without any calories, says Jessie Price, food editor of EatingWell magazine. “Then if you want, enhance the flavor without going overboard on added sweeteners. Instead, add fresh herbs like mint or tarragon and a little splash of fruit juice for sweetness and flavor.”

"I don’t eat junk food and I don’t think junk thoughts."

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:29:58 -0400

““I don’t eat junk food and I don’t think junk thoughts.””

- Peace Pilgrim