Self Discovery: I Want To Live

"The proper function of man is to live - not to exist."

-- Jack London

That's how Dumb Little Man Blog started an article recently on 39 ways to live. the article reminded me how much time we spend just going through the motions; work, eat, sleep, repeat. In between, our kids grow up, we age, and the world around us changes.
All of us can stand to look up once in awhile and learn to live again and not just exist. This article looks at ways you can do that.
Some of my favorites:

• Put Away the Internet... Being a desk jockey and computer guy myself, this is an important step for me. I find that having computer and Internet free days very uplifting and relaxing. Try it! Get out and do something.
• Slow Down... I personally value taking things one step at a time. Slowing down is so hard for me and probably for everyone else. Slowing down gives you time to think, reflect, and do things in your life correctly.
• Stop Watching the News... News is depressing. Take breaks from the news and enjoy quiet time in the evening. Talk with your kids, listen to music...take a nap! It's sad to say, but, stop watching the news for a week and when you turn it back on it feels like your watching a re-run. It sounds just the same as it did a week ago.

So take a moment and learn to live. Relax, calm down. Its worth a little effort to make some of these changes. Need some help? Check out our Tai Chi and Yoga classes this summer. These are great classes for learning relaxation techniques.

Digital Life: Saving Wet Electronics

Most of us have done this at least once in our lives; dropped a cell phone or other electronic device in water. You would think your gadget was shot. According to the Lifehacker website a little rice is all you may need to save that cell phone or other device from the trash can.
Making sure the electronics are off, then take and put the soaked "device" into a bowl of un-cooked rice. The rice should completely cover it... Don't be cheap with the rice! The rice acts as a desiccant; sucking all the moisture out of your dunked gadget.
After a few days you may have saved yourself some money and have a happy working accessory again. I would ad that if you dunked your cellphone or iPod while it was on, the chances of this working are slim as the water will have already caused a short circuit. Still, give it a try and see what happens.
Click here to read the full story
Photo by Robert Garbett

Business: Employer-Employee Disconnect in Whatcom County

Last Sunday, Dave Gallagher wrote two articles in The Bellingham Herald that seem to contradict each other. One article is about how workers in their prime years (24-44) are leaving Whatcom County for better-paying jobs. Another article discusses how Whatcom County employers can't find employees to fill positions. Coincidentally, both articles feature former panelists for the Whatcom Professional Women's Luncheon: Jody Finnegan shares her story of quitting her three-hour commute to the Boeing plant to start the successful 12th Street Shoes, and Vicki Rogers talks about the importance of having a positive work environment in keeping employees at her three local businesses.

The question is, what is really going on here? Why are prime workers leaving when there seems to be a glut of job openings in Whatcom County? What does that mean for small business owners? What does it mean for the future business landscape of Whatcom County?


To read about the loss of prime workers, click here.

To read about whether perks can keep employees, click here.

Travel: Road Trip Time!

Kids are out of school, gas prices are climbing, and the sun is out. time for the family road trip! For many people the family road trip ends up being some sort of forced quality time event... like having a root canal with the family.
With a little planning and thought, road trips can be a lot more relaxing and fun. Fodor's recently had an article on 7 mistakes NOT to make on Your Next Road Trip. These great tips will go along way to making your trip a lot smoother.
I am from a family of drivers. We like to drive and driving is a cherished lifestyle and privilege. My son and I have a saying that should apply to everyone's road trips and should be remembered during stressful times:

"It's about the drive, not the destination."

Sit back and enjoy the freedom of the open road.
Picture by Ann Douglas

Home & Garden: Pickled Wood?

That old wood look and charm is very sought after look for around the house. With a little work, you can take a brand new piece of wood and "pickle" it to give it an aged look.
I stumbled on this article from doityourself.com explaining various ways to "pickle" wood. The article discusses various techniques to experiment with, and paint combinations that seem to work.
The key concept seems to be experimenting on scrap wood first, and taking plenty of time to get the details correct. This could be a great technique for making planters, window trim or even a classic railing around your deck.
Teamed up with some stepping stones made in our Mosaic Stepping Stones class and you have a summer garden project that is sure to impress.

Photo by Destine Lee

Personnal Finance: Don't Stock Up on Forever Stamps

Forever stamps. Gotta be a catch...right? Well, after some checking, there is. Forever stamps are more a convenience for the post office than for the user. They are definitely not worth stocking up on.

According to an article in the Consumerist, President Bush signed a law in December that keeps the price of stamps below the rate of inflation.

That means that a stamp you buy today will be worth less than in the future as it won't keep up with inflation. The consumerist used the example of a .20 cent stamp purchased in 1980 is worth .45 cents today...10% less than inflation.

In plain English, you can't horde stamps and expect to make money on them in the future. You would be better-off putting money into a savings account. I suspect the Forever stamp helps the Post Office during price transitions because they won't need to print so many penny stamps and go through all the hassle with customers needing odd denominations of postage.

Food And Wine: Tasty, Obscure Cocktails

MSN City Guides has a fun article called "Five Cocktails That Deserve a Comeback." As someone who bucks gender stereotypes and eschews sugary drinks for a dark beer, I am always intrigued by the exotic combinations that bartenders think up, and these five forgotten cocktails don't disappoint. One drink contains bitters, which can also cure hiccups. Another layers beer and champagne. And I learned that "hot toddy" can mean any drink that is warm, sweet, and alcoholic.

If you need a little help concocting your drinks for your summer soirees, come join us for our Festive Summer Cocktails class on July 19th (the June section is already full.)

To read the full article, click here.

Digital Life: Come to Grips With Your Email

We all suffer with a lot of email. For many professionals even after we clear out the spam... we have lots of emails. I found an interesting article by Anne Fisher on CNNMoney.com that looks at reducing the amount of email you have to respond to. (Most articles about email have to do with reducing spam.)

If you get and send a 100 emails a day, not counting spam, that's something like 24,000 emails a year you are writing, acknowledging, and dealing with. That's a lot of hours of work for just one task at work.

Here's some great tips from Anne on dealing with your email:

• Send Less Don't reply all to something unless it is ABSOLUTELY important.
• Quit Boomeranging On average, every five emails you send, you get three back. What if you could send 1 less out of every 5?
• Structure Matters Make sure your email is short and well worded. Make sure it contains all the information your recipient needs so they don't have to send you another email!
• Save with a Purpose Only save those emails you will need. Saving everything leads you to spend way to much time searching.

Anne had more tips and more detail. Checkout her article and don't forget to watch for our email organization classes coming this fall.

Business: Will Your VP Ever Sport a Nose Ring?

A few years ago my mother and I had a friendly argument about wardrobe at the workplace. I believed--and still do---that as Generation X moves into management it will become more acceptable to have a nose ring or a tattoo in a prominent place. My mother disagreed---and still does---saying that regardless of trends, these accoutrements will have no place in the cubicle world.

It may be a few years before either of us can win this argument, but in the meantime MSN Careers has compiled a list of "12 Jobs That Will Let You Have Weird Hair," that ranges from near-minimum wage (barista) to top dollar (chemist.) My personal favorite is sports mascot, a job that has a strict dress code and yet allows for a lot of personal freedom in your day-to-day look.

For the full list of positions that allow you to express yourself through clothes, click here.