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Archive for the ‘Good Experiences’ Category

I’ve pondered the title of this post for too long and decided finally that before I stalled out again, I would just keep it very simple. Grandma would have liked it that way.

You see, she passed away today, February 17, 2010. And already she’s left a void that will never be filled. Her 90-year life was full to the brim, so while the pain is still fresh, and numbness lingers on, I wanted to tap some words down and let the world know what they missed in not knowing her.

She had a way with words, using great little faded phrases like “…for the birds” and “…bright as a dollar.” You missed out on her amazing lemon meringue pie and the scent of lavendar in her linen closet. Her home always smelled like a cross between a bakery and an English garden. My grandma was a wizard in the kitchen and an avid collector/tester of recipes. You would never leave her table hungry and every meal, she prepared with love and creativity.   The rest of the story...

I’ll admit it; I’m a serial volunteer and for the longest time, there seemed to be no logic my mind could assign to make sense of the compulsion. After all, why on Earth would my calendar be filled with equal amounts of pro bono and paying projects? Allan Luks oft-cited work shows there are psychological and physiological benefits related to this kind of addiction and fortunately, there are lots of others out there just like me.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows volunteerism in the U.S. at about 26%, the more educated in the population providing the brunt of the hours.

So what compels people to volunteer? That same data from BLS shows that nearly 47% got involved because they were asked by someone already in the organization, but what was surprising is not much less (about 41%) got involved of their own volition – and to me, that is a very hopeful, encouraging number. “The main reason I volunteer is to give back and to support my community,” shares Eric Boles. “I like being a role model for youth and there is a deep internal satisfaction that comes from being involved.” Mr. Boles volunteers for several organizations, including Imagination Celebration in Colorado Springs. “I know my work helps create more public awareness about the projects I’m involved with and I help remove roadblocks nonprofits sometimes have and this creates even more enthusiasm for what they’re doing.”   The rest of the story...

Those that know me know that I’m a big proponent of giving of your time and talent when and where you can. There is a local outfit that’s taken this to a whole other level: may I introduce tuggl.com You’ll get sick of hearing about them from me honestly, that is unless you see the value in their work and light bulb goes off, which if you’re reading this blog, means you know what I mean – and you dig it.

But enough about them…and me. Check the piece below to see what they’re doing this week to help non-profits and other businesses in the Denver/Boulder area, and see what you can do to replicate this in your community. And a question for you: Where’s the best place for the economy to get spurred? Right at home. Read on:

Win a $100 dinner at Strings Restaurant & support your community with tuggl.com   The rest of the story...

I’ll admit it, I loathed my BlackBerry Storm the first few days I had it. It appeared to be the biggest time sink and simple things I did before seemed way more complicated. This was supposed to make my life easier! But like any relationship worth having, I just needed to start finding out what made it tick.

Since then, I’ve fallen in love with my BlackBerry Storm, and it’s become a better friend to me, too. It keeps track of my day, alerts me to emails and text messages, plus has ample storage capacity for my every musical whim. The onboard camera makes Iphone users flush with envy and the touch screen and nifty buttons make it especially fun to tap out messages. Yes, we’re in love. And here are some free tips and apps to help you fall in love, too.   The rest of the story...

Just when I had some of the worst rash of customer service experiences occur over the last week, I return from a trip to California to find a package containing my recently-ordered ClothMoth t-shirt, a tribute to Mother’s Cookies. Okay, so the packaging wasn’t any great shakes, but they did send it USPS Priority Mail, making it here to me only about two days after I ordered. LOVE that. Enclosed, the shirt was packed in a plastic wrapper and my shirt was neatly inside. The big unexpected WOW?  A snack pack size of Circus Animal cookies, which as you already know, I believe are little nuggets of delishiosity. (my word, you can borrow it…) I got a little nervous by the “Best by date”, but somewhere I read these have a very long shelf life. I’m not sure that will be an issue, as I’ll probably promptly inhale them after this next cup of java.   The rest of the story...