Remember that Seinfeld episode where Jerry can’t remember his girlfriend’s name? He can’t ask her because, well, it’s complicated. So he asks all sorts of questions, only to discover it rhymes with a part of the female anatomy. Unfortunately, that clue still doesn’t help (until the end of the show). Well, I’m beginning to wonder [...]

We were at our wits end. Dinner time with our four children had become a less than enjoyable experience that often ended with kids arguing, lots of complaining about the food, and Peter and I becoming exasperated. Over the last few months we’ve implemented some changes that are making a big difference. I actually believe [...]

“DIE STINK BUGS! DIE!” I know. That’s a little harsh, especially since it’s Friday and we’re about to be snow bound for the weekend. But c’mon. I hate bugs! This morning I found a stink bug on the inside of my coffee cup. That wouldn’t be so bad, except my cup was still about a [...]

Yesterday I had the privilege of giving two presentations for the 2009 Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (VACCE) Institute. Bob Leveque, VP Manufacturing, RR Donnelley, provided the keynote address entitled, “The Power of Attitude in Tough Times.”

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post about SlideShare being a great career tool. Well, today, they have moved up in my book, from beyond a great career tool, to a business that gets it. Here’s what I mean. Today’s been rough. I’ve had to eat crow all morning at home because of [...]

Last Friday was a busy day with a fun surprise that caught me completely off guard! The surprise came as a random act of kindness by a Twitter friend, Dee Stewart. Unbeknownst to me, Dee waged a Twitter campaign to help me reach 2000 followers. A meeting in Charlottesville had me off the grid for [...]

What a difference a year makes! Last year I facilitated a session “Chamber Websites that Work” at Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (VACCE) Institute. In hallway and luncheon conversations, I talked with people about blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Plaxo. For the most part people’s eyes glazed over. Typical responses were, What’s the [...]

An e-troduction is an introduction between two or more people made using digital communication (email, text message, or through a social networking site, blog, etc.).  The best e-troductions are unsolicited. In 2009, why not consider adding e-troductions to your networking plan? Why? E-troductions are easy. You don’t have to be in the same geographic location [...]