December 2005

Okay this will be the world’s shortest post. Quite frankly, how much can be said about a stapler?! Sure, I have the gift of gab bestowed upon me, but even I can only go so far with a stapler as my subject.

The cute little number you see before you is the Sleek Electric Stapler from Comp USA.. It’s billed as an anti-jam stapler and has a reputation for delivering fast, accurate stapling of up to 20 sheets at once.

Available in black and “putty.”

“The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus. And I put them in a book. If you don’t like their rules, whose would you use?” - Dale Carnegie

As I may have said before, there are over 20 combined websites and blogs that I write on each day. I take a great deal of pride in the relationships and friendships I’ve formed with my readers. Because I do cherish these friendships, I take the utmost care and caution in products, authors and resources that I recommend on my websites or in my writings. Simply put, I’d never recommend anything (or anyone) that I wouldn’t recommend to my own daughters.

“Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.” - Dale Carnegie

The subject of this post, Mr. Dale Carnegie, is the perfect example of an author and mindset that I’d recommend without a single hesitation. My husband turned me on to his writings a few years back and I’ve tried to fill my head with as much of his wisdom as it’ll contain.

If you have not yet read, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” I urge you to find the book today (tomorrow at the latest) and read it cover to cover. Have a notebook and pen handy, because you’ll want to take lots of notes.

“Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.” - Dale Carnegie

To further arm yourself for success, go to Dale Carnegie.com and download the free “Dale Carnegie’s Success Secrets.” Great stuff. I printed my copy out (It’s only 7 pages) and refer to it often.

Finally, while on the website, sign up for the weekly newsletter. In total Time Management mode a few months ago, I went through my e-zines and newsletters and separated the Meat from the Bologna - keeping the meat, unsubscribing to the bologna. The Dale Carnegie newsletter is as meaty as it gets! I always end up jotting at least one thing down on an index card and filing a little wisdom away in the think tank. Weekly.

The newsletters are small, well-written and usually consist of bullet points. Highly readable and relatively short. Actually, they remind me of blog posts. Very, very good blog posts.

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” - Dale Carnegie

So, go forth and dive into the deep end of the Dale Carnegie success pool. You’ll be really glad you did.

I don’t know of any office that couldn’t use a breath of fresh air. Apparently that’s exactly what this Air Purifier from the Discovery Channel Store is. Whether it’s stuffiness or stinks, stanks, and stunks that you’re up against, the ozone kills the odors as the
aroma beads fill the air with a fresh fragrance.

However, as someone who suffers from allergies, my favorite part is the Ionizer which removes the allergens from the air before they launch themselves my way. It acts like a personal bodyguard against smoke and dust (two most offensive culprits!).

The Facts:

• Three powerful air-freshening technologies
• Ionizer removes smoke, dust and allergens
• Ozone kills airborne bacteria, viruses and odors
• Aroma beads fill the air with a soft, pleasant fragrance
• Ultra-quiet fan circulates fresh air
• No filter to replace
• Recommended for rooms up to 150 square feet
• Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Approved. UL is the worldwide trusted source for product compliance
• Care instructions: Use clean, dry cloth. Chemical solvents may damage finish
• 2-month manufacturer’s warranty

The reviews on this product are glowing. One included a link to a website (http://www.rosescollectibles.com) where you can buy replacement beads when necessary.

Whoa, I almost forgot the sexiest part: There’s built-in, ultra violet LED that gives off a moonlight effect. Okay, so maybe that’s not so appropriate for the office, but you can always take it home with you….

While checking on one of the 100+ feeds that I read ( parts of ) daily, I came across this article about what to do once you’ve outgrown your home office.

It’s under the Business Advice tab over at All Business.

Here’s some fodder to get you to click over :

1) Decide if you’re really ready to move on.

2) Determine what you need in an office.

3) Hire a commercial real estate agent or broker.

4) Share office space to save money.

5) Consider an intermediate move.

Each point has a lot of info behind it, over at the post, and there are 5 more points, so it’s well worth your time to click over and read the entire article.

Thank me later. Go read it now.

Okay, guys, it’s crunch time. 16 days until Christmas! Can you even believe that? I now fully understand what my mom and dad meant when they said time flew. Just something else they were right about.

If you’re still trying to figure out the perfect gift for your boss, assistant, Joi, or favorite co-worker - You’re looking at the perfect solution.

The Deluxe Cafe Gift Basket With Starbucks Coffee will make your famous. The basket (measuring 15″ x 9″ x 10″) includes a Wood woven tray with handles as well as….

• 2.5-ounce Starbucks French Roast coffee
• 2.5-ounce Starbucks Breakfast Blend coffee
• Two 2.5-ounce Starbucks Sumatra coffee
• Two 2.5-ounce Starbucks House Blend coffee
• Two 0.75-ounce Nonni’s vanilla biscotti
• Three 1.25-ounce Ghirardelli milk chocolate with almonds bars
• Six 0.375-ounce Ghirardelli milk chocolate squares
• Two 1-ounce Perugina Sorrento candies
• 2 brown ceramic mugs

Have you ever had Nonni’s biscotti? Have mercy. Biscotti, chocolate, coffee - all within reach at once?

Who’s Christmas do you want to really make this year?

*If you want the Deluxe Cafe Gift Basket With Starbucks Coffee by the 23rd (standard shipping), you need to order by the 16th. So shake a leg!

One of my favoritest places in the world - ranking right up there with my favorite Coffee Shop ( Beyond the Brim ) is apparently in a good mood this Christmas season.

Office Depot is in the middle of a couple of promotions that I thought I’d bring to your attention. Click the link that interests you to learn more about that promotion.

Save Up to $100 Instantly or By Mail-in Rebate on Advertised HP Printers! Expires December 10th.

Save 20% or $50 on Select Office Collections! Expires December 10th.

Save $30 off any $150 Purchase from Office Depot in December!

Holiday 2005! Gifts That Mean Business! Expires December 24, 2005.

Curses, my conscience is getting to me. I lied. Office Depot isn’t up there with Beyond the Brim. But it is close.

Okay, Joi has a nasty bug and is operating on verrrry little sleep, so this post may or may not make sense. It’s one of those bugs that bite so hard you don’t even recognize yourself in the mirror. Not that I don’t look amazing, mind you…

Anyway, we’ve been shopping for a keyboard/mouse set up just like the one pictured to the left. It includes a wireless keyboard with an ergonomic design and an ergonomic wireless optical scroll mouse. I’m all about ergonomic design - so sleek and contemporary looking.

Features include:

• Comfort Curve design keyboard
• ‘My Favorites’ keys
• Zoom slider
• Ergonomic tilt wheel optical mouse
• Smart Receiver

This Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Comfort Edition is available at Overstock.com.

Something I always read are the customer reviews. This product ranked 5 stars from just about everyone. There was a 4 star review by the way of Georgia, but he said the product was “awesome,” he just thought the space bar was noisy.

Going to throw myself on the couch and watch Lost. Stay well.

I stumbled across an ad for this wondrous little gadget in the December edition of Wired Magazine, and immediately thought of Office Freaks. I mean, seriously…is that thing tiny or what? Apparently this diminutive projector weighs around a pound and runs on a battery, making it highly portable indeed. It’s made my Mitsubishi, and according to their website the PocketProjector has some fairly diverse uses beyond the standard business presentations–

Suggested Applications for the Mitsubishi Pocket LED DLP Projector:

Digital camera display magnification

Retail signage for show window messaging at night

Government or military on-site training

Camping video; Mobile video in cars, trucks or vans

Theater or club signage displays

Gaming video

Gaming video? That one really caught my eye…

Wall-sized round of Halo anyone?

As I intimated in my last post, I’ve been trying to think of ways to bring order (and maybe even organization) into our home office. Well, yesterday was the last straw. The husband had a whole pile of mail and papers sitting right where I wanted to put something far more important. We had a face off, and my new holiday candles are there now - but it was a close call. We need more spaces and places to put his junk to get it out of the way of my pretty stuff.

I was looking around the room for unused space for more shelves or another file cabinet. But there is no real estate to be had, except for the middle of the floor, and I’m not that hard up, yet.

Then I noticed quite a bit of wide open spaces - on the walls! So I turned to my beloved Office Depot , and sure enough, they have wall files.

They’re in the Metro Mesh Collection and are available in Black or Pewter. Pewter? Gawd, that sounds like something June Cleaver would’ve called the Beav. In my defense, it’s their word, not mine.

Let’s say Black and Silver, want to? They’re available in Black and Silver and are sold in sets of three for under $40.00.

By the time the “Get more organized” New Year’s Resoltion comes for me, as it always does, I’ll have a head start!

A year and a half ago I made the switch to using a Mac. I’m not biased, I still use my PC, but after I started my iBook I really fell in love with the Macs, which is saying a lot. I used to be hard core anti-Mac. Just couldn’t sand them. But the iBook lured me in and I’ve been smitten since. I’m even saving up to replace my PC with a big honkin’ Mac!

I was doing some Christmas shopping online and checking out one of my favorite deal sites, Dealnews.com and found a real deal on the Mac mini. You can get an
Apple Mac mini G4 (1.25GHz) and a Canon PIXMA iP1600 Printer for $460, which includes shipping. If you’ve been thinking about trying out a MAC you’ll have a tough time beating this price. I’ve used a PC for 10+ years now and the one thing about Mac is they just work. If you’re like me and a bit of a hard core geek and like to do some web development on your machine the Mac is perfect because it has Linux under the hood. I’m totally converted and don’t hesitate in recommending it to you, friend. Check out the deal over at dealnews.