July 2006

These kind of made me snicker when I saw them. The thought of someone casually glancing at what they assume will be a boring name plate and seeing “I’m Not Here Right Now” is pretty funny. If it’s just the right person, I’d jack it on up to danged funny.

The holder and four magnetic nameplates are from www.UncommonGoods.com. When you land on the site, hover your cursor over DESKTOP in the top navigational bar. When the drop down menu spills out, find and click “Office Gadgets.”

Of course, it’d be even better if the sayings included “I’m Kind of a Big Deal,” “I Just Don’t Listen,” or “When God Made Me, He Was Just Showing Off.” If you’re looking to be fired, you could go with, “You’re so Ugly you Came out of a Haunted House with an Application.”

Have a great Wednesday - make someone laugh. Then it’ll feel like Friday for both of you.

Thru the Evansville Courier Press Sunday edition, I found a contest that may interest some of you.

” A bad boss can drive you nuts ! Long hours, low pay. Hard work, no health insurance. The boss gets a golden parachute, you get no pension, no respect. You need a break. Tell us all about it and you could win a much-needed vacation. “

Want to enter ? Click HERE.

Glad to say I won’t be entering, as I have a wonderful boss, who also happens to be my wife !

Per Successful Blog, I just found this suh-weet info on How To Create A Positive Home Work Environment over at Designorati.

In the post, Beth Dean gives us 10 awesome tips for making the most of our least.

Here’s a few snippets to entice you into clicking thru :

1) Lighten up the room. There’s a reason office walls aren’t painted navy blue or fire engine red.

2) Get a comfortable chair. If there’s one thing in your office you’re going to spend money on, it had better be the chair, you can sit and focus for longer if you’re comfortable.

3) If you’re working in a guest room, get trundle drawers for underneath the bed.

That’s more than enough enticing for now….. click the link and then come back to say thanks !

Check out these Presto Postcards! They’re little shells you can use for turning your favorite pictures into postcards. 48 of them come in a box, ready and willing to stir up 48 memorable moments.

What grandparent wouldn’t have their day made by finding their beloved grandchild waiting for them in the mailbox. They’d show it off to their friends, their neighbors, their friend’s neighbors, and their neighbor’s friends.

The Presto Postcardswould be the ideal way to stay in touch with family and friends - you could send your pet, your spouse, or your child’s smiling face on a great voyage. A voyage that would end with someone opening their mailbox and getting a fantastic surprise. You could, of course, even send your own beautiful face to them.

Then again, you can toss the idea of benevolence and good will aside and approach it another way. Send your boss a picture from your vacation —-maybe you on a float sporting a sexy little suntan —- with a caption on the back saying, “Glad you aren’t here.”

Have a weekend worth writing about -
Joi

As you may remember, I have an addiction to making my own planners. There is just something satisfying about using paper to organize ideas, thoughts and action items. I’ve yet to find a digital solution that I like better than paper. And nothing does paper like a Moleskine. It’s the crown jewel of notebooks.

Mike Rohde has come up with Creating a Custom Moleskine Planner that is both simple and elegant. Like Mike, I love Gel pens because they write so well, but for my portable needs I’m sticking with the my Fisher Space Pen. Mike’s guide should get you up and running with a nice planner that is about the size of an index card that you can take with you everywhere. It’s simple and it works. What else do you need?

Via Lifehack.org

If your office has a sense of humor, here’s another little guy that’d love to call it home. Thaddeus the Troll doesn’t just look handsome, he actually serves a purpose. His monstrous mouth holds paper clips, loose change, earrings, rubberbands, keys - anything that you’d normally misplace.

He looks more like a bulldog to me, but maybe that’s because I’m not familiar with trolls. He’s frightfully cute, in a troll sort of way…..just look at his little feet!

Thaddeus, as if you couldn’t already tell, is also from Design Tuscano - the same place where the dragon computer topper resides. I believe Thaddeus is only $12.95. Design Tuscano also has a large mouthed monkey that serves the same purpose, if monkeys are more your thing. There are endless mystical, magical and medieval goodies on the website - for your garden, your office, and your home.

Give them a look, I promise they’ll make you smile:

< / salespitch >

My favorite colors are girly pink and purple; I love shopping; I grow beautiful flowers and arrange killer bouquets; I collect fairies; I love to cook and bake and wax all kinds of magic in the kitchen; I’m a devoted wife and mother of three (mother of 3, husband of 1); Stuffed animals make me happy; have 5 warm cuddly kitty cats and one snuggly dog; love sunrises and sunsets and would never intentionally harm another living soul. I swear I’m a nice, normal, female Kentuckian.

But, by dang , I’m fascinated by dragons.

It isn’t their appearance, mind you, it’s not all that. I guess, for one thing, t’s the fantasy of it all. Our world is full of so much unspeakable craziness that the fantasy world isn’t just a fun place to visit - sometimes it seems like a necessary place to visit just to keep your head from exploding.

I also like their attitude. A dragon has that don’t mess with me attitude that amuses me. It’s written all over the face. It’s one of the things I love about cats, big and small - they pack a similar attitude. Dragons just have the ‘tude amped up. Cross their path and you’re a shish kabob. Well done.

I found this
©”Dungeon Dragon Computer Companion”
while I was browsing around one of my favorite websites, Design Tuscano. I saw an Elephant Computer Sitter (Perry the Pachyderm) first. He caught my eye and I wondered if they had any of my favorite things in the form of a computer buddy: fairies, cats, or bison, Okay, bison would’ve been a stretch…. So I started snooping around. No fairies, no cats, and the search button snickered at bison. But, I did find the charming fella at the top of the post. There was also a demon sitter that went by the name Skeeter, but he kind of scared me, so I’m not throwing him any publicity.

Any of these characters, even Skeeter I guess, would add fun and fantasy to an office - two things that, along with coffee, help get a body through the day.

Click on the link and check the website out - the prices are amazingly reasonable and their products are out of this world. That’s their charm!

Joi

“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. It’s a beautiful holiday with a great deal of meaning if we take the time to let it sink in. Patriotism is one of the greatest traits an individual can have. A deep-down feeling of loyalty, love, and commitment to the place they call home.

We may disagree on politics, might not see eye to eye on religion, and may even bicker over opinions - but we’re all family, when you get right down to it. And what family doesn’t bicker and gripe at times?! But when the unspeakable happens, everyone pulls together so tightly you couldn’t wedge a dime through. Shame it takes the unspeakable, isn’t it?

The striking art print of John F. Kennedy can be bought at AllPosters.com
He’d add a lot of class and distinction to any office.

Happy 4th!

Joi