thatMarivic

Five ways to improve your content marketing strategy

2011-07-26T11:57:00.001-05:00

Helpful reminders with actual examples.

Daily Kos: Wisconsin Recall: Eye-catching new ad hits GOP state Sen. Luther Olsen

2011-07-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Daily Kos: Wisconsin Recall: Eye-catching new ad hits GOP state Sen. Luther Olsen

I'm in this, for, like, .02 seconds (denim jacket) but I'm proud of it. Maddow claims it's "the best political ad out of 2011" - I can live with that. Plus, hell, it's for a good cause :)

Social Media Statistics 2011 [Video]

2011-07-20T22:18:00.001-05:00

via blog.hubspot.com

From the awesomesauce that is socialnomics. Enjoy.

Awareness Community - The Secret of Google+

2011-07-16T18:23:00.001-05:00

via community.awarenessnetworks.com

Movie version of Prossergate

2011-06-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

I think it's clear who will play our misogynist Supreme Court Justice gone wrong:

www.wnpj.org/sites/default/files/pdf/WNPJ-labor-songbook_20songs.pdf

2011-06-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

www.wnpj.org/sites/default/files/pdf/WNPJ-labor-songbook_20songs.pdf

We got this

2011-06-15T18:50:00.000-05:00

This is what I tweeted:

Remember, #wiunion, 745,690 ppl voted for Kloppenburg. Need 540,206 signatures for Walker recall. We got this.

These are my sources:

Kloppenburg votes
http://muskego.patch.com/articles/prosser-wins-wisconsin-state-supreme-court-race-by-46-of-vote-gab-says

Walker signatures needed
http://www.unitedwisconsin.com/united-wisconsin-frequently-asked-questions

Obviously we'll need a massive buffer zone in terms of number of signatures collected (thank you very little, GAB) but the point is: this is within our reach.

#signsolidarity

2011-06-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

I, and many others, love the idea of a silent protest on the square tomorrow. Whether you're there in person or in spirit and following along from afar, feel free to sign the chorus to "Solidarity" with us.

Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
and the union makes us strong.

These are the videos I used to help me put this together:

Solidarity (2nd video down):
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/w/with.htm

Forever
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/FOREVER

(Repeat 3 times)

Union
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/union

Makes
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/MAKE/3844/1

Us
http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/us

Strong
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/s/strong.htm

#peace

Budget Basics | Defend Wisconsin

2011-06-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

Budget Basics | Defend Wisconsin

#walkerville

2011-06-08T10:35:00.002-05:00

With some scrambling, I was able to make it to the square last night. I missed The Kissers, but found @pewtergryphon right away. She generously offered tent space, and I happily accepted. We serendipitously ran into @AnonyMissBadger, there to drop off a tent for me. Suffice it to say I was overwhelmed with kindness and generosity and hadn't even been there 10 minutes.

It had been brutally hot that day, but as the sun set temps came down, a breeze picked up, and it became the perfect setting to sit, chat and chug from our water bottles. We sat on the concrete steps by the Veteran's Museum and watched Michael Moore's SiCKO. Popcorn was passed around, and personally, I was grateful to see that film in that setting. I'm not a movie reviewer nor necessarily a huge Michael Moore fan, but I have to recommend the movie. I learned a lot about the differences in healthcare systems (and philosophies, really) around the world, and while it should have been and was, depressing, it left me hopeful for our democracy.

I grabbed a snack, headed back to the tent, and despite the sidewalk beneath me, fell asleep right away. I heard I snore ;-). It rained a bit around 6am, so we got up and put the rainfly on. Inside-out, but hey, it worked. The buses started arriving and I cried 'Uncle' and got up around 7. Coffee at Michaelangelo's, bagel at Gotham, and back on the #2 bus to be back home by 9:30.

There are areas where tents are allowed to stay erected, but most of the tents had to be taken down by 7am. Tents can't be put up until 9pm. There's only one set of porta-potties (next to Vet's Museum on State Street side), so if you were down by UWCU (as I was) it was a two block walk. No biggie, but it certainly informed my hydration rate! There was an area for families, an information tent, and plenty of volunteers to let you know about events both social and informational.

I can see where #walkerville will soon outgrow the two blocks the permit allots. There was also talk of extending the permit to June 27th (beyond the current June 29th) due to when the BRB might be taken up again.

I strongly encourage those that wish to experience this statement of protest to do so. As I watched little kids run around and listened to the street music, I couldn't help but think, "Well now, this isn't so bad after all." There is a sense of community and downright helpfulness that couldn't be ignored. But I'm not naive. I made the choice to participate, and after having done so, went back to do my work in a home I own in one of the best neighborhoods in one of the country's best cities. I am not forced to live in the streets, but many are. Many more may. I can't live with that.

So sleeping in a tent on Carroll Street doesn't really change anything, I know that. But each of us doing something, when we can, how we can, changes everything. I know that.

A play-by-play of amendment proposals to Voter ID that weren't good enough for the GOP | Dane101

2011-05-19T18:47:00.000-05:00

A play-by-play of amendment proposals to Voter ID that weren't good enough for the GOP | Dane101

Laid out like this it's easier to see how and why the last couple weeks were so stressful. Crazymaking, really.

Who's Margo?

2011-05-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

I had to resurrect this.

Tommy Thompson was my boss when he was Governor and I fell down the rabbit hole of being his legal assistant. In this video, he can't remember my name.

Wisconsin Set To Disenfranchise Likely Democratic Party Voters - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes

2011-05-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin Set To Disenfranchise Likely Democratic Party Voters - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes

13 Conservative Myths About Taxes -- Debunked | Economy | AlterNet

2011-05-04T13:16:00.000-05:00

13 Conservative Myths About Taxes -- Debunked | Economy | AlterNet

Another good resource for talking points (and really, for me, to help fully understand the issues).

legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/asm95/news/BudgetHandout4.25.11.pdf

2011-05-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/asm95/news/BudgetHandout4.25.11.pdf

Great talking points as you're discussing this with oh, say, a husband that just DOESN'T get it.

The BRAD BLOG : WI's Supreme Court Election 'Recount' is a Mess

2011-05-04T09:59:00.000-05:00

The BRAD BLOG : WI's Supreme Court Election 'Recount' is a Mess

#WIunion Social Media Highlights

2011-05-04T08:20:00.000-05:00

#WIunion Social Media Highlights

This is an excellent timeline of the #wiunion events (as blogged by SEIU).

Federal Unions

2011-04-20T12:56:00.000-05:00

Federal Unions

This is a handy response to one of the biggest misconceptions I keep seeing.

AVEs are a Disease – Here’s a Little Vaccine

2011-04-18T14:57:00.001-05:00

One of the truly insidious aspects of public relations measurement is the use of advertising value equivalency (AVEs) or media value to assign financial value to public relations outputs. It is a highly flawed, path-of-least-resistance attempt to calculate return on investment (ROI) for public relations. To make matters worse, the practice has clearly moved into social media measurement as well. For example, research studies that attempt to monetize the value of a Facebook Fan/Liker by attributing a CPM value from the advertising world. Online media impact rankings also utilize equivalent paid advertising costs to assign monetary value to online news and social media. AVE is like a disease that has infected and spread throughout the public relations industry.

In June of 2010, the PR industry came together in Barcelona to draft the Barcelona Principles, a set of seven principles of good measurement intended to provide guideposts for the industry. The principle that has generated the most conversation is this one:

Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) is Not the Value of Public Relations

While many of the Measurati have been preaching against AVEs for years, there now appears to be a critical mass of outrage that may kill the practice in the coming years. Here are four compelling reasons why I believe we must make this happen – the sooner the better.

1. AVEs Do Not Measure Outcomes

AVEs equate an article with the appearance cost of an advertisement. It does not speak at all to the results or impact that the article may have on a reader. Advertisers do not judge the success of advertising on how much the insertions cost. Imagine an advertising manager being asked by his or her boss, “How are we doing in advertising this year?”, and them replying, “Great! We have spent $500,000 so far! The true value of public relations or social media is not the appearance cost, but what happened as a result of the PR or social media effort – the impact it has on brand, reputation and marketing. You will note the Barcelona Principles also call for a focus on measuring outcomes and not (just) outputs. What happened as a result of media coverage is inherently more interesting and valuable than how much coverage was obtained.

2. AVEs Reduce Public Relations to Media Relations

You are, or become, what you measure. AVEs do not address the impact or value of several important aspects of public relations including strategic counsel, crisis communications, grassroots efforts, viral campaigns or public affairs. In other words, AVEs reduce PR to just the media dimension by only assigning a value in this area. If only AVEs are used to assess PR value, the results will understate the totality of value delivered by PR. AVEs also cannot measure the value of keeping a client with potentially negative news out of the media, yet that may be the primary objective of the PR practitioner.

3. AVEs Fly in the Face of Integrated Measurement

Good marketing, branding and reputation campaigns have always been integrated to varying degrees. The digitization of our lives has accelerated integration.

Advertising and PR actually work together synergistically, yet AVEs treat them as cost alternatives. Studies have shown ads that run in a climate of positive publicity actually receive lift from the PR. Conversely, ads run in an environment of negative publicity will likely not be successful and/or may be perceived negatively by consumers. We have seen exposure to brand advertising increases conversion rates in social channels. Integrated campaigns and programs require integrated measurement. AVEs don’t play well in this world. They are analog and segregated in a digital and integrated world.

4. AVEs Provide No Diagnostic Value

Too much measurement energy is focused on score-keeping and not diagnostics. This is one reason why single-number metrics like the Klout score and others have great appeal to many. However, measurement is fundamentally about assessing performance against objectives with sufficient detail and granularity to determine what is working and what is not. AVEs fail miserably in this regard. AVE results can actually be misleading and result in false positives. AVEs may be trending up while important metrics like message communication, share of favorable positioning and share of voice are falling. Unfortunately, AVEs provide neither a valid single-number score nor any diagnostic value.

Some have said the Barcelona Principles are the ‘end of AVEs’. I would agree directionally with that statement with one minor addition, Barcelona was the ‘beginning of the end of AVEs’. Awareness of the practice and recognition of its flaws are at an all-time high in our industry. More education and evangelism are required. Understanding concepts like impact, tangible value, intangible value and (true) return on investment help foster much more sophisticated conversation about the total value delivered by public relations and social media. AVEs are a disease, education and knowledge are the vaccine. AVEs won’t die easily. The momentum generated by the Barcelona event has provided focus and intent. It is up to all of us to make AVEs a thing of the past.

via metricsman.wordpress.com

A good read on AVE, will be comparing to similar social media struggles.

What Now Wisconsin II: A Real Plan to Fight Back | The Progressive

2011-04-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

What Now Wisconsin II: A Real Plan to Fight Back | The Progressive

This could be read as a blueprint. There has to be a way to do this.

In sum

2011-04-04T18:02:00.000-05:00

There's a group (on Twitter, but everywhere, really) that has been looking for alternatives to Johnsonville Brats given their ties to Walker and Koch Industries.

There's a Jacobson's Deli down the street, so I called the Stoughton location (first in Google search) and asked to speak with the manager. The man that answered said "that's me."

I explained that there's a group looking for an alternative, union-friendly brat vendor, and could he tell me the company's position (not his, personally) on the budget bill. He said that's a personal question, and I repeated I was asking about the company's position and maybe he could refer me to the owner? He said "I'm the owner." (Ok.)

He then told me "you're making a big mistake asking these questions."

I said "I have a right to research where I spend my money." His response was "No, you're just alienating everyone."

He then said he was union for years, but he supports a balanced budget. Didn't I?

Of course, I said, but I oppose this bill and if he supports the bill and Walker I needed to know that. He kept saying "No, you don't get to ask that. You people don't get to ask that."

I wrote up a review, and posted on the Facebook fan page on boycotts, as well as the Pledge to Spend page. I also, of course, Twittered as I went along.

I disagree with large-union efforts to intimidate businesses by telling their members to boycott (a la Union Grove story). What I support is my right as a consumer to research my spending decisions. And while this business owner had every right to ignore or refuse to answer my question, he does not have the right to tell me I don't get to ask the question or that's it's a 'mistake' to even ask.

I get to ask. We all do.

That was my point with this, and what I hoped I conveyed to the Wall Street Journal reporter when he called.

More later. I'm gonna go soak my head.

P.S. I also had an exchange with a realtor today; we're personal friends but do not agree on this bill. We disagree, but I know that and make the decision to continue the working relationship (and, of course, the personal friendship). It's not about never working with or supporting anyone with opposing viewpoints; it's about asking, learning, and making informed decisions.

Tom Kertes » Blog Archive » Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers - Working with Young Children, Families and other Child Care Workers to Transform Child Care in British Columbia

2011-04-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

Tom Kertes » Blog Archive » Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers - Working with Young Children, Families and other Child Care Workers to Transform Child Care in British Columbia

Excellent narrative on where we're (they're) at with the budget battle.

Public Schools for the Public Good: SB 22

2011-03-24T16:24:00.000-05:00

Public Schools for the Public Good: SB 22

This is insane

2011-03-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

A provision in Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) budget proposal would repeal Wisconsin's contraceptive coverage law that requires health plans to cover prescription birth control, the Wausau Daily Herald reports.

And, in an executive order that was quietly released, Gov. Scott Walker recently suspended rules requiring contractors on state construction projects to employ workers under the state’s apprenticeship program. The rules have existed since 1971. One Milwaukee-area lawmaker is protesting Walker’s order, saying it will hurt efforts to employ minorities in the construction trades in Wisconsin.

Plus: (via Daily Kos)

House Republicans have introduced legislation that, if passed into law, would deny food stamp assistance to any family member of a striking worker.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no member of a family unit shall participate in the food stamp program at any time that any able bodied work eligible adult member of such household is on strike on strike as defined by the Labor Management Relations Act 1947, because of a labor dispute.

It's clear Walker hates women, minorities, children, probably kittens, too. But the extent to which those controlling him REALLY hate women, minorities, children and probably all domestic animals, is starting to emerge. This is one ugly picture.

Walker's emails and the Flying Monkey Brigade | Dane101

2011-03-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

Walker's emails and the Flying Monkey Brigade | Dane101

By the numbers, how Walker got those emails, where they came from, a(nother) double standard revealed.

Who’s Really Behind Recent Republican Legislation in Wisconsin and Elsewhere? (Hint: It Didn’t Start Here) | Scholar as Citizen

2011-03-17T09:57:00.000-05:00

Who’s Really Behind Recent Republican Legislation in Wisconsin and Elsewhere? (Hint: It Didn’t Start Here) | Scholar as Citizen

This will be my 'light reading' later on. Good info, sources.

Susan Sarandon IMBY

2011-03-16T15:03:00.000-05:00

I missed her remarks, nice to see this vid:

Couple things wrong here

2011-03-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

WisPolitics.com: Sen. Fitzgerald: Email re: Senate Democrat voting privileges in standing committees

So says Fitzgerald:

Sen. Fitzgerald: Email re: Senate Democrat voting privileges in standing committees
3/14/2011

From: Sen.Fitzgerald
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 3:52 PM
To: *Legislative Senate Republicans
Subject: Senate Democrat voting privileges in standing committees

Dear Members,

With the return of the Senate Democrats this weekend, questions have arisen regarding Democrat members’ participation in Senate standing committee public hearings and executive sessions.

Please note that all 14 Democrat senators are still in contempt of the Senate. Therefore, when taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats’ votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal. They are free to attend hearings, listen to testimony, debate legislation, introduce amendments, and cast votes to signal their support/opposition, but those votes will not count, and will not be recorded.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact my office.

Thank you,

Scott Fitzgerald
Senate Majority Leader
13th Senate District

Problem the first: "a quorum in an assembly is the number of VOTING MEMBERS who must be present..."

Second, the 'contempt' order was never enforceable.

Third, what a dick.

CEPR Resources on Public Sector Workers and Pension Funds | CEPR Blog

2011-03-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

CEPR Resources on Public Sector Workers and Pension Funds | CEPR Blog

OMG more math but a really good read. Excerpt:

This paper shows:

Most of the pension shortfall using the current methodology is attributable to the plunge in the stock market in the years 2007-2009.
The argument that pension funds should only assume a risk-free rate of return in assessing pension fund adequacy ignores the distinction between governmental units, which need be little concerned over the timing of market fluctuations, and individual investors, who must be very sensitive to market timing.
The size of the projected state and local government shortfalls measured as a share of future gross state products appear manageable.

MapWI - Interactive Maps of the Wisconsin Legislature

2011-03-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

MapWI - Interactive Maps of the Wisconsin Legislature

Overview of Walker’s Budget Proposal’s Program Cuts « Wisconsin Women's Health Budget Project

2011-03-13T17:53:00.000-05:00

Overview of Walker’s Budget Proposal’s Program Cuts « Wisconsin Women's Health Budget Project

I'll be looking for alternatives to these

2011-03-13T14:34:00.001-05:00

Here's the list I'm working with in boycotting Koch products and other Walker supporters: (from boycottwalker.com)

Johnsonville Foods markets meat sausage products, most notably bratwurst. Their products are sold by most groceries, and are easily identified. Alternate products are readily available

Sargento Foods

HyCite: Royal Prestige and OceanBlue are the company’s primary branded product lines.

Wausau Homes
Standard Process Laboratories
Wal-Mart
Briggs & Stratton

Wausau Paper: sold through OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples, and local office supply stores. Their consumer paper products have the following brands - Astrobrights,Astroparche, Creative Collection, Exact Eco 100, Exact Pastels, Executive Collection, Professional Series, Stardust, Wausau Bright White.

KwikTrip
M&I Bank
Bank of America
Culver's (pending confirmation)

KOCH BROS PRODUCTS TO BOYCOTT:

Angel Soft toilet paper
Brawny paper towels
Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups
Mardi Gras napkins and towels
Quilted Northern toilet paper
Soft ‘n Gentle toilet paper
Sparkle napkins
Vanity fair napkins
Zee napkins
Lycra
Stainmaster Carpet

Georgia-Pacific paper products and envelopes
All Georgia-Pacific lumber and building products
Georgia Pacific Building products:
Dense Armor Drywall and Decking
ToughArmor Gypsum board
Georgia pacific Plytanium Plywood
Flexrock
Densglass sheathing
G/P Industrial plasters (some products used by a lot of crafters)-
Agricultural Plaster
Arts & Crafts Plaster
Dental Plaster
General Purpose Plaster
Glass-reinforced Gypsum (GRG)
Industrial Tooling Plaster
Investment Casting Plaster
Medical Plaster
Metal Casting Plaster
Pottery Plaster

FibreStrong Rim board
G/P Lam board
Blue Ribbon OSB Rated Sheathing
Blue Ribbon Sub-floor
DryGuard Enhanced OSB
Nautilus Wall Sheathing
Thermostat OSB Radiant Barrier Sheathing
Broadspan Engineered Wood Products
XJ 85 I-Joists
FireDefender Banded Cores
FireDefender FS
FireDefender Mineral Core
Hardboard and Thin MDF including Auto Hardboard,
Perforated Hardboard and Thin MDF
Wood Fiberboard -
Commercial Roof Fiberboard
Hushboard Sound Deadening Board
Regular Fiberboard Sheathing
Structural Fiberboard Sheathing

COMFOREL® fiberfill
COOLMAX® fabric
CORDURA® fabric
DACRON® fiber
POLYSHIELD® resin
SOLARMAX® fabric
SOMERELLE® bedding products
STAINMASTER® carpet
SUPPLEX® fabric
TACTEL® fiber
TACTESSE® carpet fiber
TERATE® polyols
TERATHANE® polyether glycol
THERMOLITE® fabric
PHENREZ® resin
POLARGUARD® fiber and
LYCRA® fiber

holy hell

2011-03-09T18:35:00.000-06:00

Republican Senators created special committee at 4pm, to meet at 6pm (even tho law requires 24 hr notice). Met at 6, they stripped out the "fiscal" items so they could vote without quorum. Passed the anti-union bill (so never about budget in the first place, which is what we were saying all along). They wouldn't allow motions or amendments or democrats to even SEE it, said "it's the same, just took some items out".

I can't think straight. Trying to figure out if Dem14 are on their way back. This was a disgusting display and the most undemocratic thing I've ever seen.

GOP senators find way to advance collective bargaining bill without Democrats present

2011-03-09T17:24:00.000-06:00

GOP senators find way to advance collective bargaining bill without Democrats present

If the Republicans move forward with their plans, it would be a major reversal for Gov. Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau. Both have contended that the bill is fiscal in nature and thus the collective bargaining could not be stripped from the measure.

Democratic Senators on Wednesday immediately criticized the move, saying it proves Republican attempts to end collective bargaining for public employees are not about balancing the budget.

"They have been saying all along that this is a fiscal item, we've been saying it is not," said Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, from Illinois. "They have been lying. Their goal is to bust up the unions."

I am speechless. Stay tuned. Screw that, hope everyone gets down to the Capitol. NOW.

Select Helpful Websites - Wisconsin Budget Situation

2011-03-09T15:33:00.000-06:00

Select Helpful Websites - Wisconsin Budget Situation

Sen. Fitz. Come again??

2011-03-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

Connecting the dots FOR us. Nice!

Almost forgot

2011-03-09T13:59:00.000-06:00

There's also this.

AN ACT to amend 302.372 (2) (a) (intro.) and 302.372 (3); and to create 66.0408
and 175.55 of the statutes; relating to: local ordinances, determining the
lawful presence of a person arrested for or charged with a crime or certain civil
violations, and providing a penalty.

...

Under the bill, a person who cannot prove his or her lawful presence may be

held in secured custody for up to 48 hours to allow the person to obtain

documentation of his or her lawful presence. If the person produces the required

documentation, he or she may be released.

So, right now my driver's license is expired (as of my birthday, Sunday March 6). Since that's not valid ID, I would need to have upon my person my Alien Registration Card to prove I'm a lawful permanent US resident (and would be subject to being detained until I provided the goods).

I don't even know where that card is, for starters. I purposely do NOT keep it on me as replacing it would be a phenomenal pain in the ass. But off I go to look for it. Just in case.

Jackasses.

Wrapping brain around something

2011-03-09T13:39:00.001-06:00

I caught Rachel Maddow's show (TG for internet) and had to rewind to make sure I was hearing her correctly. In addition to the Wisconsin budget mess, there are huge issues brewing in Michigan's budget proposal.

Chief among them, get this:

Towns are hurting financially.

The governor can declare a town to be in a financial crisis.

The governor can then appoint someone that town's "emergency manager."

The emergency manager has the authority to:

- cancel, amend all contracts in place (including union contracts, natch)

- a bunch of other crap

But here was the biggie (for me): The emergency manager has the authority to dismiss elected officials.

Dismiss. Elected. Officials.

So, a municipality struggling financially can be placed under the management BY WHOMEVER THE GOVERNOR APPOINTS, and THAT PERSON can then, y'know, dismiss the mayor.

Rachel Maddow does a much better job at outlining all this (here's the video) but I needed to get this out, apparently.

Dark days, my friends. Poor Michigan.

How To Engage On Sites Using Facebook’s New Commenting Plugin

2011-03-09T09:21:00.001-06:00

via feedproxy.google.com

Basic GIMP: Preparing Pictures for the Web - The Geekazine Network with Jeffrey Powers

2011-02-10T14:59:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Geekazine!
The GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) is the flagship of Linux and open source photo editing programs. (A windows version, which I have used, though not recently, is available at Sourceforge.) The GIMP is free and open source; there is no charge for installing and using it.

The GIMP is a powerful, complex program which I’ve heard compares well with Photoshop. I cannot speak to this, since I have not used Photoshop, but I have used Paintshop Pro extensively on assignment, and the GIMP is easily equal to it.

The GIMP, though, is not easy to figure out.

I don’t believe that there really is any such thing as an “intuitive” interface for a program, in the sense of “easy to figure out at first glance.” “Intuitive” means “easy to remember.” The GIMP offers so many options that it is neither easy to figure out nor easy to remember without help. So I thought I’d share some of my experiences.

Most of what I do with the GIMP is prepare pictures for posting on the web. Although I’m little more than an intermediate level amateur, I’ve learned a few tricks which enable me to fool my friends and family into thinking that I know what I’m doing.

So here are the steps I normally follow to edit a picture, without getting involved in layers and other stuff I haven’t yet mastered.

The basic GIMP interface includes two windows: the image window and the toolbar. Every item on the toolbar may also be accessed from the menu bar at the top of the image window. (The most significant planned improvement for the GIMP is to integrate the tool bar into the image window.) Click for a larger image.

My first step is normally to sharpen the image. Go to Filters–>Enhance–>Sharpen to start the Sharpen Tool. The illustration shows both the Sharpen dialog and the menu selection. Click for a larger image.

In the preview pane, use the sliders below and to the right of the preview window to navigate to different parts of the image. I normally move to the area with the greatest detail and contrast; for example, if there is a flower in the picture, I’ll navigate to the flower. Then use the “Sharpness” slider to select the degree of sharpness; the changes will be reflected in the preview window. Clicking “OK” makes the change, but, if you are dissatisfied, you can click Edit–>Undo or hit CTRL-z and to revert and try again.

Next, I tinker with the brightness and contrast. Until recently, I’ve used the Brightness and Contrast Tool (accessed at either Colors–>Brightness-Contrast or at Tools–>Color Tools–>Brightness-Contrast) to do this, as shown below. Once again, the illustration shows both the menu and the tool. Click for a larger image.

Changes made using the sliders are reflected immediately in the main image window.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with color curves. I don’t really understand what they are, but you can access the Curves tool at Colors–>Curves or Tools–>Color Tools–>Curves. The illustration shows a curve with only one manipulation point, but you can bend them at two or more points if you wish. Changes are reflected immediately in the main image window. Click for a larger image.

Frequently, I crop pictures to exclude extraneous material. Use the Selection Tool to outline the area to keep, then go to Image–>Crop to Selection. If dissatisfied, use the Undo commands to revert to the previous image. Click for a larger image.

My last step is to scale or resize the image. I see no need to upload an umpty-ump mega-pixel image at 2400 by 1900 pixels for display in an environment optimized for less than half of that. It increases page load times, adds overhead, and provides little or no benefit for someone who is not a professional photographer trying to attract customers or make sales.

In this post, I scaled the original images to a width of 960 pixels and set them to display at a width of 500 pixels, so that the reader could click on them and see the detail more clearly; I did not use thumbnails, because thumbnails would be so small as to look silly.

Normally, I scale to as close to the desired display size as I can get.

In the GIMP, the scale tool is accessed at Image–>Scale Image. In this illustration, I’ve also increased the view of the original picture from 25% to 100%. Click for a larger image.

And here is the image with the view still at 100% after scaling (the illustration below was scaled to 450 pixels wide).

I ended up not using this version of the picture. You can see my final effort.

Notes and Hints:

Once you save a normal image file with changes, undo information is lost. Saving images in the native GIMP format (*.xcf) preserves undo information. I normally “Save As” and preserve the source image.

You can do fancy stuff with layers in the GIMP. I don’t understand them yet.

Meet the Gimp offers excellent video tutorials for download. There’s a detailed table of contents if you are interested in a specific topic. The library contains over 150 tutorials and is still growing.

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This entry was posted by Frank on Thursday, February 10th, 2011 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Frank Bell . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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Thanks, Jeff!

Royal Pingdom » The most reliable (and unreliable) blogging services on the Web

2010-12-20T18:43:00.001-06:00

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Get Your Jingle Mingle On!

2010-12-14T10:11:00.001-06:00

Ho ho ho Social Media Club!

See you at the Jingle Mingle for CASA - bring a toy, get a raffle ticket!

In your rush to get your holiday shopping done, don’t forget about tonight’s Jingle Mingle for CASA holiday fundraising party – and while you’re in the stores, be sure to pick up a toy for CASA’s toy drive! Everyone who donates a toy will get a super special bonus – a raffle ticket for the snazzy “regift” basket valued at more than $250!

See you at The Brink Lounge tonight at 6 PM – and bring your friends, parents, aunts – you name it – the more the merrier! There will be drink specials, special drink specials (no redundancy here!) and more holiday cheer than you can shake a stick at – and that’s a heck of a lot of holiday cheer!

If you haven’t registered yet – do it now. C’mon, it’s a Tuesday night – you’ve got nothing going on. And Glee is a rerun!

via madisonsmc.org

Madison Marketing Communications» Madison Marketing Communications Cause Marketing Social Media Facebook Like

2010-12-10T12:13:00.001-06:00

Want to do some good for others this holiday season (in a really easy way!!) and get some great content/information as well?

If so, I need you to please help me do 2 things that will in turn help a Madison, WI-based charity (I’ll explain in just a moment!).

All you have to do is:
(1) like my company’s Facebook page – Madison Marketing Communications (MMC), which provides some insightful articles and information about communications – and
(2) help spread the word so more people can also join in. (I’ll be you can think of ways!! Twitter, FB, a blog, even an email….)

For each Facebook fan the MMC page has by 12/31/10, MMC will donate $1 to a yet-to-be determined charity (but discussion will take place to decide on the MMC Facebook page). This is an opportunity for you to get some great marketing- and communications-related content via your FB feed, and as a bonus you will be helping someone else who needs help.

Why am I doing this? Frankly, I am #1 looking for ways to increase the reach of MMC’s Facebook page and its social media reach, and #2 I am actively looking for ways to help others this holiday season. My family is sponsoring a family this holiday season, and I wanted to figure out some way to that my company could also do some good. This seemed like something cool to try.

BUT….for it to work I need help in spreading the word. (And I thank you in advance for this.)

So please check out the MMC Facebook page by clicking here – “like” MMC and then join the discussion about posts and ideas that are put forth. I hope we can all enjoy some great dialogue moving forward in 2011!

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Filed under: Branding, Cause Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Nonprofit, Social Media, Word of Mouth on December 9th, 2010

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This is a great example of a couple things:

1. Cause marketing in action
2. In action, with outcome TBD.

Many people (and the businesses they work for/with) feel they need to have the entire project laid out, start to finish, before they start. It's more important to just go - do - and keep moving, with communications. We're a nimble society, and the social media tools at hand give us the ability to assess, pivot, adjust where necessary.

Go - do. Thanks, Laurel, for this fine example.

Salesforce’s Database.com: Fat SaaS Here We Come!

2010-12-08T09:55:00.001-06:00

Salesforce’s Database.com: Fat SaaS Here We Come!

Posted by smoothspan on December 7, 2010

Salesforce is skating to where the puck will be ahead of the other players once again–there’s a reason they’re so much bigger than the rest of the SaaS players. This time it’s all about their latest development in the hotly contested PaaS (Platform as a Service) market. They’ve introduced a fascinating new offering called “database.com” (what do you suppose they paid for that domain?).

What is this database.com offering?

Larry Dignan pegged it best, among the various posts I read. He says it’s a full frontal assault on the incumbents like Oracle, and that Salesforce is building out a stack, only the stack is delivered as a service that lives in the Cloud. That’s exactly what’s happening. Imagine writing software that talks to your database server via an API. That part isn’t hard, because that’s how it already works. Now imagine that you don’t own the database server; it lives in the Salesforce Cloud and you rent. They take care of it and promise to use all the tricks they learned scaling Salesforce.com to make your database scale like crazy too. Pretty cool!

The initial responses from the rest of the blogging world are also interesting:

- Phil Wainewright says they’ve squashed all the little PaaS players.

- Klint Finley reports that Progress software is building out drivers (ODBC, etc.) so your apps can directly call Database.com as their DB.

- Sam Diaz and many others are focused on the Oracle rivalry. Can this be good for Oracle’s share price? Will their database hegemony finally start to crack? And what does it mean to the budding NoSQL world?

Obviously there is a lot of crystal ball work to be done here, and a lot of study of the available information. Most of all, we’ll have to wait to get our hands on Database.com before we can really understand what it means. But I did want to finish this post by talking about Database.com’s relationship to what I’ve been calling “Fat SaaS”.

We’re moving beyond the debate about SaaS versus On-premises. On-prem isn’t dead, but it sure isn’t getting any stronger, while the SaaS world keeps gaining momentum. The truth is that it is a superior model. There used to be a lot of feeling that IT was afraid of it, and that this is what was holding it back. But we’re starting to see considerable evidence IT not only doesn’t fear it, but that they’re embracing it wholeheartedly. More importantly, we’re seeing the SaaS world start to move beyond simple questions (to multitenant or not to multitenant is actually a pretty simple question) and onto how to evolve to the next level.

Fat SaaS is a model that pushes as much business logic into the client as possible and leaves the server-side largely acting as a data store. Given the availability of rich User Experience tools like Adobe Flex with AIR (for creating desktop apps), as well as the onset of the mobile app phenomenon, together with the difficulties of scaling in a multicore world, it’s a logical development. After all, if you survey an Enterprise, do they have more cpu’s tied up in client devices, or in servers? Which cpu’s are more over worked and which ones have more bandwidth available?

I’ve written about the Fat SaaS idea before, and I think it’s one of the logical next developments we’ll start seeing like crazy. Database.com just opened the door to making it even more logical, because what else would talk to such a thing but a Fat SaaS application? Doing a bunch of centralized number crunching won’t be nearly as happy as a Fat SaaS app with the inevitable latency that comes with having your database in a different Cloud than the software that’s consuming the data. The client is already used to that being the norm.

Now, getting back to Phil Wainewright’s proposition that it has squashed the other players, I don’t think so. It may be hard on the little players, or it may not. Remember, Benioff is trying to out-Oracle Oracle. But even Oracle hasn’t succeeded in squashing the Open Source DB movement, not even after acquiring MySQL. It’s more popular than ever. In the end, neither Salesforce nor Oracle have to squash these littles guys. They’re after the higher end anyway.

What I want to see is competition. Who will be the first to put up a service on Amazon AWS that delivers exactly the same function using MySQL and for a lot less money? You see, Salesforce’s initial pricing on the thing is their Achille’s heel. I won’t even delve into their by-the-transaction and by-the-record pricing. $10 a month to autheticate the user is a deal killer. How can I afford to give up that much of my monthly SaaS billing just to authenticate? The answer is I won’t, but Salesforce won’t care, because they want bigger fish who will. I suspect their newfound Freemium interest for Chatter is just their discovery that they can’t get a per seat price for everything, or at least certainly not one as expensive as they’ve tried in the past.

I’ll be watching to see whether the prices come down and whether competition develops. I fully expect both will be underway before we know it. Meanwhile, Bravo Salesforce–you’re showing the rest of the world how it’s done!

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This entry was posted on December 7, 2010 at 9:08 pm and is filed under business, cloud, saas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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bliss

2010-12-07T12:58:00.001-06:00

I'm sitting in my dining room. It's been pretty much converted to my home office, and while it's not the ideal home office situation there's a lot going for it.

I work next to a window that overlooks our quiet little neighborhood.

I can work with background music, or the constant nattering of CNN. Recently, the random crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace has been a most pleasant companion. It's visually inspiring, physically warm, smells wonderful, and has the added bonus of helping cut down on the gas bill.

My morning routine before was waking up really early to drive really far and work for a company I really couldn't stand*.

Now Lola plays with my phone while I mutter about getting up. She dresses herself while I get coffee. I brush her hair, she picks a Lola-show to watch. She eats breakfast while I check email. We saddle up (bundle up, really), get Stich on-leash, and walk down the street to Kathy's house.

She told me today she doesn't like to walk fast, because then we'll get there and she likes walking so let's take our time. *melt*

I drop Stitch's leash around the post at the end of the sitter's driveway, and walk in with Lola. Hugs kisses etc., grab Stitch, and we walk back home.

I'm at my desk reading and blogging and generally working by 9, 9:30. I (happily) go until I have somewhere to be or it's time to pick up Lola. Stitch literally sleeps next to me the entire work day.

I'll add back in things like going to the gym and a routine for errands but for now I'm settling into this new rhythm and loving every minute of it.

*As a nation we carry too much credit card debt and helping a company make money with credit didn't sit well with me, is all.

Three-quarters of marketing chiefs say in-house PR should not ...

2010-12-07T10:15:00.001-06:00

David Woods, prweek.com, 07 December 2010, 9:08am

3 article comments.

Marketing directors do not rate the role of PR in managing social media, with less than one-third thinking the PR department should oversee social media in their business, according to new research.

Canvassed: 250 marketing chiefs

The survey of 250 marketing directors and heads of marketing by Wildfire PR even found that one in five marketing chiefs believe the IT department should have control of a firm’s blogging and tweeting.

Some PROs expressed shock at Wildfire’s findings.

Rob Dyson, PR manager at children’s charity Whizz-Kidz, said: ‘Clearly a number of marketers believe social media are technical tools or an extension of the company website that IT should manage. But it is not just a bit of software and needs to be run by a part of an organisation that is personable.

‘Twitter is not just about putting out ads, it is about building relationships. There needs to be a clear PR strategy behind it and someone in the business needs to have the inclination to use it for conversation regularly, or not use it at all.’

Pete Goold, MD of tech PR agency Punch Communications, said: ‘Marketing directors who do not involve PR because of a personal dislike of Twitter are less able to do their jobs than they were five years ago.’

The study found that only 27 per cent thought the in-house PR team should manage company social media policy including Twitter and Facebook profiles. Only two per cent believed this should be the responsibility of an external PR agency. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said they planned to invest more in social media during the next year, but while almost half of the businesses polled have adopted social media, ten per cent claimed they did so only because their rivals had.

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All Comments

ROSS FURLONG - 07 December 2010

Does 27% make PR depts top of the list of depts that they think could handle PR though? 10% say IT department - guffaw, wait while I pick myself up of the carpet. Rob is spot on when he says Twitter needs to be backed by PR - it's probably the most important element of a social media campaign. Classic misunderstanding that technical know how should qualify a dept to carry out a comms strategy.

Alastair MacDonald - 07 December 2010

I think we have many talented marketers in the UK, so am amazed that even one of them would want to entrust a key stakeholder relations activity to IT. IT is essentially the enabler of the social media delivery channel, not its controller - just as printers are the enablers of the printed channel. Good channel enablers can, of course, make a difference between success and failure, but their role is not to manage the overall comms activity.

Simon Francis - 07 December 2010

This sounds too ridiculous to be true! What questions were Wildfire asking the marketing directors?
Social media has an intrinsic link to corporate reputation and consumer engagement. Handing this role to non-marketing professionals is dangerous, if not negligent.
Sit it in PR, marketing, digital or customer relations in house or at an agency \(or a combination of these), each client will be different, just surely not the IT crowd.
It'd be like leaving your marketing team in charge of your IT system!

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ignore

2010-11-24T18:48:00.001-06:00

An extract remarks a north.

Perspective

2010-11-23T16:12:00.001-06:00

I'm transitioning back to solo PR practitioner, having spent the last almost six months as in-house social media analyst for several catalog brands. While taking the gig seemed smart at the time, it was pretty clear pretty quickly it was far from an ideal match. More on that at another time. For now, it's about getting my freelance-legs back under me.

The good news is that I haven't lost any ground. While I haven't actively done PR for a few months, I'm deeper into social media than I've ever been. I've maintained (some what argue that, I'm sure) my various groups/organizations/boards, and am genuinely looking forward to stepping up those efforts. Where I've blazed trails though is on the tech and integration side of social media, channel development, and lead generation and nurturing through social media. I'm feeling confident about my knowledge of this space, and excited to continue developing those skills.

As I started my final drive home (an hour and 15 minutes), I literally did a little chair-dance in my mom-van, so relieved to be rid of that commute. But the thrill and rush wasn't just in that moment, for what I leave behind, but for what lies ahead. I love what I do, and am in the best position I've ever been in my life to forge ahead and do it well.

I can't wait.

Ask the Wise Guy: Facebook Fan Page or Website? : The World :: American Express OPEN Forum

2010-11-22T18:16:00.001-06:00

Just as there are only two kinds of people on Twitter (those who want more followers and those who are lying), there are only two kinds of companies with Facebook fan pages: Those who want more fans and those who are lying.

via openforum.com

I get this question a lot: website or Facebook? This is wholly readable break-down of pros vs. cons.

recap of week that's not even over yet

2010-11-11T12:30:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday. Noon-ish, Thursday, to be precise. Plenty of crazy left in the week yet.

But we already have for THIS WEEK alone:

Pink eye (under control)
Lola and Autumn on the local news (obviously a 'first time ever' if not 'only time ever')
House down the street gets hit by SUV, causing gas leak, evacuations and street closure. No, really.

Starting my second-to-last week at work (gave my notice last week, a post for another day) while closing one freelance prospect and bidding on two more. But that's boring compared to the rest of it.

Moral of the story: Get life insurance (not through an employer). (Done!)

Local news Lola

2010-11-10T14:49:00.001-06:00

November 5, 2010 8:57 PM

2010-11-07T11:31:00.000-06:00

Test Droid

2010-10-28T16:37:00.001-05:00

halp?

2010-08-17T20:01:00.001-05:00

Urgent please to my Facebook friends: Jeff and I are planning to have Lola baptised up in Three Lakes next week (while almost everyone on both sides of our family are there). The churches we've contacted all require us to be members and/or have gone through their classes ( a rant for another day, why does organized religion make this so hard??). Anyhoo, we're looking for a simple yet meaningful service that acknowledges Lola on the planet and those that have agreed to take care of her should anything happen to me and Jeff. If anyone has any leads I'd be forever grateful. Thanks!

Pediatric whatnot

2010-02-25T14:07:00.000-06:00

So...I take Lola in for her 4 y/o check-up a couple weeks ago. She's fine (I categorically refute "she's on track to being overweight" - what is wrong with doctors these days?) but I did ask about the health of her nails and nailbeds. Her nails seem thicker, bumpy almost.

The Dr. checked, noticed what I did but thought they were fine. Then the same Dr. called back this week, she wants to re-check based on her research.

So she and one other MD poked Lola's fingers, did a pulse-ox (which was fine) and are referring us to a pediatric pulmonologist. Something to do with oxygen, lungs, but she's most likely fine, we just want to rule out Cystic Fibrosis or other genetic issues.

So...yah. Can't make the appt until the referral is processed, so yet more 'here's slightly off-putting news that you can't do anything with" nonsense.

Fun. Oh, and the krazees came home last night and...actually, I don't want to talk about it. Suffice to say others in the house EXERCISING with LOLA at 1am and PASSING OUT ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR are not the activities that lead to a restful night prior to an early seminar. At least, not for this loser.

Out.

c'mon

2009-12-28T16:47:00.001-06:00

SDC10355
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

How stinking cute are they.

Xmas09

2009-12-28T14:46:00.001-06:00

SDC10403
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Just need Ashlei in the pic but L-R Danica, Beaner, Lola, Stitch (!) Danielle and Marinette.

Don't try this at home

2009-11-05T16:42:00.001-06:00

So, if you're ready for a fresh level of hell, attempt to (simultaneously):

Plan your 4 year-old's birthday party
Plan your cross-country trip to be there when your oldest daughter gives birth
Build up your PR business
Get clients to, y'know, pay you
Organize an impossible networking event
Make that 2
Wait, 3
Not spazz out about your karaoke company (and the accompanying karaoke contest finals TONIGHT)
Keep track of all your damn kids

Not posted:

work out
eat well

I'm just one person, after all.

Motiwhat

2009-09-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Today's epiphany: Take care of the little stuff, already. It's not actually little (that shit matters) and even a moron can make a dent. So, today I'm going to be a moron.

Lola and me

2009-08-31T21:29:00.001-05:00

Recent pics (she's 3).

Aug wha?

2009-08-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

There are a host of real-life topics to get caught up on, but I felt the need to vent about a niggling little thing.

I am, for the most part, quite content with life. It would be great to have a little more work (and to be paid on time for my work) but I haven't pushed it. It's been nice to have a taste of summer, sleep in a bit even as I tap-tap-tap well into the night. It's a rhythm that suits me.

What doesn't suit me? Being asked to do more work on a commission-only basis. I haven't done that in, God, YEARS, and it feels too much the backward step. Especially when it's an area I have a proven track record in.

When I started down this path I never saw myself turning down work. It's probably silly as who couldn't use the money, right? Thing is, I do need the money and have the time to work and earn it. But that time invested is worth something; I have to make it worth something.

That is all.

Mem Day '09

2009-05-25T17:17:00.000-05:00

Everyone (well, that lives here currently) is napping. I'm working. And thinking.

Danielle disowned me (her calling me "Marivic" was met with equal parts chuckling and cringing) but the safety nets continue to chide, "It's a phase. She'll get over it." I hope they're right, pretty sure they are. It sort of feels though, like bits of my heart just got texted to the nethers: return unknown.

Yes, text. Much of the "communication" (I use the term oh so damned loosely) between me and the twins has been via text. And for everything put out there, there's tenfold I hold back.

It hurts to hear about people hating your kids, conspiring to get them fired, thinking they're total *itches.

It hurts to not be called by your children on Mother's Day.

It's bittersweeet seeing Lola tromp around, knowing how the twins would normally have delighted in it.

Oh ok, on the upside: I'm enjoying seeing Ashlei come into her own with her business prep and oh RIGHT, her pregnancy. (Note to self: actually plan baby shower already, right?) I miss Beaner but the peace it brings me knowing DAYAM she's fine is priceless. Truly.

Marinette and I have the occasional quibble but we've been remarkably compatible. Go us. Go sisters.

I see Jeff trying and striving and how the hell he puts up with me sometimes I don't know. Even as Lola pushes every button evolutionary possible at age 3, he's a patient and loving dad. And when she's angeldolllbaby holding daddy's hand as they sprint to the ice cream truck, well, a truer love there never was.

I'm going to choose to remember Memorial Day '09 for what it was: mostly all love, with heartache to process.

testios

2009-05-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

Integration test

Heartache

2009-05-07T15:29:00.000-05:00

Danica stopped by with a gift certificate to Frugal Muse for Lola, "I just wanted to do something nice for her" and asking to spend some time with her.

Parenting is, hands down, the hardest, grittiest thing I know I will ever do with my life. For the joy and heartsong, there are times like this it's all about second-guessing, self-doubt and, yes, tears.

It doesn't get any easier once they turn 18. All it means is that your children's futures are upon them, and the real panic ensues.

Awash

2009-04-03T15:30:00.001-05:00

Ashlei's news leaves a memory echo and absence of words. I felt my life lurch forward when Mama died, and here, now, it hitches again.

Got rhythm

2009-03-29T14:21:00.000-05:00

The new rhythm of my days is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.

Every waking moment is consumed by my obligations to the day job, while drumming up business for the new venture. Interestingly enough, the work I do to ramp up ValenciaPR is excellent practice for my client base. I'm using a super-basic CMS and need to integrate Twitter etc. It's do-able, but not necessarily pretty. I've decided NOT to upgrade to a fancier CMS in that I need to relate to the real-life, real-time challenges faced by my clients. So yah, a ton of work but I'm spending my rare Sunday afternoon in the house BY MYSELF on it so my heart's in it, clearly.

Jeff's been creating monstrous, wondrous forts for Lola in the living room. Today's version included a skylight (courtesy of strategically draped blankets) and the rest of the world just melts away as I hear them laughing and negotiating. These fools crack me up.

Came, went

2009-03-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

Birthday was surprisingly great (turned into birthday week-end and then some). Learned something about myself, which is this: I suck at relaxing. Facials and massages are supposed to be just that, though, so I wasted the first part of the day just trying to chill already. Guess I'm not used to sitting still and letting my mind wander, etc. So, to counter-act this, I'm reading more lately. Focuses me away from/off the churn, if only for a bit.

Workout-wise, honestly hard to say. I've dropped a couple more pounds, but what I'm really noticing is that the workouts are visibly paying off, so I'm obsessing less about the scale. There's a perverse pleasure in being unspeakably sore, and yet showing up for more the next day.

Work-wise, countdown to April 30. I'm still rather bitter about the change in status (from employee to 1099) and of course SUCKS to lose the benefits, but am too busy ramping up the PR biz to really dwell on it. So very much to do...

Home-wise...mostly A+ (everyone's pitching in better) but my heartache with Danica catches me offguard at times. It was great to see Beaner at dinner last night ("I met a girl" - Beaner's so cute) and I wish Ashlei would call more but Danielle's been super helpful and funny and between her and Lola and Marinette I do sit at home and laugh my ass off at times.

The shows are...again, mostly doing well. I fear for the Friday night show, as the bartender at Dutch Mill is a complete wanker, but the rest of them are picking up steam.

This is a placeholder post, a reminder to myself of all the catching up yet to be done. Jeez.

9 days

2009-02-25T15:34:00.001-06:00

Stoopid birthday fast approaching, a week from Friday.

What this means is that I'm making myself take the stairs (at work and at the studio). It means I'm going to walk home, catching the bus only if I'm running too late to get all my crap done at home before leaving for the show.

It means for SURE making it to the 8am class, despite probably getting in around 1am tonight.

It means I'm back to Googling carbs and chugging my water and actually really pushing myself in my workouts.

I'm not going to pull off any miracles in the next 9 days, but I refuse to assess excuses and regrets. "37" is going to be enough of a bummer as it is.

In other news, new show Friday nights. That brings us to 4 weekly, and 1 bi-weekly. 18 shows a month. No wonder I'm flippin exhausted.

40

2009-02-19T14:21:00.000-06:00

So, if the scale is to be believed, I've lost 40 lbs. Being (horribly) sick was a slight hiccup, but the last few lbs. have (I think) been the result of hitting the gym.

Except, it's not a gym it's a 'studio' whatev, I go, sweat (sometimes it's hard, sometimes not so much) and leave feeling good. I'd forgotten how much I love taking that time for myself.

I (for real this time) now have the last 10 legit to lose. I'm probably fine stopping now, but for once I'd actually like to see how fit I can be (vs. being 'good enough' or 'not bad').

B-day's coming up in a couple weeks. Am hoping to be able to justify shopping.

In other news, broke it to work that an exit strategy may be in order. Radio silence since, but know this 'lull' can't last long. Something's gotta give, and I'm not signing the freelance disclosure stuff, nor am I foregoing my stake in cyberaoke. Doh.

More later, just wanted to plot this milestone. Am already working on the next one.

Semantics

2009-01-27T13:41:00.000-06:00

This 'new responsibility' is ostensibly 'power'.

It feels like micro-management bourne of desperation.

I'm going to do it though, do my time-shifting shape-shifting what-now job.

Exhaust all efforts, assess. Act.

Awash

2009-01-20T11:55:00.000-06:00

It feels like we're all bathed in the sweeping patriotism of the collective at the moment.

'Tis nice.

BHO is POTUS. That's rockin' pretty hard right now.

My ties to Inaug09

2009-01-14T16:22:00.000-06:00

That would be Beaner - the imp scored tix to the Inauguration of our 44th POTA.

I kind of almost want to cry just thinking about it. From the most rural of the Philippines to a daughter attending the inauguration...more later, much to process here.

Genghis was hungry

2009-01-13T15:45:00.000-06:00

So, Lola had a little playdate last night. She and her new BFF, Jet (age: 5) spend the first few minutes alternately ignoring/screaching at each other, and then drift away in a lovely (LOUD) display of short people playing. Last night was no different.

Except..well, I guess Genghis (beta fish) looked peckish. Or something. Long story short? *Someone* decided to share their ice cream with the fish. Vanilla, to be exact.

Luckily Unca Buh cast a critical eye, recognized the carnage for what it was, and hastily set to rescue/revive the poor beta. Mission accomplished, one flippy fish present and accounted for.

I tried not to laugh.

I failed.

The challenge

2009-01-08T17:36:00.001-06:00

Due to Jeff's company's economic crisis, I now face going 7 days on $200 for a household of...6. Just typing it out makes it crazy sounding, but it's actually an interesting experiment. One I wish I knew we were going to face, as I would have bought vodka.

Anyway, I think I'll chronicle the next 7 days, if only to ease the ache a bit. This shouldn't actually be that hard - we'll need some basics as we go along but the true test will be not going out to shoot pool or karaoke or drink (or all of the above). I can already see how spoiled we've become the past few years; granted we work our tails off, but we never, ever, truly 'go without'. And even this, this won't be going without things like heat, electricity, food, a roof over our heads; no, what we need to cut out needed to be trimmed already, so there's that.

I hope to grow from this. But I really do wish there were vodka in the house.

All growed up

2008-12-22T15:14:00.001-06:00

Jeff and I took a whack at a more refined Saturday night; holiday party at the always-elegant Brinks Lounge, complete with ballgowns, tuxes, bands and general merriment. It was lovely, had a blast (discovered Orange Chocolatinis, oh my hell) and...Miss Wisconsins!

No-nap Lola

2008-12-15T19:43:00.000-06:00

That title pretty much sums it up, we are wearysville here tonight.

Today was a(nother) vicious cycle of non-productivity. There are moments I appreciate my job, feel I do it well, and enjoy the camaraderie of my co-workers. Other moments, gah, I'm just clearly not cut out for this.

What am I cut out for? Let's see...

Fitness stuff (lately), including health, nutrition, various diet and exercise regimes.

Parenting. 5 daughters'll do that to ya.

I guess the karaoke stuff, business management in general.

Cooking. Sometimes.

Fanatic experimentation with clothes, make-up, skincare. Am still hoping for the holy grail of looks and lines that work for short midwest Filipinas. Ha, to this.

I can event plan something to within an inch of its life, then emcee and host said event. This particular trifecta is renewed; I had the confidence years ago, got fat and lost it, and have worked my way back to that confidence level. Is good.

###

That was a fun exercise. In fact, more on this later.

better ones

2008-12-11T23:26:00.001-06:00

Lola just told Jeff he should "come up with better stories, Daddy."

Oh, the tragedy of being 3.

Finally!

2008-12-10T18:28:00.001-06:00

Finally!
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

me likey

Also today.

2008-12-10T17:08:00.001-06:00

121008
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Nice hair, woman.

Marivic 121008

2008-12-10T17:07:00.001-06:00

Marivic 121008
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Today. I'm not actually that blurry.

South Dakota...somewhere

2008-12-10T17:06:00.001-06:00

IMG00470
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

37 (?) lbs. ago.

Fun with Fettucine

2008-12-10T16:46:00.001-06:00

Fun with Fettucine
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Beaner and some short chick

2008-12-10T13:26:00.001-06:00

Beaner and some short chick
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Beaner!! Remember this? (Lookit YOUR HAIR so long and purty)!

Wowsa

2008-12-08T09:55:00.000-06:00

First RBR (work).

Then coolness from Linda's Fitness blog.

It's interesting to read that now, I think I wrote it a couple months ago? Anyway, I'm in the 6-8 range now, with another 5ish lbs. to lose. The real take-away though was my idiot rambling, the post got away from me and I didn't self-edit.

Whereas, with the work piece - it's tight, concise, and well-received thus far. Good writing. Who knew?

More later, it's Monday, Madison's gonna get DUMPED on today, and we're off...

I wasn't kidding about the crazee

2008-11-26T13:24:00.001-06:00

Punchdrunk sugared up crazee

2008-11-26T11:33:00.001-06:00

Punchdrunk sugared up crazee
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Ring-around-Bailey wasn't enough, the evening turned to box-on-head-run-into-things night.

Winding down...

2008-11-26T11:30:00.001-06:00

IMG_2349
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Turns out Lola's new puppy ("Bailey") (thank you MELISSA!) has a great butt for resting one's head on. Who knew.

Eyeing stuff

2008-11-26T11:28:00.001-06:00

Eyeing stuff
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Oddly, not presents, but rather a prickly cactus. Kids are weird.

I'm not sure who looks goofier.

2008-11-26T11:27:00.001-06:00

IMG_2323
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

Like it matters, lol.

Someone got my eyebrows.

2008-11-26T11:26:00.001-06:00

IMG_2321
Originally uploaded by msmarivic

The 48-hr Birthday

2008-11-26T11:09:00.000-06:00

In no particular order, some photo goodies of the last couple days...

Lola was rockstar toddler for the drive to Milwaukee Monday night. The weather sucked, but other than an occasional squawk (itchies! i can't see! - at night...) the only horrible thing was that she unsnapped her seatbelt, ninja-stealth style. But we got to Grandma's and she went running in the house and sat and ate and colored, only picking at the gaily-wrapped present on the table once. We bundled back up and by then Jeff was there, so we crossed the street exactly in the nick of time to see Dale turn on the bar and his home lights, hugely impressive. Everyone counted down and Lola's face lit up and she chirped "Party!". Then she had a kiddie cocktail and went back home with Grandma while Jeff and I hiked to the 2nd-from-the-top row for Neil Diamond, which was such a treat and why the hell don't we do that stuff more often?

Hell-night for Jeff (he slept on the floor by kicking-Lola) Monday night, but Tuesday was more presents and driving and yet more presents. She spent her first night being 3 in her new (HUGE) bed, without falling off tyvm.

More later, actual work to catch up on, but here - the pics (I know, the only reason anyone's here!).

Baffled

2008-11-21T19:05:00.000-06:00

Danica left Lola home alone, Billy came home to Lola wandering the basement playing with paint. I just burned a plastic bowl with hot bacon grease, and hosed myself down trying to aim the water nozzle thingy at the melting blob. Tonight's Mother of the Year Award: Guess.

Snapshot

2008-11-20T14:48:00.000-06:00

Marinette's en route to LA for a couple days.

Danielle had a fire at her school. After much lecturing (me, to her) about when it is and isn't appropriate to swear, she refrains from swearing in her comment on FB regarding the fire. That kid, I swear...

Work is...there are no words. Big fat press release went out today, I think I'll exhale sometime this week-end.

Beaner is back from Spain and parts unknown (literally, I do not know where she's been on break), and is the happy consumer of all things Oreos and Wafer Cookies.

###

Neil Diamond here we come!

2008-11-19T13:26:00.001-06:00

I used my "2 years with Company present" to get el cheapo tickets to none other than Neil Diamond. Jeff sounds excited, I'm looking forward to it, however it's Monday night and I don't want to take time off work (the next day) except I kinda sorta do as Tuesday is Lola's birthday. No answers there yet, it's just nice to have a big date-kind-of-thing to look forward to.

So. I'm determined to get some sleep before then, holy hell.

And, 12..7? Yah, something like that. Tired woot.

PS

2008-11-17T11:31:00.000-06:00

Lola Saturday morning (an absolute peanut at breakfast)!

And me, uh, Saturday night with some other* girls:

*the best friends evah

PAUSE

2008-11-17T10:46:00.000-06:00

Criminy, the week's barely started and it feels like I'm starting on 4th and 10.

Things I'll talk about after I catch my breath:

- Jeff's home. YAY omg YAY. It's just so very nice to have him home where he belongs. And Lola couldn't get off the couch fast enough (just about tripping in the tangle of covers she'd creating squirming free) to run over and hug him up. That was awesome.

- "Come to Jesus" meeting at the house. Cannot. Clean. Up. After. EVERYONE. Dammit.

- Work. For real, oh the amounts of work to plow through...

- Maybe mention the Motrin ad. I can say this because no one actually reads this blog, but: huh? It was tongue-in-cheek to a very specific audience (clearly the non-baby-wearing-audience) but not the federal offense it's been made out to be. More later, just wanted to say it's interesting to see the backlash play out online, will track to see if the backlast translates to measurable gains/losses for Motrin brand.

- Diet. Blah. Did well going into week-end and then ran outta steam yesterday afternoon. It's ok, progress takes time.

More later, deep breath...

4:45 c'mon, week-end...

2008-11-14T16:45:00.000-06:00

I have (so far) survived this week. I have the "second shift" yet of getting home, taking care of dinner/lola/cleaning/bedtime/etc. but thank the stars, it's Friday.

I need brain food. Also, groceries.

My sister's here, I'm worried that Billy can't handle the living situation, I know Danielle's grumpy about doing the basement (even though it was her idea to help get it finished up) and I honestly don't even know where Danica is half the time. I know I need to be patient, but can only keep up with so many sensitivity levels at once. I'll do what I can to get through this week-end but once Jeff's home it's time for a summit at 2215 Superior St. Everyone needs to play nice and pitch in.

recon/necting

2008-11-14T13:13:00.001-06:00

It's nice to reconnet with people from your past, as I just did with a former colleague. It's easy to forget just how many people out there hold memories of you.

spiraling

2008-11-12T15:28:00.000-06:00

On my professional Twitter account, I have people following me where I'm not sure how they found me. I'm (maybe oddly so) painstakingly deliberate in who I follow/subscribe to, and for the most part I can connect the dots from them to me. From me to...them (whomever "them" might be) isn't as clear.

I'm sure I'm not the first genius to encounter this. Still...weird.

Bedtime with Bonzo

2008-11-12T10:23:00.000-06:00

Cheesy as hell but if you're Grandma or, oh, say, Daddy on the road, this'll cheer you up:

First up, ABC EE EEs...

And then a little Itsy Bitsy with extra Itsy: