Reflections on my (short lived) attempt at being a diva

When I was in 8th grade I had a school friend who was quite a diva. She was voluptuous, and sassy, prissy and self-absorbed, and her parents gave her whatever she wanted. A sweet girl, but to this day she's my definition of high maintenance. It was during the time that MTV was still cool and we worshipped shows like The Real World and Road Rules. Everything around me said that beautiful and popular people were high maintenance and drama. This was definitely not me, but I (stupidly) tried to make it so. So around school friends I squealed, gossipped, read magazines about celebrities, and went to parties, and tried to flirt. My dirty secret was that outside school or away from school friends I wasn't like this at all. Super dirty secret huh?

Makes me laugh now, why would anybody aspire to be beautiful high maintenance drama? I call this the Katy Perry effect. My friend was my Katy Perry, and I desperately wanted to be like her. Wear cool clothes, be liked by the cool boys (or any boys), and have perfect hair and makeup. Instead I felt awkward and ugly, and usually invisible. Aside from exacerbating my teenage angst, and driving my mom insane with my demands for clothes and nail polish and my sullen demeanor, my Katy Perry effect was expressed through Tropical Skittles and Snapple Lime Green Tea. This was my thing, (and it caused quite a few dental problems too). But I didn't care, I wanted to be known and noticed, I wanted my thing. Skittles were my thing. I really do love those Skittles by the way. This angst and desire to be beautiful and popular continued through school, one Katy Perry being replaced by another, until one day in my junior year my current Katy Perry who happened to be my best friend decided she no longer liked me and broke up our friendship by moving out of our locker and commencing silent treatment. This was the worst thing that happened to me in high school, to this day I am saddened when I remember it. After that I decided to hell with it, I didn't need to be Katy Perry anymore. I started wearing what I wanted, doing what I wanted, and being who I wanted to be. It worked out pretty well.

I like to think I've got a better grasp on reality now than I did back then. But where would the world be without Katy Perrys to put teen girls into a spiral of angst? What would it be like if teenagers didn't want things like Skittles and Snapple, or Doc Martens, or Nokia cell phones? These days it's probably iPods and Androids, Tom's Shoes, and colorful little Coach bags (I know these things cause I understand Gen Y really really well, See bio...) Heaven forbid they're running around with unchecked self esteem and confidence in themselves, god no.

For your viewing pleasure may I present to you, Katy Perry's Tour Rider. These are the demands the real Katy Perry makes on the road. Seriously. What I can't quite figure out is when she goes on tour, she's doing her job. She's not doing any favors for anybody, and she needs these tours to keep her relevant, because she's going to disappear soon enough.

Have a read and a good laugh, and when you start to feel badly that somebody like Katy Perry is sending society into the toilet, remember she's not new and she won't be the last. But for now, her dressing room better have pink and white pipe and drape, or else.

Are you kidding me right now? Seriously

A hilarious spoof on Katy Perry's Tour Rider from Jake Ten Pas at AM:PM PR

Aston Martin Cygnet, brand defining or brand diluting?

photo credit: Autobloggreen

In response to government regulation and pressure regarding emissions, Aston Martin has come out with the Cygnet, a Smart Car-esq spin off of their revered and coveted current line up of droolworthy super cars. The interior appears to be luxurious and well-equipped, but is Aston diluting their James Bond worthy brand with this new move?

Bloomberg: Aston Martin Departs from Tradition with Cygnet

I'm all for sustainability, after all I live in Portland, in a LEED building, I eat organic, and I work with a solar energy start-up. At the end of the day, I love brands, and I eat market strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I also love Aston Martin, it's the stuff of dreams, sleek, high-end and impressive without being audacious or obnoxious. They've never needed to boast, because they just do it better. Like the guys on Top Gear say (the British version), Aston Martin is the guy at the bar sipping his scotch and quietly working on the crossword while Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati and the other super car brands duke it out for superiority. Then Aston quietly puts down his drink and takes them outside for a (refined and thorough) ass whooping.

I don't see the Cygnet taking any names, I see it quietly waiting in line at stoplights, with a hipster behind the wheel. I think Aston Martin would have been better suited to a more Tesla-type line. Nobody can get their hands on a Tesla, and everybody wants one, just like Aston Martins. Now that is cool people.

Live in the presence of magic

Photo credit: Del Sol Photography via Style Me Pretty

I could tell you about what I'm doing day to day, studying corporate finance and statistics, getting a start-up ready for series A funding, vacuuming endless dog hair, and developing strategic marketing strategy.

Or I could talk about magic. Let's do that.

I saw the above photo on Style Me Pretty, and it took my breath away. That's what magic is, little moments where anything in the world is possible, because it all comes together as something unworldly beautiful. But it's even better because it's real. I think the Harry Potter books are right. We don't notice the magic that happens every day right in front of us. We're too engrossed in the non-important details to see and appreciate what is beautiful...The rain catching the light just right, on the happiest day two people have yet to share, on the first day of the rest of their lives. So I challenge myself (and all of you): as spring approaches, witness at least one thing that is magical.

Get real, get a job, then get a life.

I can't even tell you how many times I've heard it this:

A brand new talented employee, full of smarts and potential is hired and her managers are stoked to have her. It all goes smoothly at first, when suddenly she's asking to leave early 3 days a week, then she wants to work from home. Next she wants a company laptop and cell phone, and wants to flex in 2 days a week. Then she needs to take 2 hour lunches to get acupuncture. After 4 months on the job, and mediocre performance, she puts in for vacation time.

I've heard them myself too. From the normal things like having to pick up sick kids from daycare, to needing to leave early to attend a sorority alumni event 2 hours away (yes). Once I was told that somebody was late because that morning they had to chase, corral and muzzle their parents small dogs and put them in carriers for the groomers. And "family obligations take precedence over work." Um, ok.

So here's my dirty secret, I've been there, I get it. I remember back when I was searching for my first job. Having minimal career guidance in the reality check department, I honestly thought I was qualified for a director level position, when I was barely qualified for entry level work. Here's a particularly painful (and stupid) recount. Once I turned down a fantastic opportunity to work in the headquarters of a well-known global coffee company because they wanted me to start as a barista to learn the business. I refused because I thought I was better than that. Karma would have it that a few months later, that's exactly what I was doing, except with no real advancement opportunities in sight. And guess what, I loved being a barista.

I remember thinking to myself when I was in college that there wasn't much else that I could learn. I thought I was pretty much at my prime. That's so embarrassing because it's absolutely ridiculous.
Anyhow girls and guys about town, get real with yourself while you're getting out there. Whether you're searching, or working your way up the ladder. Never look a gift opportunity (horse) in the mouth like I did. Learn, learn, and learn some more. But most importantly remember this, you've got to earn your stripes in a company. And many of the people you work with think differently and approach things differently than you, so take that into account, before you try to cash in your chips. Because if you try too early, it'll be that much harder to earn then back.

If there are some factors that are a deal breaker for you, like absolutely needing to take long lunches so you can go to the gym, or telecommuting a few times a week to be home for kids. You've got to prioritize when you're job searching. How badly do you need the job vs. how important is this to you? Is it something that can hold off for a while until you forge relationships, learn the ropes and establish yourself as a top performer? If so, then it probably should. Just know that if you have to have these things up front, it could potentially make you less easy to hire than somebody who doesn't.

A lot of people get this backwards, they get the job, they want the life, and then they need to get real. This is a pretty harsh sequence to put yourself through.

What's your kickstarter?

I often find myself dwelling in what is sadly still an old boys club, it's true, management is still a mostly male dominated world. When you're out there on a mission day after day, especially when faced with adversity (large or small) it's easy to feel like you're fighting a constant uphill battle. This is why you need a kick starter. When you're feeling like the world is happening to you, and you've been chugging along on idle for a while, what's the thing that makes you flip this back around? Everybody needs their special secret thing that reminds them to keep plugging away, and do it with smarts, style and sass.

Girl Power is so blase, but the thing is, sometimes you need some to "get 'er done" if you will. Girls about town are smart, intelligent, savvy, resourceful, and are pretty much amazing on their own, but when you need that extra kick of somethin' somethin' where do you get it?


Ok, this is truly embarrassing... I think of Elle Woods. Yep. The bubbly, pink silly sorority girl. Elle Woods is always herself, always authentic, and usually kicking ass in some way shape or form. I'm not saying you should wear more pink and carry a small dog in your bag, but when I need to remind myself to be myself, I think of Elle Woods and suddenly I am vivacious, smart, fun and authentic, ready to fight the good fight once again, and kick some ass while doing it.

So what's your kickstarter? And how do you keep it near?

La dolce vita found.

Today I have done nothing but go-go-go. I was on the road at 8am, a box of a dozen Voodoo doughnuts in tow, pedal to the metal to Bremerton, Washington. Then I just barely made the 1:45 ferry to Downtown Seattle for yet another. Then I found myself in one of my absolute all time favorite coffee places ever, Caffe Umbria (doesn't matter the city). The Portland location is in the bottom of The Casey in The Pearl, but in Seattle it's nestled into an old brick building on Pioneer Square. I love this cafe, because aside from making fantastic coffee, it reminds me to live la dolce vita. Work to live, savor the small things, live and love life. So I put my cell phone in my bag, closed my email, stopped working (for a second) and opened my blog, and began to dream about dinner.

In honor of my la dolce vita found moment in Seattle today, I want to tell you all about the place I am dreaming of at the moment, the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar . Like Caffe Umbria they have a few locations, sadly none in Portland. I visited the one in Woodinville on a recent and much needed sanity excursion, aside from the slightly overwhelming presence of wrought iron accessories in the place, it exudes la dolce vita. People are chatting, lingering and savoring. There was a great menu. It was a cold to the bone kind of day when I visited. I wanted warm and filling comfort food, so I got the brie en croute appetizer to start, lobster mac and cheese, and finished with their house made sea salt caramels. On Foursquare everybody was raving about the pizza at Purple Cafe, so D got the Gorgonzola and pear pizza. I'd have to say the pizza was nothing to write home about, but the lobster mac was absolutely decadent, the right blend of cheeses, pasta was perfectly al dente, and it was steaming hot. The sea salt caramels were pretty good too (also a Foursquare recommendation).

Sorry no pictures, they're on my other computer at home! But I'll try to remember to load them in when I get back tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a cell phone shot at Caffe Umbria:

Look at that fantastic marbled foam on top of my latte. Now that's art.

What area of your life is a Blockbuster?

Blockbuster is kind of the whipping boy of business schools these days. We all have a good chuckle at the thought that the CEO of Blockbuster laughed the Netflix founder out of their HQ's a decade ago. We feel a little bit better about ourselves upon hearing how they filed for Bankruptcy with their tail between their legs. Seriously though, who wants to drive to a retail location in hopes of renting a movie that might not even be there? Then have to drive back again the next day to return it; and if we forget, pay a fine? Sounds archaic and completely ridiculous doesn't it? Well we did it. All the time. And Blockbuster thrived. Until we didn't.

"How did they ignore the writing on the wall for so long?"

It's nice to feel like we know better, that type of thing would never happen to me. Right? But wait. It has happened to me before. It happens to us all the time. We all like to surround ourselves with familiar and safe things, the things we are good at and understand. Often to the detriment of our own growth and personal innovation.

What area of your life is your Blockbuster? Maybe you work at a company that is desperately clinging to the unraveling threads of a rapidly declining industry. Maybe you're still trying to sell option ARM mortgages (just kidding), maybe you're a typewriter mechanic. Perhaps you're clinging to an old skill set that's not in demand anymore. I don't know, it's not important. The point is, it's not too late to change course and be a Netflix, not a Blockbuster.