Caracierge: Doing What Has to Be Done and Loving it

Where has Caracierge been?!

2006-11-24T11:44:00.000-05:00

Not that there are many of you out there, but for anyone who wonders why Caracierge has been so inactive, here's a picture of something she got to cut last weekend:

Pet Peeve of the Week (maybe the Year!)

2006-07-20T12:44:00.000-04:00

I'm going to say it straight up: People in the EXPRESS LINE at the grocery who pay by CHECK.

This should not be allowed. There is nothing EXPRESS about writing a check, and it is unfair to the rest of the express-liners waiting patiently (but seething on the inside) while you have to ask the date, write out your check, run it through the machine that always jams, the cashier writes down your ID number, etc. etc. I was in line yesterday, with my 8 items, behind not one but THREE women in the express line paying by check. One of them, mind you, also had about 20 items (10 was the limit) and she knew it too. She kept trying to hurry because she knew we all knew, and she was writing a check, so she looked like a double jerk.

I'm of the personal opinion that stores-all stores*-should stop taking checks altogether. It's not necessary anymore. It's 2006. GET A CHECK CARD. Even Joe Schmoe Bank of Little Town, Nowheresville offers a check card. Do yourself, and the rest of us, a favor and get one. It's just like a check, only easier. Where's the downside? So, I repeat: GET A CHECK CARD.

*Stores that don't take credit are exceptions, although there aren't many stores like this anymore, and the grocery store is not one of them.

Enough Already!

2006-06-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

The most over-used word in journalism today: lilliputian

Enough already.... I mean it. I think I've read this adjective at least one time in every magazine I've gotten in the last six months+. Please go back to using small, tiny, modest, miniature, and many many other synonyms. I know "lilliputian" sounds pretty and fancy and like you're well read, but so does word variety.

If you really want to impress me, try to work in houyhnhnmic.

If you're not sure, this is where these terms originated.

irony

2006-06-08T10:52:00.000-04:00

Scot Lehigh: Lamenting the decline of conversation

In the article, he comments: "The enticements of the virtual world and a cornucopia of personal-entertainment diversions have pushed discourse to the side."

What's ironic? This particular article was a web exclusive

I just found it kind of funny. The article is feeding that which is central to the destruction of conversation. Not that I don't agree with him in some, even many, ways- Newbury St. is hardly the place to find intellectual conversation- but I think there's a bit of failure to appreciate the changes is conversation, and to recognize that for every great conversationalist from ancient Greece to 18th century Boston, there were at least 2 or more uneducated and that time's equivalent of the "and I'm like..."-ers of today. There just happen to be more people, more of everything now, to get in the way. I guess the real problem is one now has to work harder to find good conversation, and certainly no one wants to work harder nowadays.

"The World is Wide Open for Heroes"

2006-05-16T19:44:00.000-04:00

Popular idea? No. Inspiring? Maybe. True as true can be? You bet.

http://bostonworks.boston.com/news/articles/2006/05/14/oops_the_greediest_generation_leaves_college_grads_in_a_pickle/

Anonymity and Mankind

2006-03-30T23:34:00.000-05:00

The question of the day: does anonymity bring out the worst in people, or does it show their true colors?

I regularly read several anonymous web boards/discussions (what does one call them? Do they have a name, like "blog"?). I'm finding lately that, according to my theory, something about feeling like they are anonymous makes some posters forget all common decency, politeness, and tact. They say things that, one hopes, they would never say out loud to someone, or in a way that would make them blush if someone they knew could hear them. But I wonder... does being anonymous make people feel like they are free to say whatever they want, knowing that they wouldn't say it in known company, or does it simply expose who they really are in the most glaring, unflattering light? Or, scariest of all, are they one in the same?

Do people forget that they can disagree while still being polite and give criticism that is constructive, or do they relish the chance not to?

I've always thought that one of humanity's greatest gifts is the ability to know what we can do but do what we ought to do... even when we think no one (we know) is watching. I think there's some famous quotation about that somewhere out there. It's about choice, and choosing the good, even though it's difficult. Now that, I know, I've paraphrased from Aristotle. Who says pertinent thinking can't have occurred thousands of years ago?

Okay, this is not really about my business, but since this is my only blog, I might as well put it here. Besides, it just makes reading more interesting.

Equinox

2006-03-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

Happy first day of spring!

A Votre Sante!

2006-03-09T18:36:00.000-05:00

Caracierge's good friend Beth & her husband Peter are having a baby today- wishing them all the health & happiness there is!

The Oscars

2006-03-07T00:54:00.000-05:00

I thought the awards themselves were great- they were spread over so many different movies, all went to greatly talented people, and had a few surprises thrown in for fun! The fashion was underwhelming, with a few stand outs.

Rachel Weisz: first, how sad that as she was coming up to receive her OSCAR they felt the need to announce her as "best known for appearing in the Mummy and the Mummy 2"? Anyway, I think because she was pregnant everyone felt too bad to say that she looked BORING. Yes, she's super beautiful & talented, but the dress, makeup, and hair didn't do much to make her look especially fabulous. Catherine Z-J was more pregnant AND more glamorous when she won 2 or so years ago. Oh, and speaking of Best Supporting Actress, where was Cate Blanchett?!?! She finally won an Oscar last year, when she should have won at least 2x before, and she wasn't there to present. Oh well.

Jessica Alba: I'm not sure how she went from "Honey" to Oscar presenter, but I'm not sure they were wrong either. She's gorgeous and fashionable and it showed.

Felicity Huffman: Finally, she looked as gorgeous as she actually is, nevermind that she didn't win the Oscar (that was a little surprising to me!).

Jennifer Aniston: B-O-R-I-N-G... we all know you have beautiful straight hair and look great in black. Could you please wear something different?

Nicole Kidman: B-O-R-I-N-G... we all know you have beautifully straightened hair and look great in cream. Could you please wear something different?

Uma Thurman: WOW!!! Such a high fashion AND beautiful look. Considering that she's gone the last few years as a milk maid and a ball of tulle, it's an even bigger accomplishment.

Charlize Theron: So stunning at every event BUT the Academy Awards. She's possibly the most beautiful woman on earth right now (I think it's a toss up with Angelina Jolie & Jennifer Connelly), but something about the Oscars is just her downfall. She's been too tan, too boring, and now too big a bow. Apparently her dress was dark green, but you couldn't tell on TV.

Michelle Williams: I guess motherhood agrees with her. Beautiful, different, and surprising, and so not Dawson's Creek.

Keira Knightley: Okay, she's right up there for most beautiful on earth, and I thought her dress reflected that. Her jewelry made her look too old.

Jennifer Lopez: looked severe. I think it was the hair. Her tan (or bronzer, I should say) was not quite right either... maybe she did her makeup for evening but all the red carpet pictures were still during daylight. The dress was pretty spectacular. Her husband always looks as if he has the plague. Have you noticed that? Does the guy never sleep or see the sun?

Reese Witherspoon: has done better fashion-wise, but gave a heartfelt, if long, speech for a well deserved award. Her husband always looks good.

Hillary Swank: can just get by on her smile, as far as I'm concerned. Her dress looked great only so long as you could see the whole thing, especially when she moved.

And Dolly Parton: really, she's such a personality she can do whatever she wants, but I actually thought her performance outfit was almost tasteful for her.

Fashion coverage was also pretty limited... don't know if more stars weren't there, but I could only see what the cameras were showing, which only seemed to be a few people.

Back Into It

2006-02-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

Back from vacation (Grand Cayman Island--beautiful!), and right back into it! I've got my first round of marketing materials, minus business cards, which is making it a little tough right now. On the list this week: hang up flyers, write cover letters, address envelopes, design customer database, pray for phone calls!

Next week when the business cards come in, I'll actually mail those things I'm addressing and deliver brochures to local places I know won't throw me out when I walk in the door :)

Here goes nothing... wish me luck!

Connection #1

2006-02-16T14:47:00.000-05:00

I went to support a local Sturbridge business yesterday, the Simple Indulgence Day Spa. Not only did I get fantastic services, they were served with a side of the best advice! The proprietor opened her business recently and is a member of all the local chambers, groups, committees, etc. of which that it's good to be a member if you're a local business person... she offered to give me contacts, schedules, and everything I need to know to get involved. How great! Now I just have to get my materials printed, so I can drop off my brochures for all the other spa regulars peruse!

T minus

2006-02-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

not very much time.... I've got this week, and that's about it. Next week I go on vacation, and when I come back, it's "opening time"... I'm going to get my full website up, start putting up flyers, etc. and get my marketing materials out there. Whew. I'm feeling pretty good as far as having those things ready, but it's also a little frightening to think that this will be for real, not just this concept I've been working on for the past month, but I'll really be working (as soon as I get some clients!). Keep your fingers crossed.

To do or not to do...

2006-02-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Deciding which services to offer has been a semi-struggle. I say semi for this reason: I know what things I want to do. I also know it would be a good idea to offer some services I don't want to do... because those are the things other people don't want to do too. In the end I decided this: I'm starting this job to make other people's lives just a little bit better, but if I'm going to do it and include things that make my own life a little bit worse, then I'm going to make myself unhappy and that is not my goal. Maybe it will mean a few less clients, but I'd rather be slightly less busy and slightly more happy :)

New Construction

2006-02-09T10:46:00.000-05:00

Building a website is a time consuming process... at least for me. I've been working on the full version for days, pretty much enjoying all the work, but realizing that it's not going to be a super quick job. Well, it could be a super quick job if I wanted it to be, but I don't. I spent 3 days looking for and at webpages for my kind of service and I came to the conclusion that some were really great, the majority were crap. Amateur and unattractive, or professionaly overdesigned. I'm not sure what's worse. Regardless, I'm determined to join the minority. If when the full site goes up you think I've failed, please tell me.

What was it like?

2006-02-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

How did people work before the internet? I can't even imagine it. Of course then I think how students now probably say, "how did people go to school before the internet?" We just did. But, all things considered, I'm glad to be in the internet age rather than whatever they're calling the age before it (the dark age? but that's already taken...). Today I spent maybe an hour total finding and recording the contact info for advertising in, let me count, 20 local publications. Isn't that amazing? Even better... probably 8-10 of the papers are published by the same company, so the contacts are the same and I can get advertising bundles. Fantastic! The day before I spent about 30 minutes getting the same info for local golf courses/country clubs. The Yellow Pages were never this helpful.

My First Rejection

2006-02-02T00:18:00.000-05:00

Might as well come early! I tried to submit my website to this great online
(and free!) errand service/personal concierge community, just to get my name
out there as soon (and as cheaply!) as possible.... they said no thank you
:)

Guess I'll have to resubmit when I've got the site more set up! Live and
learn.

-----Original Message-----
From: webmaster@errandservicesportal.com
[mailto:webmaster@errandservicesportal.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 7:56 AM
Subject: SPAM-LOW: Your link has been rejected.

Your link:

http://www.caracierge.com

that was submitted on 31-Jan-2006 has been rejected

for one of the following reasons:

UNDER CONSTURCTION SITES NOT ALLOWED.

Welcome

2006-01-30T18:30:00.000-05:00

to the wonderful world of starting a business! It's a lot of work... so much to think about. But it's great, as long as you're excited about what you're doing, which I am. There is much in development right now, while I'm working hard on my marketing materials, website, services, policies, plan, & marketing strategy.

Every piece so far has been (is, ongoingly!) enjoyable to me... the only problem is in my excitement and rush of ideas, instead of working on one thing to completion, I keep jumping back and forth doing little bits of all the tasks. In one way, this is helping my quick ramp up of this business, because I'm not getting burnt out on one task and quitting early for the day. That's good. But I think in the long run it will end up taking me more time to complete all the tasks, and I'll end up spending time on things that don't have to be done right now. So far, I feel like I'm enough on target that I'm not concerned.

Today, I got a phone number (to be installed next week).

And the website is up, albeit brief: www.caracierge.com