Seen and Heard
I'm pretty sure there's an 'E' on there somewhere.
And now…a repost of an oldie (from November 2010) but a goodie….with some updates….
What is it about crossing the terminator (aka “twilight zone”) between 39 and 40 that causes you to start losing your senses? I don’t mean “lose your mind,” necessarily, but to actually lose your senses. As in your eyes. Your peepers. Your windows to the soul.
All my life I had been told by folks with eye charts that I possessed better than perfect vision; any better and I’d have Clark Kent’s ability to see through solid objects. (I kid, I kid–but that didn’t stop me from wishing it in junior high. Oh, my.) At the height of my powers I could read a newspaper from across a room–and I don’t just mean the headlines and sub-headers. I could read the stories themselves from ten feet away. My “long vision” was exceptional, too. I could see a Smokey speed trap from what seemed miles away.
But all that changed shortly after my fortieth birthday party. Everything got a little blurry. Then a lot blurry. A trip to the eye doctor revealed the truth:
Hyperopia.
Some hangover, eh? I started to have a tough time reading anything up close smaller than a 12 point font size. Within a couple of years, my arms weren’t long enough to make reading my phone screen any easier. I got headaches…and my first pair of reading glasses.
That helped. but man, what an inconvenience. I’ve already lost the expensive pair, and now I’ve misplaced the cheap magnifying readers from the drugstore. I probably have them close by and just can’t see the damn things.
The eye doc says I’m farsighted, and no eye surgery will fix it. Great. And my “long vision” isn’t spectacular anymore, either. I could barely read the headlines from ten feet away now; if there were any newspapers left, that is.
To add insult to injury, my hearing is going.
“I beg your pardon,” would be a lovely macro to build into my brain, as I say it about five times a day. Double that if I’m at a cocktail party, busy restaurant or sporting event. I was told at age 16 that I was losing my hearing in my left ear–my family has a genetic disorder that I apparently inherited. I’ve managed okay up until now, but perhaps the progressive hearing loss seems more acute when I cannot see or hear well at the same time.
Ironically, I feel better physically than I ever have. Sure, more aches and pains and all, but I feel pretty good most of the time. I have most of my hair, too–though I think it’s established a beachhead in my failing ears.
Anyway, this reminds me of being a smart-aleck teen, making fun of my Dad when he got bifocals around age forty. He look at me over the glasses and said “Keep it up. It will happen to you, too.”
I did, and it did, Dad. You were right.
My two three-year-old daughter doesn’t laugh at my “glassies,” though I’m sure she’ll find something else to poke fun at when she gets to the smartalecky age.
Won’t matter though. I’ll just say “I beg your pardon?”
Goodreads Book Giveaway!
To celebrate the launch of Pilates Key, we’re teaming up with Goodreads to give away 5 autographed copies.
So, if you can’t make the book signing at the Kansas City Public Library this Thursday, you still have a shot at an autographed copy–FREE! Check it out:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Pilate’s Key
by J. Alexander Greenwood
Giveaway ends February 25, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
The Kansas City Public Library Presents…
Pilate’s Cross & Other Mysteries…
FREE
Reception * Multimedia Presentation * Book Sale & Signing with the Author and Book Cover Artist David A. Terrill
The Kansas City Public Library hosts Brookside mystery thriller author J. Alexander Greenwood for a discussion about the inspiration behind his first novel, Pilate’s Cross:
In 1950, a professor in tiny Peru, Nebraska strode into his college president’s office and shot him dead then turned the gun on himself. Though few remember this event, it inspired Greenwood to write the acclaimed novel Pilate’s Cross and its sequel Pilate’s Key, released worldwide this month.
Should You Ditch Your Blogging Schedule?
James at Men with Pens says that you should ditch your regular blogging schedule. Hmm…contrarian she may be…but does it make sense? Here’s an excerpt:
Here’s what the rules told us to do: Blog according to a schedule, and you’d be conveying that your blog was reliable, dependable and consistent… like a grocery store with set business hours you knew by heart. You could go in and get bananas because you knew the store would be open. And you knew when it would be closed, too. (Everyone needs sleep, after all.)
Warm fuzzies for everyone. Let’s give a round of applause, shall we? You’ve stuck to your schedule and your readers nod in approval. What a nice, reliable person you are.
But that’s where the benefits stop. In fact, if you stick to your consistent blogging schedule religiously, come hell or high water, you’ll soon fine the warm fuzzies fading away. You may even damage your readership relations, wreck your ability to collect comments, destroy your open rate on hot new posts and generally make your blog a boring mecca of take-it-for-granted production.
via–Why You Should Ditch Your Blogging Schedule | Men with Pens.
Even we, preachers from the Church of the Regular Blog Post have fallen off the wagon of late. Too much client work, a whole lot of life happening and perhaps even a little mental exhaustion has slowed us down. Perhaps the Men with Pens have a point. Or is it heresy?
We feel two or three posts a week for an established blog (our blog gets get about 34,000 hits a year–not immense, but not too shabby) is good. If you’re new to blogging you have to establish yourself, so of course you’ll want to do four or five posts a week. But when you hit that magic number–when you feel you have a set audience and that your blog is being “crawled” by the search engines–perhaps then you can throttle back. It’s worth considering.
What do you think? Leave a comment–or a link to your blog post about this subject.
Win Autographed Copies of PILATE’S CROSS, PILATE’S KEY and More
To celebrate the release of Book Two in the John Pilate Mystery Series, PILATE’S KEY, we’re giving you a chance to win some spiffy prizes!
GRAND PRIZE:
Paperback of PILATE’S CROSS
Autographed by the author and book cover artist/designer David Terrill
Paperback of PILATE’S KEY
Autographed by the author and book cover artist/designer David Terrill
and
One Download of the Shelf Unbound 2011 award-winning short story
in any ebook format you prefer.
FIRST PRIZE
Paperback of PILATE’S KEY
Autographed by the author and book cover artist/designer David Terrill
SECOND PRIZE
One Download
PILATE’S CROSS or OBSIDIAN
in any ebook format you prefer.
THIRD PRIZE
One Download
PILATE’S CROSS or OBSIDIAN
in any ebook format you prefer.
How to Play:
In the new John Pilate Mystery PILATE’S KEY (see below for links to download your Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kobo or other ereader copy) there are at least five (5) lines from classic/cult movies quoted or recognizably paraphrased by characters in the book.
For your chance to win, read the book (no complaining–you have 26 days to read a 202-page book!) and be one of the first 4 persons to email three (3) correct answers to Author (at) Pilatescross.com before Noon CST on February 12, 2012.
Answers must be sent in this format:
The line spoken by the PILATE’S KEY character, which character said it, and from what film was the line paraphrased?
Example:
“My health. I came here for the waters,” Pilate said. (Casablanca)
Grand Prize awarded to first email received with correct answers.
Other prizes will be awarded to correct answers in order of receipt.
Winners agree to allow their first name, last initial and City/State/Country be used for contest results announcements on Facebook, Goodreads, PilatesCross.com and Twitter.
Judging by J. A. Greenwood–all results announced Feb. 12, 2012 and are final.
Winners of paperbacks must provide full name and address for shipping. (U. S. Postal Service media mail shipping costs paid by J. A. Greenwood.) J. A. Greenwood is not responsible for items lost in shipping. Books will be shipped as soon as possible after the announcement of winners (subject to publisher fulfillment times and shipping conditions).
PLEASE DO NOT POST ANSWERS TO FACEBOOK, GOODREADS OR ANY OTHER WEBSITE.
If answers are posted publicly prior to contest conclusion, the contest will end with all entries ruled invalid.
Questions? Ask ‘em right here on this page.
Get your Kindle Copy here. Get your copy formatted for Nook, iPad, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, PC, (EPUB) as well as Stanza, Smartphone, PDF, etc. here.
Thanks for reading! I hope you’ll enter!
REMINDER
If you’re in the Kansas City area Feb. 23, be sure to come to the reception and presentation about my work hosted by the Kansas City Public Library! More details and RSVP link here.
Oh Thank Heaven, A New Kansas City Metro 7-Eleven!
After 20 years, 7-Eleven, Inc. has opened a new store in the Kansas City area.
As part of the grand opening of the newest 7-Eleven® store for the metro area at 10701 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, a celebration will be held on Friday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature free food sampling, food specials, prizes and a special appearance by 711 Friday.
“While 7-Eleven is an international company, our outlets are neighborhood stores,” said 7-Eleven market manager John Kincaid. “Getting involved with what’s meaningful to the community is important to us and how we do business. Store operators are encouraged to be active members of the community. Because most live where they operate their store, they know best how to meet local needs – whether it’s their customers’ tastes in food, a local school’s call for volunteers or the police department’s request for donations.”
The grand opening celebration kicks off with the official ribbon-cutting at 10:45 a.m. that Friday and continues until 1 p.m.
New to the Kansas City market is 7-Eleven’s hot foods program. “We regularly introduce new products in our stores to determine the right mix for our customers, and that means everything from hot pizza to Perrier, from fresh salads to Slurpee® drinks, from buffalo wings to breakfast pastries,” Kincaid said.
Products include fresh bakery products and 7-Eleven’s line of hot foods like pizza, chicken tenders, buffalo wings and breakfast quesadillas. 7-Eleven’s newest product line is the value-priced, private-brand of 7-Select™ snacks, candy, beverages, groceries and paper goods. Offering between 10 and 20 percent savings compared to national brands carried in stores, 7-Select items have proven extremely popular with customers since their introduction.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 9.000 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 44,700 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2010, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales close to $63 billion. 7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #2 on Forbes magazine’s 2011 list of Top Franchises for the Money; #4 spot on Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 list for 2009, #3 in Forbes magazine’s Top 20 Franchises to Start, and #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies. Hispanic Magazine named 7-Eleven in its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics. 7-Eleven received the 2010 Retailer of the Year honor from PL Buyer because of the company’s private-label brand initiative. 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S. and expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.
Disclosure: 7-Eleven is a client of AlexanderG Public Relations.
Best Buy Latest in Corporate Apology Headliners
Excerpted from the article by Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Managing Editor Mark Reilly:
Best Buy Co. Inc. CEO Brian Dunn has gone public with a defense of the company’s business model — and some mea culpas — after a rough couple of weeks in the media spotlight for the electronics retailer.
The Richfield-based retailer has been the subject of several critical stories over the past month, ranging from a disappointing third-quarter earnings performance to a widely read essay at Forbes.com that argued Best Buy would be out of business within a few years.
Dunn, on Best Buy’s CEO blog “Brian’s Whiteboard,” acknowledges that some of the criticism is fair, and apologizes for the retailer’s cancellation of some online orders just before Christmas.
Too little, too late, or the now pro forma post-Netflix PR move? What’s your take? The comments section is open!
Tweetin’ in ‘12
Okay, I promised before that I wouldn’t do one of those trite “end of the year” lists as a blog post, but I changed my mind when I was on Twitter yesterday. I was reminded that a lot of Twitter “newbs” come on line every day looking for good people to follow. So, in no particular order, these are some of my favorite Tweeters. Check ‘em out in 2012.
Note: This list is not comprehensive–I follow more than 3,800 tweeps–it’s just a sample of some of my favorites. They range from PR colleagues (and *clients) to writers to journalists to strategists to marketers to…well, people from all walks of life.
@kbmckinney Mom. Social Media Geek. Writer. Lawyer. And a Bunch of Other Stuff. (Kate posts consistently interesting tweets and info.)
@Brainzooming Tweets by Mike Brown featuring strategy, innovation, creativity, & social media ideas. (He’s also pretty funny.)*
@EdenBaylee Author of literary erotica and bestselling novel, FALL INTO WINTER. (Eden is a great example of a person who shares of herself and helps others in the social media space.)
@ShellyKramer Marketing/brand strategist, idea generator, digital content magician, scribbler, information junkie. Luv MilkDuds+Beer. Member of Oversharers Anonymous. (The “dean” of Twitter as far as I’m concerned–though Shelly is far more than a social media titan–check her out, you’ll see.)
@mmangen Bookworm | Horse Lover | Virtual Assistant | Single Mom | From the Land of Beer and Cheese now Living in the Sunshine State | Oldest of Seven | iTunes Addict (Michelle shares some fun stuff–with a wide variety of interests.)
@Dan_Coyle Nationally (now INTERnationally) Touring Singer Songwriter. Music Lover. Coffee Lover. Lover of Weird Things — If You’re Weird, I’ll Love You. (This guy is an excellent self-promoter who truly cares about his twitter friends and fans. He also has a quirky side and often posts links to some very interesting articles and sites.)*
@adamsconsulting Graduate of USC, Entrepreneur for over 10 yrs, Writer for BitRebels.com and InkRebels.com, Voice for the Homeless in Atlanta. I’m really into just being happy. (Diana always has something I can’t resist clicking!)
@OfRevolt I narrowly escaped the clutches of The Man to travel, write, and blog about the daily activities of being without a home. I sing, dance, and make merry! (My favorite travel blogger!)
@JohnFugelsang God got Vaclav Havel, the Devil got Kim-Jong II, and neither of them got near Christopher Hitchens. I’m an actor & comedian. Our album- http://bit.ly/un61bi (Smart, edgy comedian. Note he’s often political and Left-leaning. If you’re a Fox News fan, you probably won’t dig him.)
@Jdickerson Political correspondent Slate magazine/Political Director CBS News. (Informative, witty and incisive.)
@JeanGleason An HR Princess with attitude speaking the hard HR truths. I love to travel and the ocean! My family & friends are the most important things in my life. (Jean is a great person and a true resource for HR info.)
@JasonHarper Son of a librarian & English professor. Champion of writing, dialogue, knowledge & culture. Tweeting for @KCLibrary. (His bio says it all.)
@Harris_Barb PR chick by profession, humanitarian by passion. Writer of food blog http://ourfeedingfrenzy.com. @feedingfrnzy (Her food blog is a must-read. She needs to tweet more, though!)
@ginidietrich CEO of Arment Dietrich. Author of spinsucks.com. Vistage member. Author. Speaker. Communicator. Avid cyclist. A foodie. Loves shoes & wine. (Funny, informative and prolific, Gini has a great PR blog, too.)
@AlexisCeule Social Media Mamapreneur-Chief Engagement Officer: Making ur brand social via word o mouse! I love me some @Train and I’ll shoot u on MWII as KUfans2009. (Great fun and lots of cool info.)
@StephGreenKC Sprint B2B PR. Ask me abt M2M, connected car, smart grid, health/wellness, digital signs, security, mobility, IP. Love to chase my 3-year-old and travel! (Good telecom-related stuff and yes, she’s my wife so you’re damn right I list her here!)
I could go on…but time is running out on 2011 and I need to hop off the blog, Twitter and the internet in general to enjoy more time with my family. Remember–Twitter is a great way to connect with interesting people, but don’t let it hog all your time and prevent you from “connecting” with your loved ones and friends “in real life.”
Happy New Year.
Season’s Greetings & Best Wishes for 2012
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