Words at Work

Snow in October -- A View from the Trenches

2011-11-09T13:43:00.001-05:00

Driving around Bergen County these days makes me think the Knights who say "Ni" have been around demanding shrubberies. When you look more closely, you realize the shrubs at the edges of people's lawns are actually piles of branches and leaves, broken by this past week's snowstorm, fondly known on Twitter as "Snowtober".

For about a week, I complained every time I saw the upcoming weather forecast. "What do you mean, rain/snow on Saturday?" Little did I know just how bad it would be. As most of you know by now, the rain turned to snow much sooner than expected. And it was a heavy, wet snow. And the trees were still covered with leaves. And that was bad.

Around 2:00 pm on Saturday, as I worked on the computer, blink, blink . . . no power. And it stayed that way until 7:00 am on Wednesday. The house got very cold (around 45F).The good news is that it kept the refrigerator and freezer cold (helped by the ice packs I pulled out of the freezer and distributed and supplemented by Ziploc bags of snow added to the fridge on Tuesday). We were lucky -- we could light the gas burners on our stove using matches (but not our oven). We had hot water (although the thought of stepping out of the shower with wet hair into the cold bathroom was more than I could deal with). And we had lanterns and lots of sweatshirts, fleeces, quilts, etc. So we managed.

I kept my smartphone charged by driving around with it, charging it from my laptop, and asking restaurants where I went for lunch or dinner if they had a spare outlet. By Tuesday, Fairleigh Dickinson University (where I teach Tuesday afternoons) had their power back and I taught my class. This gave me the opportunity to warm up and completely charge my laptop and phone. I also got to reassure my students that it was okay they hadn't completed their homework -- I couldn't have printed it out even if they had sent it.To quote the provost at FDU, "it has certainly been an interesting semester so far. The October snowstorm is just the latest surprise" (we already had a delayed opening due to Hurricane Irene).

Our poor cat, Charley, could not understand what was going on. He was cold (at night he snuggled up with us in bed, though he wouldn't come under the quilt). And he couldn't figure out the lanterns. Once all the lights in the house were out it was bedtime and we were supposed to be asleep, so he could come into bed with us. But instead, much to his annoyance, we were sitting up and reading.

We were lucky -- it was never as bad as Alabama after the tornadoes, it was never as bad as Turkey, after the recent earthquake. Of course PSEG could have been more communicative. Their website said the very latest news was available on their special twitter account which, until sometime later on Sunday, hadn't posted a tweet since September 21. It was very heartening to see all of the non-PSEG repair trucks in the area.

I can't help but wonder if the snow was a result of what was in the Sunday papers. Both Toy'R'Us and Kmart had their toy catalogs in the Sunday, October 30 paper -- not only was it before Thanksgiving it was before Halloween! Target was just a week behind, theirs was in the Sunday, November 6 paper. No more tempting Mother Nature -- keep the holidays and seasons where they belong!

So, Is a Little Evil Okay?

2011-06-06T11:35:00.003-04:00

This was the year I chose three words to follow -- caring, integrity, and joy. So how have I been doing? Well . . .

I blew it -- and I got caught. Last week Ike Pigott posted on Twitter: "So much for Google's "Don't Be Evil" mantra (Google deals dirty with PayPal)", referring to PayPal suing Google over Google's new mobile payment system. And, being in a snarky mood, I posted back "PayPal (& eBay) have done so much evil in the past (& still do), I don't care if Google deals dirty with them." To which Ike responded "Are you really saying it's okay to engage in unethical behavior because of who you're sticking it to?"

Oops -- no, of course that's not what I meant [and I did respond "I suppose when you put it that way, no. If good, you should always take the high road (even if I hate PayPal)"]. The end does not justify the means. Being a little bit evil is like being a little bit pregnant. You can't pick and choose when it's okay to be evil or when you should be ethical.

This leads to the next question. Does posting something on Twitter really matter that much? Yes, it does. If I'm supposed to be standing for something (integrity), then that means that I need to stand for it all the time. If it's a part of me, then it has to be a part of me all the time. And just because I want to sound "cute" on Twitter and "play" with the big boys, is no excuse. Nor is, but I really like Google and don't want to think of them as being evil.

So, Ike, thanks for catching me out. I'll try to do better.

It’s Not Just When to Say No, but When to Say Yes

2011-05-04T13:32:00.000-04:00

Do you suffer from Bottom syndrome? No – this isn’t another call to hit the gym. To understand this condition, you need to read William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

As a diversion within Shakespeare’s play, a small group of laborers are going to perform their own play, the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. Peter Quince, the director, is reading off each man’s role. Although Nick Bottom is the first to receive his assignment, each time Quince lists a new character Bottom eagerly volunteers to take that role, reciting all the reasons why he can do it.

Does this sound familiar? How often do you do this? Sitting in a committee meeting, volunteers are needed. Or your client asks for a whole laundry list of items. Or someone in your family needs some help. And your response is “Oh, I can do that! I can do that! I can do that!” Suddenly you’ve volunteered for all sorts of projects and are overwhelmed.

Just as Quince explained to Bottom, “You can play no part but Pyramus”, we must decide what parts we should play. We’ve heard many times that we need to learn to say “No”. But we also need to decide what to say “Yes” to. Your list can be prioritized by:

   1.) What you do best;
   2.) What you enjoy doing; and
   3.) What you have the time to do.

What is it you do best? This needs to be your focus. Sure you can do a variety of things (we are women – born to multi-task!), but they only distract you from your main role. And there are probably other people who can do those other things as well or better than you can. So let them! Now add the things you enjoy doing. Whether it’s work or relaxation, we give our best effort to the things we like to do.

And most importantly, don’t take on more than you have time for. You will stress yourself out. Sometimes you may even have to temporarily give up something you enjoy doing if the stress of trying to fit it into your schedule overwhelms the pleasure you would have gotten from it.

Poor Bottom, after trying to take on everyone else’s responsibilities (and annoying them all in the process), he is turned into an ass by Puck, the Fairy King’s assistant. Definitely a lesson to us all! Remember to nurture yourself and your business. Take time to plan and prioritize. Don’t emulate Bottom, but rather learn your limits, where to put your time and effort, and when to say yes.

Verizon, Can You Hear ME Now?

2011-03-28T12:48:00.002-04:00

Why do I ever think it's going to be easy dealing with Verizon? There is always a problem. In the past, I've spoken with really nice people who always promise to take care of the problem; months later I find out the problem was never taken care of.

This time the problem was an unauthorized third party charging my Verizon phone bill. I happened to look at the March bill and found, under Other Charges, some company I'd never heard of charging us $12.95 (plus tax). I eventually discovered Compufixcomp is located in California (not to be confused with a similarly named company in Pennsylvania) and we'd supposedly signed-up for on-line computer maintenance. First I called the number on the Verizon bill for questions; after spinning through the various menus, I noticed there was an "800" phone number on the bill for this unknown company. The person who answered didn't seem very surprised when I expressed no knowledge of them and demanded a cancellation and refund. She gave me a confirmation number and supposedly took my e-mail address to send a confirming e-mail (not yet received, five days later).

The current Verizon bill is scheduled to be automatically paid by credit card on Monday, March 28. This was Wednesday, March 23. I don't really trust this company to refund my money, so I wanted to get the charge off the March bill before March 28. Which meant it was back to the interminable Verizon menus (and the ridiculously chirpy "lady" -- do they really think that they have the callers fooled into thinking it's a real person?) I eventually got through to the "ask a question about the bill" person. They apparently could only answer questions about the bill, they couldn't do anything about the bill, but they did transfer me to the payment people. I eventually was connected to a real person in a billing office in NJ (the state in which I live). He could help me arrange payment plans, look at previous payments and future payments, but not change anything on the bill. He transferred me to Heidi, a "billing specialist". She was a very nice lady and she was happy to take the $12.95 charge off my bill. She was also pleased that I'd spoken with the company, as that was what she was going to tell me to do next. And she even said we could put a block on our account so no one could automatically bill anything to it without our permission (I thought I'd already done that, but even if I hadn't, shouldn't that be the default?)

And then came the big problem . . . when Heidi said she couldn't guarantee that the $12.95 wouldn't be charged to my credit card on March 28, because it can take one to two (or maybe even two to three) billing cycles for things to be corrected. I asked her if she had taken the charge off and she said yes. I asked then how could it still get charged. She mumbled things about taxes and the one to two billing cycles. I pointed out this was being done on a computer and therefore should be completed. After going round a few times, I asked to speak with a supervisor, which she was happy to do. Heidi then sat on hold with me (breaking into the music every few minutes to say we were still on hold). By now over an hour had gone by on this endless quest.

Finally Mr. Smith came on. Yes, he understood the problem. He then did something that poor Heidi wasn't able (wasn't allowed?) to do and said the charge was now off of the bill. I asked about blocking unauthorized payments to my account. He said he could do that. I think he did, not really sure because he mumbled. So, I'm waiting to see what happens today (Monday) -- what will be charged to my credit card? Will this company continue to charge me? Will Verizon indeed block unauthorized charges to my account?

As I was quite aggravated after spending well over an hour on dealing with this, I decided to follow-up by tweeting that Verizon customer service sucked. Amazingly, within minutes I had a tweeted response and a Verizon Customer Service follow on Twitter. Wow, what friendly, cheery people work on Verizon's social media. Too bad the people that do the actual work aren't able to respond as quickly or effectively. Who cares if Verizon monitors their social media accounts if they don't allow their employees to fix customers' problems. There wouldn't be a need to monitor Verizon's social media so closely if the problems didn't happen in the first place. So Verizon, try putting some of your money into upgrading customer service and actually serve your customers! (And while you're at it, get rid of the computer lady on the phone calls and give me an understandable menu with just a few options.)

UPDATE: Bill has posted on AmEx, the correction was not made, the unauthorized charge was included. Thanks a lot, Verizon!

Click Your Heels and Say . . . (Day 9 in Brasil)

2011-02-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

We are home from Brasil -- only two days late. The delay gave us day 9 in Brasil.

Cris left early Sunday morning for church as she sings in the choir (just like last Sunday). After a quick stop at the padaria, Nancy and Mike shared a taxi with Fred, dropping him off at church (where he'll have breakfast with Cris before the second service), and then heading to the Botanical Gardens of Sao Paulo. What a beautiful place! Very, very tropical with palm trees, orchids, birds of paradise, and other wonderful plants. There are lots of photos.

The plan was that when we were done, we were supposed to say to someone, "Voce pode chamar um taxi por favor?" (Can you call me a taxi?) [To which I responded to Fred, "you're a taxi". Unfortunately, there was no taxi stand as there had been at the park, no one knew anyplace to call, and the only taxis that went by were full and going in the wrong direction. Luckily Fred had given us one of cell phones. We called and explained the problem, he called a taxi company, and, about 20 minutes later, the taxi showed up, taking us to the Chinese restaurant where everyone was waiting. (As Fred explained, this was a good Chinese restaurant, the owners were actually Chinese.) We were a little surprised to see that there were three other people besides Cris and Fred. Nancy realized the other lady looked very much like Cris and deduced it was her twin sister Priscilla (along with husband Sergio and thirteen year old son Dmitri). The food was good, we had fun, especially as everyone spoke English.

When we came out it had started raining. It was still raining when we got to the apartment. It was raining hard at the soccer/football game we turned on (Sao Paulo versus someone). In fact it was raining so hard the start of the game was delayed because everything at the field (including the lower parts of the stands) were flooded. They showed a lady being airlifted out by helicopter as she'd gone into labor. They also showed some of the roadways in Sao Paulo that were flooded, particularly the highway with the river that runs through the median, the highway that goes to the airport. Now we were worried that we might not make it to the airport.

We left the apartment a little before 6 pm. At one point the roadway did slow down and Fred took an alternate route (one that is usually fairly busy, but we think many of the cars were caught somewhere by the flooding). He was then able to cut over to the highway which wasn't flooded and was moving freely. We were at the airport in about 1/2 hour. Thanks to Mike's silver elite status, we were able to bypass the long check-in line. Finally, our luggage was checked and we had boarding passes. Mike, Cris, and Fred had Ovalmatine McFlurries (yes, they contain ovaltine). And then it was time, again, to say good-bye. We made it through security and found our gate. Nancy bought a last can of guarana and some mini cheese bread.

And then we actually boarded the plane, which actually took off. Dinner was served, lights were turned out, and we slept. A little over an hour before we landed lights came on, breakfast was served (this time the fruit cup came from Brasil so it was honeydew melon and papaya!), and custom forms were handed out. The plane landed at Newark (Liberty) Airport and we were back in NJ at around 6:13 am. Amazingly, just about an hour later, 7:15 am, the car service was pulling up in front of our house. Mike raced inside (the driver helped get the suitcases up to the front door) and Nancy paid the driver. By 7:45 Mike was at school (it helps that we only live three blocks away).

As Dorothy said . . . "there's no place like home". (There will be one more blog, no photos, just some thoughts about being in Brasil.)

Day 9 Photos

Ground Hog Day, Brasil Style (Day 8 in Brasil)

2011-02-27T13:49:00.000-05:00

We are still in Brasil . . .

Friday morning we packed so that we'd be ready to head to the airport later in the day. As you know, the flight was canceled. Which meant some unpacking for Friday night. And then packing again Saturday morning (at 5:30 am) so we could leave for the airport at 6 am.

Fred dropped us off at what we thought was the right place for Continental. Of course we really needed to be at the other end of the other terminal. Eventually Fred found us and helped with some translating which basically came down to Continental hadn't communicated well with TAM so, although Continental sent us a confirmation e-mail, TAM had no record of us -- and no seats! We were sent to another line, to get on the wait-list. Fred and Nancy went in search of the Continental office. We eventually found one (down a snaking corridor) but it was closed. Someone at one of the other airline offices told Fred how to find the other office (up an escalator, behind the telephone office, down the hall). No one there either. So, it was back to Mike. After more standing in line and Fred talking with the supervisor, bottom line, no seats.

Back to the car; as we loaded our luggage in Fred's car, he said, "Welcome to Brasil." Nancy responded, "Abrigado (thank you)". Then we headed back to the apartment with a stop at an electrical supply store (Fred needed some things for the office), and then at the office. This time, however, Nancy was able to say, ahh, there's the building with the tall antenna, there's the Greek Orthodox church, there's the complex of buildings where Fred's office is. Back at the apartment building, Fred said, "Welcome to our apartment." Nancy responded, " 'brigado."

And it was time to partially unpack, again, and change out of our travel clothes (long sleeve t-shirt, smartwool socks) and into our Brasil clothes so we could go across the street to the padaria for breakfast. Of course they were very surprised to see us; Nancy told Fred to tell them the breakfast was so bad at the airport we had to come back. The dogs (Noelle and Tasha) were very glad to see us again and so was Cris (who was now awake, Saturday is her only day to sleep in, during the week school starts at 7 am).

We had a quiet morning, Fred went off for the meeting he'd postponed, Mike took a nap. Nancy and Cris visited a local shop (they call it an apothecary, it's like the Body Shop or Bath & Body Works). Nancy got passion fruit body lotion and guaranara hand cream (guaranara is a small berry used for Nancy's favorite Brasilian soda).

We went down the block for lunch at Metrolandia Lanchonete (which is pretty much what it's name suggests). As we were leaving the building, we ran into Gabby, Marcio, and his mother and they agreed to join us (we had dinner with them Thursday night). Mike and Nancy shared feijoada, a typical Brasilian dish with bits of meat stewed in beans, rice, greens, and cassava flour (farofa) (see the photos and the links for more information). Then it was back to the apartment for a quiet afternoon. Nancy took a nap, Cris worked, more episodes of Big Bang Theory were watched. A quick trip to the padaria bought the makings for a light dinner (rolls, cold cuts, cheese). This was followed by a House marathon.

And then just as Mike was about to check-in for our flight, the power went out. Luckily Cris had an iPhone, and we were able to check-in and get bulkhead seats. We went to sleep by flashlight.

Day 8 photos

We're Flying Home When? (Day 7 in Brasil)

2011-02-25T20:17:00.000-05:00

Apparently one should never tempt fate by saying "we're enjoying our penultimate day" -- this morning (after our usual breakfast at the padaria and lots of hearty ciao's) Mike went on-line to check tonight's flight home and found it was canceled. The next scene was Mike on the Vonage phone to Continental in the US, Fred on the landline phone to Continental Brasil (while fielding calls on his two cell phones), and Nancy on the computer. Eventually Fred got through and was told we would be put on the Sunday night flight, getting in Monday morning. When I protested, he gave me the phone and I got to explain to the nice Brasilian agent that we had work on Monday and couldn't arrive that morning. Eventually he offered a Saturday flight, leaving at 8:45 am (Brasil time), arriving at JFK (my least favorite NY airport) 4:45 pm (EST), on a plane operated by TAM (the Brasilian airline, partner with Continental). We agreed.

So, we had the whole day ahead of us. And what else is there to do but shop. Fred took us to a nearby mall. We left Mike in a nice chair with a folder of work and we strolled around the mall. Many of the stores were having big sales (mainly on clothes and shoes). Apparently Fred felt I knew what I was doing because he left me to go to a quick meeting across the street. After wandering around for a while, I found the Brazilmania store where I was able to buy a few souvenirs. I went down to show Mike my finds (leaving the bag with him).

Then I found two different homeware stores. You'll see my photos of different glass objects, fondue pots, and caipirinha kits (allows you to make a really potent Brasilian drink). There were also all the items needed for your own barbecue -- huge skewers, huge knives, etc. As with any good mall, there was a McDonalds; this one had a separate stand for the ice cream. Lunch was at German restaurant where we all had rib eye steaks (what else would you eat in a beef country?) We went to a huge bookstore in the mall where Mike found some more DVDs of Brasilian musicians. Check out the photos of movies you know and love, but in Portuguese.

One of our other friends (Fabio) came over to join us for dinner. We met him last year when he came up to NJ with Fred. We went to a really lovely pizza restaurant where we ate outside among the trees. We had an appetizer that was a Brasilian version of eggplant rollatine. Mike's pizza had mushrooms and onions. The other pizza had cheese, egg, asparagus, and parma ham (it tasted really good). There are photos, but none of dessert -- my guava tart.

Hopefully in the morning I'll be on a plane home and the next time you hear from me is from NJ.

Day 7 photos

Bom Dia (Good Morning) from Brasil (Day 6 in Brasil)

2011-02-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

On our penultimate day in Brasil we started, as usual, at the padaria. This morning Nancy had a multigrain roll and her orange and papays juice. (The juicer at home may have to come out of storage.) This morning Fred had errands to run so he dropped Nancy and Mike at the huge park in Sao Paulo. Mike describes it as SP's Central Park. We walked, watching people jog, run, and bike. There's exercise equipment for people to use. The refreshment carts have, in addition to Gatorade, soda, and juice, coconuts so they can serve fresh coconut milk. At the lake we saw white and black swans, geese, a crane, a cormorant, and vultures (similar to the turkey vultures back home). There was a bird that looked similar to a robin, but wasn't. After walking, we found a shady bench and Nancy finished grading her students' papers (and there's a photo to prove it!)

After Fred picked us up, we were on our way to USP, University of Sao Paulo (pronounced oohs-pee) to visit with another one of Mike's colleagues. He ran the conference that Mike attended last August (and I got to meet him last year in San Francisco at the AGU conference). We had lunch at the faculty dining room -- which is in the middle of a "jungle" (see the photos!) It was a very nice buffet and a nice visit.

Our next stop did not make Mike happy, it was at a shopping mall (those who know Mike know that he hates malls), but a very, very upscale mall. This meant it was very quiet and calm. We found a big bookstore and Mike had fun finding some DVDs of Brasilian performers he enjoys. Nancy bought a copy of T.S. Eliot's book of cats/gatos (on which the musical Cats is based) -- the front is in Portuguese, the back in English (to try and learn some Portuguese).. We went to the upper level of the mall to take photos of the city. Then across the bridge over the river and back to the apartment. Cris came home from a long day of teaching and meetings. Around 8:30 pm we walked several blocks to a small restaurant to meet friends for dinner. Nancy tried one of the famous dishes of Brasil, baccala (salted cod). The restaurant makes it twelve different ways -- we only tried one. Mike shared a dish with Cris that is typical of northeastern Brasil and included rice, meat, and cubes of plantain.

Day 6 photos

Just Another Day in the Tropics (Day 5 in Brasil)

2011-02-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

Breakfast at the padaria (it's called Amanda after the owner's daughter). No photos of breakfast as my camera battery was charging. First stop this morning was Fred's office where I printed out my students' homework that was due Tuesday evening (I warned them that there is Internet in Brasil!) While Fred fought with a software supplier in Russia, I started grading.

Lunch was at a Brasilian Japanese restaurant (all you can eat). It was an interesting mix of mostly real Japanese, a little Chinese, and some Brasilian (where else do you end a Japanese meal with coffee?) The fried banana sushi was a little odd, and I never did figure out the sushi roll that had hot sauce dripped on it.

We eventually located a post office as Fred had to mail a letter. Apparently a class of students was being taught how to mail a letter; each went up and bought a stamp and then mailed a letter to him/herself. And people say snailmail is dead. While Fred was in the post office, the afternoon t'storm came through -- heavy wind and rain. And then it was gone.

Next stop was a delightful surprise -- the local fire station which included a museum in the beautiful mansion once owned by a coffee plantation owner. As some of you know, our daughter Kate is a critical care paramedic. She works in management (training, etc.) for a transport ambulance company and rides rescue one day a week out of one of the Sterling, VA, firehouses. So, we were very excited to be able to take photos at the Brasilian fire station. One of the firefighters gave us a tour of some of their trucks and then showed us around the museum. He is trained as a fire fighter and medical first responder. It was very nice that he spoke English (he is planning to move to Australia in the next 12 months). There are photos, but only Kate got all of the ones we took.

Fred then took us to an upscale grocery store so we could buy some things to take home (coffee, chocolates). I took some photos but then was asked not to by one of the store managers as he was afraid we were going to steal their marketing ideas. You will see interesting baskets of citrus fruits -- although most of them are green, some are ripe oranges and tangerines (I bought one that you will see partially peeled to prove it's orange inside). Then it was back to the apartment for a brief rest.

While Mike caught up on his Big Bang Theory dvd's, Fred and Nancy visited some neighborhood shops -- a drugstore (many familiar products but at much higher prices), a very upscale chocolate shop (Copenhagen), and the local grocery store (we are on a quest for Mike's favorite Brasilian tea, but still haven't found it). The last stop was at the newest branch of the Santander bank, just around the corner. Their grand opening celebration was in the evening. Fred did go back to do some networking. When Cris got home (she had an afterschool meeting and dinner with a friend), we all stopped by the bank and then went to the padaria to pick up things for a light dinner (Nancy had cheese bread).

Here are day 5 photos.

Why is There a Salad on my Pizza? (Day 4 in Brasil)

2011-02-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

As always we start the day at the padaria down the street (the real way to spell bakery in Portuguese!) Nancy was more daring today and had cheese bread; the cook added a piece of french toast (very cinnamony) and some fried cheese strips. And of course a glass of fresh papaya orange juice.

Rodizio is Portuguese and roughly translates to "many different kinds". In reference to food (such as at the grilled meat restaurant or even a pizza place) it means all-you-can-eat with many choices. When referring to traffic in Sao Paulo, it means that based on the last number of your license plate, you travel is restricted on certain days. So, as Fred's license plate ends in 3 and today is the 3rd day of the week, he cannot drive the car between 7 and 10 am and 5 and 8 pm (rush hour). That means we have some quiet time around the apartment. And then we're off to Campinus, which is north northeast of Sao Paulo (see map at front of today's photos), about one hour away.

The highways are interesting, lots of trucks. No tunnels this time. First stop is outside of Campinus at the Royal Palm Hotel. It's huge and beautiful -- the site of many conferences (we could see lots of people with their name tags). We lunch at the buffet. Wonderful food, beautifully displayed (see the photos).

The next stop is at a special place -- the Bradesco Foundation. This foundation was started by the founder of the Bradesco bank. We are at it's headquarters, where there is also a k to 12 school and the Bradesco Technology Institute. There are forty schools around Brasil, serving around 112,000 students. These schools are totally free for the students, including uniforms, textbooks, laptops, and food. First priority is given to the children of the bank employees but the rest of the spaces are reserved for poor students. We are given a tour of the school.And then we visit the Technology Institute where Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, several other software companies, and Lego have all joined forces to supply training for students, teachers, and industry.

Then it's back on the highway and we finally find Unicamp, the university at Campinus. Mike is visiting with a professor of geology he met last summer. They ran a teacher training workshop in southern Brasil (at Iguassu Falls) last August. This is his friend's chance to show us their facilities at the university. And then we are invited back to his house where we get to meet their 6 dogs and some of their 14 cats. His wife works with a cat and dog rescue organization.

Fred, Mike, and Nancy join our friend, his wife, her mother, and his son for dinner at a pizza restaurant. There is a huge list of pizzas to choose from and eventually we settle on one large pie that is half four cheeses and half onions and mushrooms and a second large pie that is half pepperoni and half escarole. Needless to say, the pizzas were a bit surprising. There was pepperoni on my slice of pizza, also a huge amount of cheese, no discernible tomato sauce, and some sun-dried tomatoes. And it was completely covered with chopped arugula. You can see it in the photos. It was an interesting dinner -- our friend the geology professor spoke fairly good English, his wife understands some English but doesn't feel comfortable speaking it, the MIL spoke no English, and the 32-year old son (probably moderate Asperger syndrome) spoke some English. I sat across from Fred so I'd have someone to translate for me.

Finally dinner was finished and we were able to leave (around 9:30 pm) and head back to SP. Did I mention that an early dinner here would be around 7 pm, the usual time seems to be 8 pm.

Enjoy day 4 photos.

The Joy of the Beach in February (Day 3 in Brasil)

2011-02-22T08:03:00.000-05:00

Breakfast was our usual -- buttered rolls, coffee for Mike and Fred, and freshly made orange/papaya juice for Nancy. Cris wasn't with us as she teaches at a nearby high school and had left much earlier. We hung out at the apartment while Fred made a quick trip (3 blocks away) to his office and brought back a bag of cheese bread fresh from the oven (see photos). Then it was off to Santo -- about an hour south east of Sao Paulo (see map at start of photos).

Highways in Brasil are similar to highways back home -- just more interesting things to see along the way. Beautiful flowering trees interspersed with what can only be called slums. There is a brief glimpse in one of my highway photos. We also stopped by one of the large reservoirs that serves the city of Sao Paulo. Just as we have New York City and New York state, Sao Paulo is a city within the state of Sao Paulo. Santos is also located in the state of Sao Paulo. It is best known (at least by me) as the home of Pele, the great soccer/football star.

The city of Rio is known for its fancy sidewalks and Santos has similar ones -- mosaics. Along the street by the beach are many tall apartment buildings. Unfortunately, there is no bedrock beneath them and over time they have tilted, which you might be able to see in my photos. Our first stop was lunch. Mike and Fred went to this restaurant about 3 or 4 years ago (although Fred had been there many times before). The waiter remembered Mike when we came in and was very happy to see us. Lunch was a large platter of fish (badejo, a type of grouper) that had been grilled and covered with a tasty sauce that included tiny shrimp, mushrooms, capers, garlic, and oil) with rice and potatoes. Although it was enough food to feed a small country for a week, we did finish it. Mike and Fred shared a beer, Nancy had fresh passion fruit juice.

To work off our lunch we went to walk on the beach. The water was very, very warm -- it felt like a bathtub. Mike explained it had something to do with equatorial currents. On the beach are mobile bars and ice cream vendors, who will also rent chairs and umbrellas. We then went to the Santos Aquarium, very nice (there are lots of photos). Mike is very happy here because in Brasil seniors are defined as 60 or over; every place has at least a reduced price if not free admission.

We watched a very large ship leaving the port. Santos is a major seaport (looked a lot like the area around Newark with all of the containers). Fred then treated us to fresh sugar cane juice -- one bottle was flavored with fresh lime (which they call limon; the yellow things are lima -- talk about confused!) There are some photos of the sugar cane cart -- the lady who owns it spent about five years in Florida (there's a big Brazilian population in the Orlando area) and was happy to speak English with us.

Then after a wild ride through Santos we found the Coffee Museum. It is on an old,cobble-stoned street with many buildings from the early 1900's. Because Brasil was a Portuguese colony, many of the buildings are European in style. The museum was originally the coffee exchange and now contains photos and old equipment and things (for the glassies reading this, note the Anchor Hocking candy dish). See the photos. Mike and Fred drank coffee at the cafe and we purchased a half kilo of some special coffee to bring home to Sam (my son the coffee drinker).

Time to head back to Sao Paulo. The highways between SP and Santos go through the mountains, including several tunnels. Very picturesque, also a little scary with all of the trucks and crazy drivers. The horn is an integral part of driving in Brasil. We encountered some light rain on our way back but found out there had been a major thunderstorm in SP while we were gone. Cris told us her school lost power twice.

We had a quiet evening at home. And only a very light dinner. Watched some more Big Bang Theory on DVD.

Day 3 photos

Greetings from Brazil -- Where the Nuts Come From (Days 1 & 2)

2011-02-21T08:44:00.000-05:00

Day 1

Greetings from Brasil (as it is spelled down here). It is wonderful to be where it is summer (and tropical), especially knowing that it is snowing on Monday in NJ. Here's a brief look at what we've been doing our first two days in Brasil, along with some photos.

Good flight Friday night, I even slept on the plane (unusual for me). We landed in Sao Paulo, Brasil around 11 am on Saturday. After making it through customs, our friends Fred and Cris met us and took us out to their car (parked on a grassy spot as there isn't enough parking). After getting to their apartment, and meeting Noelle and Tasha (Cris & Fred's furry little dogs), it was off to Churrascaria Noviiho de Prata (a rotisserie restaurant for lunch). Even more amazing than the versions in the US!

Fred & Cris had a surprise for us -- on Sunday we were going to a football match (soccer for those of you in the US), Corinthians (home team) vs. Santos. So after lunch we went for a pre-visit to the football stadium to see the football museum. It is only about a year old and very impressive -- lots of digital media, photos, etc. And they insisted my husband Mike had to get a Corinthians shirt, with his name on the back. Next stop was the office building where Fred has his office and runs the little coffee shop in the lobby. We were treated to hot chocolate and then went up on the roof of the building (there are some great "aerial" photos of Sao Paulo. Then back to the apartment for some quiet time (and watching our Big Bang Theory DVD). Although I wasn't hungry, around 8 pm we went to a local pizzeria (Vila Milagro) where I had a salad and a small taste of the pizza.

photos from Day 1

Day 2

Cris was out early as she sings in their church's choir. We woke up later and went across the street with Fred to the pateria (sort of a bakery/deli/convenience shop). Breakfast was buttered rolls, coffee for the men, and some tasty tropical juice for me (Fred has promised to show me a photo of the fruit on the Internet). Then we took a taxi to the church, arriving near the end of the service so we got to see and hear Cris.

Next stop was lunch at a beautiful restaurant that had been converted from an old mansion. The specialty is paella (which we got to see them preparing). But of course there were three big buffet tables -- salads, hot dishes, and dessert.Another delicious meal.Many of the patrons had very upscale cars (see photos). And there was an artist and a pond with koi. Across the street was a gas station -- cars here can run on just ethanol, which is subsidized by the government (and made from sugar cane), so it's cheaper.

We drove to an upscale neighborhood near the stadium, paying a security guard (from the neighborhood) to park in front of one of the houses. Football in Brasil is unlike football in the US. And this game in particular was between two major rivals. The armed police (bullet-proof vests, riot shields, helmets) was my first indication this might be a little different. The fans have huge banners that they unroll during the game and then roll up again (you'll see photos). Also, one of the star players for Corinthians, Ronaldo, just retired and he had his official farewell before the game. The Santos fans were in one small corner of the stadium with their own police guard. Corinthians scored first, only to have Santos tie it up. Just before the second half, the thunder storm that had been threatening hit -- a true tropical deluge. Fred, Cris, & I went above the seats where there was a roof, Mike stood on the last row of seats just under the overhang. Corinthians scored on a penalty shot and then, close to the end, scored again to make the final score 3x1 (the way they show scores here).

Back at the apartment we watched more Big Bang Theory and had a very light dinner.As Fred has Vonage, we were able to make some calls home.

Photos from Day 2

You Can Go Home Again (Sort of)

2011-02-16T21:24:00.003-05:00

For a few hours this past Saturday night, I was a teenager again. My daughter and I went to a Chad & Jeremy concert. For those who don't know Chad & Jeremy, they are a '60s folk-rock duo -- Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde. Although I was an ardent fan as a teenager, this was the first time I saw them in person.

Chad & Jeremy
(photo by N. Passow)

The concert was wonderful -- they've aged well, their voices are still strong and lovely, and they were very entertaining. Prior to singing one song, Jeremy told about hanging out with the song writer, someone who wrote "brilliant" songs and was so excited that Chad & Jeremy were going to record one of his songs. And then, just before the album was released, the song writer got a call telling him to come home to the U.S. as one of his other songs had just broken big. At which point C&J sang "Homeward Bound". Yes, it was Paul Simon, who had gone to England when it didn't look like he and Art Garfunkel would be successful, only to have "Sounds of Silence" become a hit. (If it's any consolation, Chad and Jeremy are still singing together, Paul and Art aren't.)

One of the last songs they sang that evening was their biggest hit, "Summer Song". It sounded as good to me as it did all those years ago:

They say that all good things must end, someday, Autumn leaves must fall.
But don't you know, that it hurts me so to say good-bye to you.
Wish you didn't have to go, oh no, no, no.
And when the rain beats against my window pane,
I'll think of summer days again, and dream of you.

I can remember singing that song as I grappled with the typical teenage relationships. And I suppose that part of what draws me back to it are the memories. It's hard to separate the nostalgia from the actual song.

So, what song brings back memories for you?

My Three Words for the New Year

2011-01-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

The start of the New Year is a good time to take stock and think about who you are and what you stand for. I am reminded of this by our daily newspaper, The Record (northern NJ), which publishes their Editorial Credo every year on January 1. Continuing that theme, one of the people I have started following on Twitter is Chris Brogan. In his January 1, 2011, blog he presents his "3 Words for 2011". Chris has been doing this for several years and inspiring others to also choose their three words. After reading his blog, I thought it was a great idea, but couldn't think of three words. Then this morning, as I was driving to Sunday morning minyan and bagel breakfast at my temple, my words came to me: Caring, Integrity, and Joy.

Caring: part of what makes me who I am is that I care -- about people, about ideas, about the world around me, about what other people think about me. Sometimes though I forget how important other people are. The other day, while trying to clear up my desk, an old fortune cookie fortune appeared "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting their battle too." So, in 2011 I will remember to care about me and about others. (As a start, no more snarky comments, at least not in public). And there will be another blog on this, our Rabbi spoke about "you don't know what you don't know" about other people; always give them the benefit of the doubt.

Integrity: just as The Record reiterates who they are and what they stand for, I too must stand for something. Integrity is being truthful, being loyal, doing the right thing, for yourself and for others. These past few years I have been drifting away from who I am, which is why I'm in the midst of a journey to find myself again. Partially it is spiritual (one of the reasons I went to temple this morning, I am making a real effort to be more involved on a regular basis). And it's also physical. After being a gym junkie for several years and being in the best physical shape I'd ever been in, I didn't just slide, I fell hard. So, I am starting to reclaim my body. Shoveling two feet of snow last week reminded me of how good it feels to use your muscles (as well as reminding me of how bad you feel when you're out-of-shape). In 2011, I will work on re-centering myself, because you can't be true to others if you're not true to yourself.

Joy: the world has become a very scary place, but if you always dwell on that it can overwhelm you. I know that life isn't always fun. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy what you're doing. I have become better at letting things go, not always having to fight the good fight. But I need to do that more, to look for the good in things and people. And I can help bring more joy to other people, particularly my family. In 2011, I will remember to enjoy what I'm doing, to look for the silver linings, and to try to bring joy to others.

Having taken these three words on as my guide for 2011 and, just as importantly, putting them out there, I have made a commitment. I will follow-up throughout the year and let you know how I'm doing. In the meantime, have you chosen your three words?

Making Gratitude a Habit

2010-11-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

As we approach Thanksgiving, it's time to think about, besides turkey, giving thanks. Although this is a special time for thanks, gratitude is something that should be a part of our everyday life. During the Friday night service last week, our Rabbi, Debra Orenstein, spoke about how to make gratitude a habit. One way that she suggested was to break your routine, which allows you to look at things in a different way. One example was traveling to another country -- it's so wonderful to be there, but once you get home how very wonderful your own bed, and familiar food, and familiar language is (check my blogs on visiting Japan to see how that works!) A closer to home example was to take a different route to work, giving you the opportunity to notice what is around you.

I work from my home office, which makes it hard to take a different route to work. However, most mornings, as I finish breakfast and go up to my second floor office, Charley, my two-year old rescue cat, follows me. He sits at the bottom of the stairs leading to my third floor bedroom and waits for me to notice (if I don't, he'll let out a small meow). At that point I'm expected to follow him upstairs, with him stopping to turn and look to make sure I'm behind him. Several head skritches and tummy rubs later, Charley's ready for his morning nap and I'm ready to go back to my computer. A chance to think about gratitude? Absolutely!

So, how are you going to make gratitude a habit?

R E S P E C T -- It's Not Just a Song

2010-11-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

"R E S P E C T -- find out what it means to me," sang Aretha Franklin. The dictionary definition of respect is: to hold in high or special regard. Respect isn't something you just get, it's something you have to earn. And it is one of the most important aspects of your business. While it can be very hard to earn respect, it is very easy to lose it.

In Hebrew, gossip is called Lashon Hara, which is translated as "the evil tongue". A story tells about a Rabbi chiding a woman for spreading a tale about someone. He tells her to get a feather pillow, bring it to the town square, and then rip it open. Of course the wind blows the feathers all over. The Rabbi then tells the woman to gather up the feathers and remake the pillow. She tells him she can't, as the feathers have scattered and are impossible to collect. The Rabbi explains that is what happened with the tale she told, she can never "undo" what she said because the story scattered like the feathers. The same thing is true regarding respect -- once you do something that hurts your reputation, you can't easily undo it.

Recently a Washington Post sports columnist found out how easy it is to lose credibility and respect. The full story is here, in a column by the Post's ombudsman, Andrew Alexander. Here's a quick summary. Columnist Mike Wise discussed on his radio show that he was going to post a tweet with false news to see if it would be picked up without being fact-checked. He did and it was. The management at the Post was horrified and suspended Wise for a month. He apologized profusely and accepted the punishment. Some of his readers and listeners felt the punishment was too severe, after all this was just social media, not the newspaper. The end of the article explains it all. Alexander wrote, "But at its core, what Wise did isn't about social media. It's about fabrication, which is indefensible, even if done in jest. Our business is truth. A journalist's falsehood on Twitter is the same as a falsehood in the paper. . . . In his radio apology announcing his own suspension, Wise said 'Integrity, being right before being first, is the only thing genuine journalists have left in this world.' He correctly added that his own 'stupid, irresponsible experiment' had 'cost me a chunk of my own credibility.' And The Post's."

So remember, RESPECT is not just a song, it's a word to live by. Make sure you earn it and then don't do anything to lose it. Our methods of communications may be modern, but old-fashioned values like respect and credibility never go out of style.

[Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged, long story. In short, I thought I was switching to Word Press. It didn't happen. It's good to be back.]

Loved the Trip, But It's Good to be Home

2010-06-30T11:23:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are home; we actually got home on Monday, June 28, but between jet lag, catching up with stuff, doing laundry, etc., this is the first time I've had to visit the blog.

Our last morning in Japan (Monday, June 28) we went with Jeff to take the boys to school. And we were able to get packing tape at the 7-11 where we parked (the school's parking lot is not available as there is construction going on). The tape is for the box of books we're checking as luggage (guide books, books we read on the trip); my suitcase was borderline overweight on the trip over, don't want that to happen again. Once we got the box taped up, we walked to the grocery store and picked up food for lunch (that we would eat on the train). There are some photos of the fish and octopus we didn't buy.

Jeff got us to the train station, our train showed up (trains are never late in Japan), and we were on our way from Mishima to Shinagawa. Once there, we found the correct platform for the Narita Express and a few minutes later our train showed up. A smooth hour later we were at Terminal 1, Narita Airport. Even the airports in Japan are quieter, cleaner, and easier to navigate. Checking in was easy (ahh, the joy of being silver elite!) which left us plenty of time to buy last minute omiyage (Japanese for gifts). Mostly we bought food (some more green tea Kit Kat bars, another box of wasabi Kit Kat bars) and water and tea for the flight.

Flight wasn't bad, a few bouncy spots. As expected, the food wasn't quite as good as on the way over. This time I watched "Lost in Translation" (not a great movie, but great scenes from Japan and very true depiction of what it's like); the first half of "Gone With the Wind" (decided it was fine to end with Scarlett declaring that she'd never go hungry again), and two more episodes of "The Big Bang Theory".

We were near the front of economy, so we were off the plane pretty quickly, which meant almost no line at immigration. Our luggage came out fairly early (Kate's suitcase was the second one out), which meant we got through Customs quickly as well. Nancy's husband Mike was waiting and helped get everything out to the car. Amazingly, we were on the NJ Turnpike heading home within 40 minutes of landing.

We wound up going to Nancy's parents' house for a welcome home BBQ. Tuesday morning was breakfast with Mike's mom, followed by lots of laundry. Kate and her cat headed home to Virginia Wednesday morning.

Here are photos from our last morning in Mishima and a few photos of stuff I brought home from Japan. The glass items came from Kurashiki, as did the mobile and the little cat pitcher.

It was a great trip -- Japan is a beautiful place. Kate and I agreed there are still many parts of it we need to explore, but not for a while. Next trip we do together will be someplace else (we're thinking about Vancouver). But for now, we're tired of airplanes, hotels, and crowds. It's good to be home.

Rain's Not a Problem, but a Monsoon? Day 13 in Japan

2010-06-27T07:08:00.003-04:00

It was our last full day in Japan and the plans were to do something fun and see some new things. Yuko had a trip planned to the Hakone region. It's about one-half hour from Mishima (at least the start of the area) and has museums, a lake, hot springs, boat rides, and other things to see and do. It was cloudy when we left the apartment but as we climbed the road into the mountains it got foggier and foggier, making it hard to see the road. And then it started to rain. By the time we got to our first stop, Hakone Sekisho, the Hakone checkpoint, it was pouring and the wind was blowing. It wasn't really a monsoon, but it sure felt like one.

The Hakone Sekisho was built by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1619 as one of 53 checkpoints throughout Japan. This was during the Edo Period (Edo was the original name of Tokyo). The Hakone checkpoint was considered to be the biggest and most important one. The primary purpose of the checkpoints were to control arms entering Edo and women attempting to leave Edo. This checkpoint, known for its strictness, was primarily responsible for keeping women from escaping from Edo. My photos include restored areas of the checkpoint (complete with rain and mist) and at least one misty photo of the lake. Our next stop was for lunch at a very nice restaurant, La Terrazza (Life Art Museum, Italian Restaurant, Select Shop, Book Store). Here the pizza was much more authentic, although some of the toppings and some of the descriptions were a little odd (see the photos). And the order of fried zucchini had no resemblance to what we're used to -- it was done tempura style and included two small fish (again, see the photo). The pizzas were good (and I even got to have anchovies!)

We headed back to Mishima, as the wind was blowing even harder and the rain was pouring down -- not a day to explore gardens or lookout points. The roads were still very foggy, until we got through the mountains. Once we were back on the outskirts of Mishima, the rain stopped, except for a drizzle, the fog was gone, and the weather was nice.

Kate and I walked to the train station and made our reservations for tomorrow (Monday) for the Shinkansen from Mishima to Shinagawa and then the Narita Express back to the airport. It was, as usual, amusing as the two clerks helping us professed little knowledge of English (although they do take it throughout high school). The male clerk carefully went over our tickets with us, in Japanese, including the times (the tickets do have English letters and Roman numerals, so we knew they were correct). This caused even the female clerk to look amused as she knew we didn't understand him.

Back at the house, I read Hewitt two Little Bear stories and we read a Frog and Toad story together,alternating pages (these were the two books we have Hewitt for his birthday). I also got to read Hewitt and Jonah one Little Bear and two Frog and Toad stories for bedtime. Jeff made us another delicious dinner and we had birthday cake for dessert. We've started packing and are looking forward to our last morning in Japan.

Here are the day 13 photos.

Happy Birthday, Hewitt -- Day 12 in Japan

2010-06-26T08:08:00.001-04:00

Yuko was off fairly early for her special Saturday morning classes. We were going to visit the park and do some food shopping but it started to rain so Jeff ran out and got some necessities for the party. We spent the rest of the morning tidying up and, once Yuko got back, decorating with crepe paper streamers. Snack/lunch was rice with seasoning and Japanese pickles. Meanwhile Jeff made the birthday cake. I brought a chocolate cake mix, birthday candles (including a 6), and decorating gel. Japanese kitchens don't usually have an oven; Jeff has a microwave/oven combo but also has a Rival Roaster Oven (purchased to cook his Thanksgiving turkey). He used that to bake the cake.

Guests were a little late to arrive as there was traffic but everyone was there by 2:30 pm. Yuko's mother, sister, and 12-year old niece came (they all live together; her father, brother-in-law, and nephew didn't join us). A friend of Yuko's (she also teaches English) also came, with her husband and two children (3 and 5 years old). Jeff made lasagna and Japanese pizza was ordered (I'm not going to try and explain it, look at the photo). Then we had the cake (see the photos) and some Japanese desserts. And finally it was time to open presents. We gave Hewitt some Legos (a big box of people and a set to make a gas station) and two books (the complete Frog & Toad stories and the complete Little Bear stories). He also got two different remote control cars (plus Jonah got one, which they promptly swapped), a new pair of sneakers, and a brand new bicycle (a present from his Japanese grandparents).

The children had great fun running everyone over with the remote control cars. Eventually the guests left and an attempt was made to calm the boys down, get them showered, into pajamas, and into bed. Yuko, Kate, and Nancy went out for a light supper to an Okonomiyaki restaurant about a block from the house. It's a very small place with a large "table" with a hot griddle in the center and stools around it. First the owner (a very nice women from Hiroshima who moved to this area 14 years ago to be with her daughter) shreds half a cabbage. Then she ladles a very thin layer of pancake batter on the griddle, laying the cabbage on top. After seasoning the cabbage, she lays some meat (probably bacon) over it. Using two turners, she flips the whole thing over. She heats some soba noodles (buckwheat) and lays the cabbage mixture on top of them. Next she breaks an egg on the griddle, flattens it, allows it to cook a little, and then flips the cabbage mixture on to it. She flips the whole thing again, adds some sauce on the top, and then cuts it in quarters. We each got two quarters (after they were sprinkled with nori (shredded sea weed, at home it would have been parsley). There are photos of each step. This is the Hiroshima version, other versions don't use noodles and add other things. In some restaurants, you get to cook it yourself -- thank goodness we didn't, I've never be able to flip them without making a real mess.

The boys may finally be going to sleep (sugar high and party excitement). In the distance we can hear drumming -- Yuko tells us there is a festival soon and the drummers are rehearsing.

Here are the photos from day 12.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Japan -- we are going to the Hakone area, a resort area in the mountains about an hour away.

Heading Back to Mishima, with a Last Look at Kurashiki, Day 11

2010-06-25T08:12:00.002-04:00

We started at the breakfast buffet again. A gentleman behind me asked where we were from, he's from Winnipeg, Canada. He's with a tour, although he and his family arrived in Tokyo early so they could go to Tokyo Disneyland. After this they only need to go to the newly opened Hong Kong Disney and they'll have been to all of them. We head upstairs, pack, check e-mail, and go check-out. Of course we get our morning dose of TV -- news, children's shows, etc. The announcers are ecstatic telling about Japan's win at the World Cup and advancement to the next round.

The hotel happily watches our luggage while we set out for a last look around Kurashiki. Behind the hotel across the street is the Ohashi House, built in 1796. It belonged to a very well-to-do rice merchant and is actually built in the style of a samurai house, a great honor for the Ohashi family. There is a tape that tells about the house, in Japanese, of course. So one of the ladies carefully explains some things in English (along with the sheet in English in the brochure). We take off our shoes so we can wander around the rooms of the house. It is very impressive. There is a lovely garden that can be seen from various parts of the house. The warehouse area is now a small museum with various artifacts. There are lots of photos.

It's a gray day, which at least means it's not as hot. We stop in one of the shops and find the elusive glass shop finally. Turns out it was near the beginning but because there was no glass in the front, we'd missed it. Besides buying a few things, I was able to take photos of some of the lovely and colorful pieces. By the time we leave it's started raining, but, as the guide book explains, this only adds to Kurashiki's tranquility. A family (grandparents, parents, and small child) are getting ready for a boat ride on the canal. The boat people give them lettuce to feed the swans, who oblige by coming right up to the boat.

Then it back to the hotel to get our luggage and a quick walk to the train station. We get the local to Okayama. We're surprised by the group of school girls (high school) who get in and chatter the whole trip. Not sure if they got a half day or what, but there were also a lot of school children at the Okayama station. We buy obento boxes and find the track for the Shinkansen heading to Tokyo (it is the Hikari Superexpress). This is about a 3-1/2 hour trip. At the Kyoto station, there are again lots of school children heading back to Tokyo. We notice the schedule shows the train as being "out-of-service" but for a group. Kate says she can't imagine schools in the US using trains to go on field trips (Amtrak anyone?) We were able to get seats in the unreserved car with no trouble, as Okayama was the start of the trip, but after stopping in Kyoto, the car is quite full. The Shinkansen is the next to the fastest train. The fastest is the Nozomi -- when they pass our train we shake; if you're standing on a train platform and one whizzes by, you really feel it. We're traveling with JR Rail Passes, which aren't good on the Nozumi, so we'll have to settle for traveling at about 120 mph, instead of the top speed of the Nozomi of 187 mph (300 kmph).

At every station there are large parking lots (or even, as in Kurashiki, parking garages) for bicycles. Bicycles are used for going to school, going to work, going to the store. Everyone rides from children to older folks (and don't ever get in the way of a little old lady on a bike -- she'll run you over). In addition to baskets, child seats, and umbrella holders, many women have "hand protectors" that go over the ends of the handlebars.

I took a lot of photos from the train. As we went through Shizuoka (capital of the prefecture and the stop before Mishima), we could faintly see Mt. Fuji through the haze. Unfortunately it didn't come out in the photos. Jeff and the boys did meet us at the station and drove us back to the apartment. Dinner was cooked by Jeff and was recognizable (fried fish fillets, potato pancakes, salad, and yellow watermelon for dessert). Yuko, Jonah, and I walked across the street to a Japanese sweet shop and brought home a variety of treats.

And here are today's photos.

A Market Town of Many Charms, Day 10 in Japan

2010-06-24T20:48:00.000-04:00

Today was a quiet day in Kurashiki. The Frommer Guide book, in addition to calling it a "market town of many charms", says "If I were to select the most pictureque town in Japan, Kurashiki would certainly be a top contender". There is a willow-fringed canal that runs through the historic district. In the 17th century, Kurashiki prospered as a market town, in particular in the rice industry. Large granaries/warehouses were built, using a black and white design. Today many of these old buildings house museums, galleries, restaurants, and shops.

We visited the Ohara Museum of Art which includes both western and Japanese art. Ohara Magosabutto, a successful businessman, founded the museum in 1930. He provided the funding for a Japanese artist to go to Europe and purchase beautiful examples of art. Although we couldn't take photos in the museum itself, you'll see in and around it (including the pond of water lilies). In addition to the Western art work (Matisse, Picasso, Warhol, Chagall, etc., etc.) there were folk crafts, and also ancient Chinese art from prehistoric (the neolithic) times to around the Tang Dynasty (600 to 900 AD). Amazing to think of works of art that are that old.

We purchased mats and coasters made of igusa (rush grass), a local specialty, textile items, and other fun things. One shop was everything cats (and dogs), including having two real cats. The CD playing was cats & dogs doing Christmas Carols -- even worse than Alvin & the Chipmunks. Lunch was at the Kiyutel, where they grill steak and seafood (see the photo). After more wandering through various arcades, we went back to the hotel for a rest. Early evening we went back to wander by the canal and find a place to eat. We wound up at a restaurant out of the historic district, down a flight of stairs. It featured sushi, sashimi, and "sets" -- lots of small dishes of various seafood related things. We both got the Kurashiki Gosen, which you will see from the photos had lots of things, some of them strange. There was a pond and fish tanks in the center of the restaurant, which is where dinner came from (we think if we had ordered the octopus-themed Gosen, they would have taken one of the octopus from its tank).

We couldn't find any World Cup highlights on tv but did watch some interesting cooking shows. This morning (I'm writing this Friday morning) the country is deliriousl6y happy as Japan won their game and advanced. At breakfast this morning we met a man from Winnipeg (Canada) who's here with a tour group. We're going to stroll a little bit more in Kurashiki and then take the local train to Okayama where we'll get the shinkansen back to Mishima. Jeff and the boys will pick us up on the way home from school.

Here are the day 10 photos.

From One "Palace" to Another, Day 9 (Wed., 6/23) in Japan

2010-06-23T21:10:00.000-04:00

After another nice breakfast buffet (check out Kate's "hush" brown potatoes), we did a short walk, passing a nearby temple, the local police station, and a few other sights. Many people commute via bike -- you say them in their regular business clothes, no bike helmets. When it rains they either bike while holding their umbrella or they use an umbrella clamp on the bike. Bike seats for children are either on the front or back of the bike. The best is watching ladies in lovely dresses with heels riding their bikes.

We checked out of the hotel but had them hold our luggage. The concierge gave us a bus map and explained which buses go to Nijo Castle. This is where the shogun had his seat of power, rivaling the Emperor, whose Imperial Palace was nearby. (This is when Kyoto was the capital of Japan.) Along with many schoolchildren, we arrived at the castle. The castle actually contains two palaces: the main one (a national treasure) is Ninomaru Palace (originally built in 1603), the Inner Palace is Honmaru Palace (originally built in 1626, although various parts burned down and it was replaced by a part of the Katsura Imperial Palace which was built in 1893). We were allowed to tour the main palace (having placed our shoes in cubbies), but no photos were allowed. This palace has "nightingale floors" -- the shogun was very concerned about being caught unaware, so the floor boards creak (or sing) when you walk on them. The palaces are surrounded by gardens and moats (see the photos).

After taking the bus back to our hotel and reclaiming our luggage, we re-entered the train station, bought bento box lunches,and found the track for the Shinkansen heading to Okayama. Apparently many school children came to Kyoto this week -- it looked like there was going to be a train just for them heading back to Tokyo. You'll see photos from the train including apartment buildings and rice paddies. In Okayama we changed for the local express train going to Kurashiki station. We walked the few blocks to our hotel, where we stayed last year. Much to our amazement, we are in a suite. We think much of the hotel is taken up by a business conference (the dining room was full in the evening with businessmen listening to a lecture). We have a living room and bed room with a tv in between that swivels so you can watch from the sofa or bed. Then there is a little hallway with the toilet room on the left and the bathroom (tub, shower, counter) on the right. In Japanese homes there is often a separation of the toilet and the bathing facilities (when we're back in Mishima, I'll show you Jeff & Yuko's apartment), but I'd never seen it in a hotel before.

We did a brief stroll through Kurashiki (photos will be included in day 10), picked up dinner at the Family Mart, and settled in for some World Cup review. We did go to sleep before the US game started. Another oddity in this room (which we did encounter last year in some of the hotels), the key card goes into a slot just inside the room. This turns on the power for the room, lights, a/c, etc. This way they make sure you turn everything off when you leave the room.

Here are Day 10 Photos.

Catching Up, Days 7 and 8 in Japan

2010-06-23T08:17:00.000-04:00

When we were last heard from, it was Sunday and we were in Mishima. It's actually now Wednesday evening -- we left Mishima for Kyoto on Monday evening, spent Tuesday in Uji and Kyoto, spent Wednesday morning in Kyoto, and we're now in Kurashiki. In this blog, I'll cover Monday and Tuesday.

Monday, June 21, Day 7

The week begins and everyone is up early -- Yuko leaves around 7:30 am to go to the high school where she teaches English. She takes a 15-minute commuter train ride and then rides her bicycle from the station to the school. Jeff usually drives the boys to school around 8:30 am. This is Hewitt's second year in a Japanese nursery school, Jonah just started going to school last month. This morning Nancy and Kate go along to drop them off -- great exitement at school to see more Americans.

Back to the apartment and then we walk into Mishima. We visit the local shrine and see other sights within the city. Then it's back to the apartment to get the car so we can drive to the mall. Lunch is at Mos Burger -- the Japanese chain trying to rival McDonalds. Interesting burger and glass of iced green tea. We look at various shops in the mall -- in the photos you'll see a display of Fire King mugs (not even Jadeite) for about $50 each! At the foreign goods store we see a variety of things we take for granted at extraordinary prices (you'll see them in the photos). Then the regular food store where there are familiar and strange things. And finally we stop at Mr. Donut (check out the green tea cream-filled donuts). Then it's back to school to pick up the boys -- Hewitt's classmates were happy to pose for a photo. Jeff made us a very Japanese dinner -- minced magura (tuna) over rice with Japanese pickles (some made by Yuko's mom), tofu, and Jeff's home-made Japanese omelet. And then it's off to the train station to catch the shinkansen to Kyoto.

We are staying at the Hotel Glanvia (where we stayed last year). It is located above the Kyoto train station and is considered a luxury hotel -- it is lovely. We have a "bell boy" walk us and our suitcase to our room (good thing, the room is quite far from the elevator, for which he apologized profusely). We stay up watching World Cup. In tomorrow's photos you will see the greeting when we first turned on the tv -- very impressive. Day 7 photos.

Tuesday, June 22, Day 8

We sleep late, 8:30 am, a combination of staying up late, having the full curtains shut so we're not woken by the light at 4:30 am, and sleeping on real (and very comfortable) beds rather than futons. The hotel is very proud of its new shower facilities. You will see it in the photos. We managed to master the use of the shower. Showers are not in the bathtubs (though sometimes there is a hand-held faucet in the tub). The shower had a shower head, a hand-held faucet, and "body nozzles" along the pole. There was also a small stool and bowl, so you could sit and wash off before entering the tub (bath tubs are for soaking, not for washing). Then it was down to the breakfast buffet -- a fascinating mix of Japanese, other Asian, and "western" food.

We took the train to Uji, about 20 minutes southeast of Kyoto. In ancient times it flourished as a crossroad that connected Nara and Kyoto over the Uji River. It is also a big tea-growing area. As we walked along the road towards the Byodoin Temple (also known as the Phoenix Temple and pictured on the 10 yen coin), there were many shops featuring green tea and things made from green tea. We bought some tea and some green tea Kit Kat bars. Because we visited the Byodin Temple last year, we didn't go in but strolled along the river. We went to the Taiho-an, Uji City Municipal Tea Ceremony House. After buying tickets, Nancy got to hit the gong to let them know we were there. We of course took off our shoes and sat on the tatami mat watching a lovely older woman prepare the tea. First the bowl is warmed with hot water, then the powdered tea (known as matcha) is put in the bowl, hot water is added, and it is mixed with a bamboo whisk until it's frothy. We each had a bowl of tea and a small jelly-like sweet.

We continued along the river, crossing a bridge to an island in the center where there is a stone pagoda. Although the river was calm between the island and the western bank, on the eastern side the river runs much stronger. We found a large cage of cormorants on the eastern side. They are used for fishing (there are some photos showing posters about this). We stopped at two shrines, the smaller Uji Shrine and the larger (and World Heritage Site) Ujigami Shrine. Note also in the photos some of the houses along the way. Our last stop on the eastern side was at the Tale of Genji Museum. Wikipedia tells us that the Tale of Genji "is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century, around the peak of the Heian period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel . . . ." The story consisted of 54 chapters, with the last 10 chapters taking place in and around Uji.

Then it was back across the bridge. We had a lunch at a lovely restaurant on the third floor of a building right by the bridge. We at overlooking the river. And talk about trusting -- we were given a slip of paper showing what we'd ordered which we had to take down to the cashier on the first floor. No one was there, so we had to push the bell button to summon someone so we could pay. Then it was back on the train to Kyoto. We did walk around a little bit in the evening (you'll see photos of the Kyoto Tower lit up).

Photos for Day 8

Tomorrow (Wednesday, June 23, Day 9, we'll spend the morning in Kyoto and then off to Kurashiki.

Ahh, to be Royalty and Live by the Sea; Day 6 in Japan

2010-06-20T07:47:00.000-04:00

We slept fairly well on our futons (Nancy had a foam pad under hers so it felt almost like a very firm bed, but on the floor). Jeff made us a wonderful breakfast of pancakes with fresh fruit -- bananas, kiwi, and strawberries (ichigo). The boys and Kate also had yogurt -- aloe vera flavored.

We drove to the Numazu Imperial Villa -- the former summer home of the Imperial family. In the photos you will see various rooms of the house, the garden, a museum with fishing items from the past, and the overlook of the bay. The sea breeze was lovely. From there we drove across the Kakita River to Numazu Port. There is a huge structure which is the sluice gate across the mouth of the Nakita River and the observatory. Unfortunately it was very cloudy (with a little rain), so the views from the observatory were limited.

We saw the warehouse where the fish are brought in and auctioned off. Lunch was at a sushi restaurant above the warehouse. Nancy ordered the daily special -- never has she had so many eyes looking back at her during a meal. The two large shrimp weren't so bad (although raw); it was the very tiny shrimp and fish that were a little disconcerting. Nancy traded Kate a few pieces of her raw fish (sashimi) for her tempura shrimp. We then wandered through the market where there were many fish related items as well as a booth specializing in tea and other specialty booths. I won't spoil the surprise of what flavor sorbet Kate had -- you'll have tolook at the photos.

We did have a few melt-downs -- Hewitt wasn't pleased with the choice of restaurant (he's not that fond of fish) and Jonah really needed a nap but instead cried much of the way home. Once home Jeff & Yuko worked on dinner (a delicious Japanese curry). Jeff, Nancy, & Kate walked to the food store to pick up a few things (those photos will be included in tomorrow's exploration of Mishima). The onions and potatoes in the dinner came from Yuko's father's garden plot.

And now for the photos.

Going for the Gold -- Chasing the Olympic Dream in Nagano, Day 5 in Japan

2010-06-19T20:36:00.000-04:00

Today's food adventure started at breakfast; the poor waitress at the breakfast buffet wanted the meal coupons we didn't have. Eventually we figured out we could charge it to our room. Checking out of the hotel was easy as the desk clerk spoke great English. As usual with Japanese hotels, they were happy to watch our luggage while we went out.

Back at the train station we were directed to the correct bus stop to wait for bus number 8 which would take us to M Wave, originally the speedskating venue at the Nagano Olympics. It's now used as a skating rink during the winter and as a general purpose arena the rest of the year. It does, however, have an Olympic museum and gift shop. Kate loves the Olympics, winter more than summer as she is an ice skater. She has been visiting Olympic cities/sites around the world and this would be another one for her list.

It's a very impressive building, as you'll see in the photos. The museum has photos and various things from the Olympics (uniforms, medals, bobsled, etc.) as well as things from the Paraolympics. And the gift shop not only had things from the Nagano Olympics (pins, shirts, towels) but also stuff from the more recent Olympics and the current World Cup. Kate did leave a few things for other people to buy.

After retrieving our luggage, it was back to the train station where we were able to change our reservations to an earlier train. We took the Nagano Shinkansen back to Tokyo Station and then found the Shinkansen that would take us to Mishima.

About an hour later we were in Mishima where our friend Jeff and his younger son, Jonah (3-1/2 years old) met us. We walked to their apartment. A little later Yuko (Jeff's wife) and their older son, Hewitt (almost 6 years old) came back from the dentist. [For those who haven't heard this story before, Kate went to college with Jeff who then met Yuko in grad school. They lived in the US for a few years, went back to Japan for two years (where Hewitt was born), and Kate visited them twice. Then they came back to the US for about 2-1/2 years, where Jonah was born. Then they moved back to Japan.]

Dinner was at a cook you own restaurant -- we grilled beef, chicken, and veggies on a grill in the center of the table. Back at the apartment, our futons were set up (photos of those later).

Here are the photos from Day 5. We're getting ready to go see some sights around Mishima.

It is the Rainy Season, Day 4 in Japan

2010-06-18T08:32:00.000-04:00

Up early this morning, a quick breakfast (things we picked up the day before at the 7-11), check out, and to the train station. We take the shinkansen to Tokyo Station where we change to the Nagano Shinkansen. It's about 1-1/2 hours to Nagano and only a few blocks walk to the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel was built for the 1998 Winter Olympics, so it is new but it's typically Japanese, small rooms, etc.

We set out for lunch, another food adventure as we windup at the top floor cafe at a department store. It is sort of an Italian cafe where we only semi-understand the menu. This means we wind up with three separate meals instead of two, which turned out to be okay. Nancy thought she was ordering a combo meal of a salad and spaghetti with a tomato veggie sauce while Kate ordered a casserole thing with cheese and mushrooms. After a very long wait two large bowls arrived -- salad over spaghetti and the tomato veggie sauce over spaghetti, both served cold. The casserole, however was nice and hot, cheese, mushrooms, cream sauce over rice.

We walked to Zenkoji Temple, a 1,400 year old Buddhist temple. The street leading to the temple is lined with interesting shops. We also passed a Ryoken, the older style Japanese inn; we were amused to see it had free WiFi. After only spitting, the rain became heavier (not to worry, we had our umbrellas). We did a little shopping on the way back including omiyage (gifts for friends).

Dinner came from the nearby Lawson's (like a 7-11) and included soba noodles, a specialty in this area as the buckwheat is grown in the mountains. We're watching World Cup again. This morning, as we watched Argentina vs. South Korea, I asked Kate if it was yesterday, today, or tomorrow -- with all of the time differences it's hard to tell.

Tomorrow we go visit the Olympic museum, torch, etc., and then it's back on the shinkansen to Tokyo and then a different shinkansen to our friends' apartment in Mishima.

Here are today's photos.

It's the Heat & the Humidity, Day 3 in Japan

2010-06-17T19:59:00.000-04:00

It is officially the rainy season in Japan. Of course today it didn't rain -- it was just sunny, very humid, and hot. Many Japanese ladies were still carrying umbrellas to keep off the sun; some Japanese men carry fans; lots of people carried small towels to wipe their faces.

We headed off fairly early to visit the Imperial Palace area. We didn't actually get to see the palace, it's only open to the public on Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. There are several moats (complete with swans). We did get to wander the Eastern Garden where we saw old guardhouses, the moats, flowers, and other things you'll see in the photos. We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. We also visited the National Craft Gallery, they have many things but only a few on display. Lunch was in the food court area in a shopping mall within an office building. We visited a smoothie shop (there's a photo); I had a lychee lemonade smoothie, neither of us had any of the smoothies with kale.

Back at the hotel we chilled in the a/c, watched some World Cup, and rested for an evening adventure. We took the train to Shimbasan station to take the monorail to Odaiba. This is an area built on landfill in the Tokyo Harbor. There's housing (apartment buildings), shops, restaurants, entertainment (ferris wheel, movies, etc.), and even a small beach. Also the Tokyo Statue of Liberty (yes, we have photos). Dinner was at a sushi restaurant. Did I mention they don't have daylight savings time here? So it does get dark fairly early.

This morning we're off to Nagano. We have to go to Tokyo Station to get the Shinkansen.

And here are the photos.

(I was too tired to write last night -- getting this finished before we leave for the train station.)

Have Some More Soybeans, or Day 2, Eating in Tokyo

2010-06-16T09:38:00.005-04:00

We actually slept until about 7:30 am, we might be adjusting to the new time zone. Then is was off to breakfast where Nancy learned to look at the photos more closely before pointing (she got beef instead of chicken). Then we boarded the train and headed to Ueno-koen (koen means park).

Ueno-koen was the first public park in Japan and one of Tokyo's largest. There are many museums, temples and shrines, and a large pond (Shinobazu Pond). We started by finding the pond, much of which is covered with lotus plants. On a small artificial island in the center is a small temple. The fish in the boating pond seemed ready to pull us in. We saw several other temples, watched an interesting magic show (there were a number of "street" performers), found a totem pole erected by the Lions Club of Tokyo, and found a monument to General Ulysses Simpson Grant (he and his wife visited Japan after he was president and planted some trees in the park). We were amazed at the number of homeless people sleeping on the park benches and the "camp" they'd constructed with blue tarps near the Grant monument.

There are several museums in the park -- we chose the Tokyo National Museum. Two stories with lots of interesting Japanese arts and objects (you'll see some in the photos). When we finished in the museum gift shop, it was 1:30 and time for lunch. We decided to head back into the park to find the restaurant we'd seen earlier. Initially everything was written in Japanese, but they were able to give us a menu with English. After taking off our shoes we were led to a nice table overlooking the park. We chose two different lunch sets -- Nancy's turned out to have four parts (didn't think there was going to be a 3rd). Our poor server kept trying to tell us what she was bringing but the only thing that really came out in English was soy beans. Many of the parts of our lunch (including the tea) were made with soy beans, lots of different types of tofu (and we weren't supposed to eat the green leaf wrapped around part of the dessert, we sort of knew but luckily the server showed us how to unwrap it). She never was able to explain the little dish on our table with the number 602 on it. Turns out we had to bring it to the front to the cashier, were she figured out the bill, and they retrieved our shoes from their cubbyholes.

We got back on the train and headed to a station that Kate thought was relatively close to Roppongi Hills, a major shopping and entertainment center. It was farther than we thought (part of it up steep hills). And although the rain did clear, it was hot and humid. We did make it, wandered around a little, and then took the subway back to the train station where we caught the train back to Shinigawa. We have JR rail passes which give us unlimited rides on the JR trains (but not the subway).

Dinner was again purchased at the food market under the train station. As there is a little fridge in our room, we now have enough leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. Tonight's tv included World Cup soccer, some baseball, and the very hilarious Beverly Hills 90210 dubbed in Japanese.

And here are the photos.

Arriving in Japan

2010-06-15T06:58:00.000-04:00

It's a little like following Alice down the rabbit hole -- you get on the plane in Newark, NJ, the plane takes off around 11 am on Monday, you fly and fly, the plane lands, and it's Tuesday afternoon at Narita Airport (about an hour from Tokyo). As usual, I took several naps during the 13-1/2 hour flight. We were served lunch (for Monday), a "midnight" snack, and breakfast/lunch (for Tuesday). I watched two movies -- Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" (delightful!) and "Up in the Air" (really, really good plus George Clooney being adorable) -- and two episodes each of two tv shows (30 Rock and The Big Bang Theory), read a book and a magazine, and got up and walked numerous times. One of the tricks I learned from Kate was to have control of the aisle.

We took the Narita Express to Shinigawa, location of a big train station; our hotel is right across the street. Along the way we saw many rice paddies and other small farm plots. After checking in and dumping our stuff in our room, we went back across the street to the food market that is under the train station. We bought various sushi, pickles, noodles, yakitori, and iced green tea to eat in our room. In an attempt to stay up relatively late we were going for a walk, but it is raining. Japan doesn't do daylight savings, so it gets dark early, by 7:30 pm; it also gets light very early.

Here are photos from today. Tomorrow I will try to sound more awake (and coherent). To make things interesting, Google keeps giving me the Blog page in Japanese.

I Heard the Caged Bird Sing

2010-05-13T15:29:00.003-04:00

Last week I had the honor and the privilege of seeing and hearing Maya Angelou. She spoke, sang, recited, and read at an event at Fairleigh Dickinson University sponsored by WUIP (click the link for photos and more). I've heard her poetry before, bought greeting cards with her thoughts on them, but never saw her in person. What an inspiring experience -- she made us laugh, made us cry, made us proud to be there. Ms. Angelou is 82 years old and still going strong. She told us about growing up, being sent with her brother to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Alabama, which truly shaped who she became. She told about chasing an airline pilot back to the plane's controls when he came to say hello shortly after take-off, which is one of the reasons she now travels by bus. Her first bus had belonged to Prince; Ms. Angelou said, "and it was all That . . . with lots of purple". Now she has her own luxury bus that brought her to NJ from her home in North Carolina. To read more about this "global renaissance woman", visit her web site.

Among the poems she recited, was one of my favorites, "Phenomenal Woman", enjoy!

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

Giving Back . . . The YWCA of Bergen County

2010-04-18T20:44:00.003-04:00

In my latest newsletter, I talk about the importance of "giving back" and I mention that one of my charities of choice is the YWCA of Bergen County, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. I'd like to share some more about who they are and what they do and why I have been so involved with them.

Those of you who know me well know that I am Jewish. So six years ago, when I came home and excitedly told my husband "I've been elected to the board of the YWCA of Bergen County!", his response was, "You do know what the 'C' stands for, don't you?" (He at least got that it was a separate organization from the YMCA, it's all because we don't have a silly song!)

As I explained to him, the YWCA is so much more than that. The mission statement is: "the YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all." A lot more than a gym and a swimming pool, isn't it?In Bergen County, the YWCA runs the Rape Crisis Center, which has a 24/7 hotline and provides counseling and other services for victims of sexual violence (female and male) and their families. The YWCA is the largest provider of childcare in Bergen County with early childhood programs that provide care for infants and toddlers, nursery school, and full-day kindergarten and school age programs that provide before and after school care and summer camps. There are two main locations -- the facility they share with the YMCA of Ridgewood (which is where the gym, pools, etc., are located) and offices in Hackensack (which is where the Rape Crisis Center is located).

I have helped to start two different committees that support YWCA activities, both of which include staff, board members, and community members. The first is the Public Relations and Marketing Committee. This group works with the YW's Director of PR and Marketing to develop marketing materials, programs, and provide other support. Ranging from brainstorming ideas for the "Y the W Makes a Difference" campaign to reviewing department and program business plans, committee members offer their expertise to help the YW.

The second is the Advocacy Committee. The YW of Bergen County is part of NERC (Northeast Regional Council), which has a very strong advocacy program. At both the state and regional level, advocacy issues are selected each year. This year's issues include: Child Care and Youth Development -- after school and preschool availability and funding; Economic Advancement -- pay equity; Racial Justice -- equity in education; Violence Against Women -- a.) domestic and sexual violence and b.) sexting; Reproductive Health; and Supportive Housing. We are working with the other NJ YWCA's, other NJ organizations, and our federal, state, and local legislators on these important issues. We will be working with our community throughout Bergen County to raise awareness of these issues.

How did I first get involved with the YWCA? In 1981, when I was working in the corporate world, my company selected me to be honored at the YW's TWIN dinner. TWIN (Tribute to Women & INdustry) is an annual program, started at the YWCA of Bergen County in 1974, that honors women for significant contributions to their companies and recognizes companies for providing women opportunities for advancement. Many companies in northern NJ participate in this program -- since its start more than 1,800 women and 200 companies have participated. And the program has spread to YW's around the country. Over the years I was involved with the TWIN alumni group. I edited their newsletter and served on their board. And that led to my joining the board of the YWCA.

So visit the web site, check out the Facebook fan page, and see how the YWCA of Bergen County has evolved over the past 90 years.

Why Is It So Hard to Change My E-mail Address?

2010-04-15T13:52:00.002-04:00

Recently we changed our Internet provider (see April 4 blog post). As part of the change, I opened multiple gMail accounts to replace old ATT accounts. Which meant going through the various e-mails I receive and letting the senders know that my e-mail address was changing.

Dealing with friends and family was easy -- I sent out e-mails with the new information. Done. But then there were the various e-mails from businesses, charitable organizations, and others. Some were easy -- they use Constant Contact, which makes it easy to change your e-mail address. That is if the sender has included that option. (Why would you not include that option?) Even some of the non-Constant Contact e-mails had a link to click to change my e-mail profile.

But some, actually many, were hard. As required under the Federal anti-SPAM law, all of the e-mails had a place to click to opt-out or unsubscribe, but very few had a place to click to change the e-mail address. Sometimes when you clicked on the opt-out link, it gave you the option of changing your profile. But sometimes it simply unsubscribed you, and I never knew which would happen until I clicked the link. Sometimes, in order to change my e-mail profile, I had to remember my user name and password. Okay, that makes sense for my bank and for my credit card, but for PetSmart? And sometimes the message I got was, thank you for the update, it may take four to five days (or even longer) for it to take effect. Excuse me, it takes your computer how long to make a change?

So I changed the ones that were easy to change. As far as the others -- if it was an e-mail I really wanted to continue to get, I made the effort to figure out how to change it. But for the others -- if I couldn't figure out how to easily change the e-mail address, then bye-bye, so long, guess I won't be getting your e-mails anymore.

From a marketing point of view, why would any company want to make it hard for a customer to receive e-mails? Don't they want to advertise to me? Don't they want me to buy stuff from them? And don't they realize that if they don't make it easy, I just might not care. I might not even notice if their e-mails stop showing up. If you send e-mails to customers (future, current, past), make it easy for them to update their e-mail profiles. You don't want to lose them.

Bye-bye, ATT Worldnet! Hello Verizon (Only It's Not That Simple!)

2010-04-04T20:00:00.001-04:00

I always knew that our ATT DSL (powered by ATT Worldnet) was different than the rest of the ATT Internet world, but I didn't realize that was a problem until last November when we got an e-mail from ATT saying that changes were coming. I assumed that meant we'd get swept into the bigger ATT family, enjoy the lower rates I saw advertised, and even have access to ATT WiFi hotspots. Silly me!

At the beginning of March the e-mail arrived -- "Action Required!Discontinuation of ATT Worldnet and ATT DSL Services: As mentioned in a previous communication, we are streamlining our Internet services to offer you an even better Internet experience. As part of that effort, ATT Worldnet Service and ATT DSL Service will no longer be available as of March 31, 2010." And they gave two options for keeping your ATT e-mail account. First was switch to Covad DSL service, which made some sense as they were actually the company supplying the DSL under the ATT name. Second option was "You can move your DSL service to ATT Dial Internet service which will also allow you to keep your Internet account with ATT — including your email, email IDs, and settings, plus many of the same features you enjoy today."

Switch to dial-up? And this was going to provide an even better Internet experience how? After I stopped laughing, I started exploring the options. For what we needed, Verizon DSL had the lowest price and offered access to Verizon WiFi hotspots around the country. So I called Verizon to arrange the switch. The nice person I spoke with was happy to enroll us as Verizon DSL customers, except for one little problem. They couldn't place the order for our Verizon DSL until our ATT DSL was disconnected -- and there could be a gap of three to four days while we waited for the Verizon installation kit to show up. (I couldn't understand why they couldn't send me the kit, wait for me to cancel the ATT DSL, and then connect the Verizon DSL). But, good news, because we have a second phone line, the Verizon DSL could be installed on that line. And then, once the ATT DSL was gone, we could always switch back to the main line.

So that's what we did. Which led to me having to track down a splitter so I could set up the telephone jack on the first floor (where the modem and router were plugged in) for the second phone line (which, at the time, was only available on the second floor in my office). I went on-line and looked at the diagrams of phone jacks to figure out how to change the first floor jack, which, because it was a wall jack, looked nothing like the diagrams. And I wound up giving up and putting the new Verizon modem in my office, where, with only minor trial and tribulation, I was able to set-up our new Verizon internet account. Meanwhile, we opened several Gmail accounts and started notifying our contacts that we were changing e-mail addresses. (That is another whole story which I will talk about another time.)

We were now in final countdown mode, less than a week to go. And I still hadn't figured out how to get the new modem and existing router connected to the second line from the first floor jack (no space in my office for the router and the modem!) That's when I realized we'd been paying Verizon a vast amount of money each month for "wire maintenance". Perhaps I could make use of that and have a Verizon technician change the jack to receive both lines. The entire phone call with Verizon service was done with their chirpy computer voice, but we did have an appointment for the following Monday to "service a problem with a line or jack". The fact that the appointment was for sometime between 8 am and 9 pm just added to the silliness (as I told everyone, if he showed up after 6 pm, I'd just invite him to join the Seder). And we received two different computer-generated phone calls to confirm the appointment and make sure we'd be available. I actually expected a robot to ring the doorbell, rather than the real live technician who showed up around 10:30 am. Who called the house first to announce that he was outside in his truck and after collecting his equipment, he'd be at the door. The technician was very nice and very friendly. Turns out the jack was already set up for two lines, but a change had to be made in the junction box in the basement (something I never would have figured out). In just a few minutes, he had it all set to go. He also didn't understand the problem with going from ATT to Verizon DSL -- Verizon basically runs all of ATT's equipment anyway.

So now it's Tuesday, March 30 -- we're down to the wire. I brought the modem, my laptop, and various instruction books for Verizon and our Linksys router downstairs. I'd previously downloaded the Linksys router wizard onto the laptop and I was ready to switch things over. I unplugged the ATT modem. I followed the various instructions for the order to plug in the Verizon modem, the router, the laptop, etc., etc. I entered user id's and passwords, I watched the Linksys router wizard try to connect to the Internet, and try to connect to the Internet, and try to connect to the Internet. Hmm, maybe I hadn't entered the correct information. So I called Verizon, where I got a technician who was thrilled to help me until he found out it wasn't a Verizon router. He did offer to give me the phone number for Linksys and he did, grudgingly, confirm that I was using the correct user id and password. So I called Linksys, where I was connected to a very nice technician. I agreed to let her have remote access to my computer and away we went. Turned out the router and the modem had the same IP address; with her help, the IP address for the router was changed, and . . . we were connected to the Internet. (She was even nice enough, after she heard me coughing, to ask if I was sick and when I told her I had a bad cold she asked if I was taking my medicine.)

But now it's April 4 and guess what? I still have ATT service -- e-mails sent to all of our old ATT e-mail addresses are still arriving, in spite of the messages that said as of March 31 it would all disappear. I guess I will have to break down and call ATT and find out what's going on. If you don't see me for a few days, you'll know I'm on hold with ATT.

Does Your Brand Have a Personality?

2010-02-25T16:02:00.002-05:00

On this snowy afternoon, it's nice to know I have nowhere to go. All of my meetings, events, etc., have been canceled or postponed. Maybe I'll actually finish up some things that need to be done or even watch the Olympics. Meanwhile, let me tell you about a wonderful marketing book.

I've been reading *Personality not included *Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity--And How Great Brands Get It Back by Rohit Bhargava, social media guru and SVP of Digital Strategy and a founding member of the 360 Digital Influence group at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Rohit explains, "Personality is the unique, authentic, and talkable soul of your brand that people can get passionate about." The best part of the book is that Rohit practices what he preaches -- his personality shines through the book making it fun to read.

The book is divided into two parts: part one describes how to develop a personality (with lots of real world examples), while part two is a resource guide with techniques, guides, and tools to help you make it happen. Each chapter in part one ends with "The Sellevator Pitch" -- a one sentence summary of the chapter. And then, at the beginning of Part Two, he recaps Part One in fewer than 60 words. Why? Because he gives you the option of reading the book anyway you want -- you don't have to start with Part One, Chapter One. Let me share Rohit's "lightning-fast recap" of Personality Not Included (PNI):

Chapter 1 -- Faceless used to work because big meant credible. This is no longer true.
Chapter 2 -- Accidental spokespeople are speaking for your brand. Embrace them.
Chapter 3 -- Uniqueness plus Authenticity plus Talkability equals personality. Use the UAT Filter.
Chapter 4 -- Backstories establish a foundation of credibility. You need one.
Chapter 5 -- Fear of change leads to barriers. Finding your authority overcomes them.
Chapter 6 -- Personality moments are everywhere and unexpected, but you must spot them.

To learn more about PNI and Rohit, visit www.personalitynotincluded.com. And once you get the book, be sure to look near the bottom of the copyright page for information on finding the secret, alternate introduction. I know about it because I had the privilege of meeting and hearing Rohit in person, which is why I bought the book. So I have a little chicken sticker pointing it out -- and an autographed book.

New Year, New Blog, and New Web Site

2010-02-21T16:12:00.002-05:00

When I mentioned at a recent networking lunch that I was finally going to start a blog, the reaction was, "You're a writer, that will be easy". Oh -- really? As some of the quotations on my newly redesigned web site point out, writing is hard. And the whole point of having a blog is having something worthwhile to say, which is also hard. So here I am, staring at the computer screen, trying to come up with something worth reading.

I'm very excited about the new look of my web site. My web site diva is Arlene Levine of Arlene Levine Design. Of course, we didn't just change the look, we also updated the content. And added all sorts of things for SEO (search engine optimization) as well as Google web analytics (so I can see if the SEO things actually work). I can now talk intelligently about meta tags and key words and other things that will help people find me on the web.

Arlene and I are big believers in "less is more" -- don't overwhelm your readers with too much stuff. So I looked at a lot of web sites and found ones I liked and ones I hated. (Bright colors, flashy things, and loud music were among the things I hated.) And I went through my files and found all of the resources I've been saving on SEO. There were almost as many recommendations on what to include as there were sources. But what they all agreed on is that the most important thing on your web site is content. It doesn't matter how many people you attract to your web site, what keeps them there is the content. Which is why I wrote and revised, and wrote and revised, and finally sent the content to Arlene. Of course I did some more revising once she got the words up.

So, check out the new web site and let me know what you think!