Lost Art of the Written Letter

At the post office the other day, I overheard a young man - probably about 18 years old - asking for help with his letter.  He was unsure how to address an envelope.  He told the nice older gentleman that it was his first letter.

I was stunned.  What on earth?  Has technology taken so far over our lives that no one sends letters anymore?

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I love writing letters and I should do it more often.  I own personalized stationary and love sending notes when I think about it, which again should I should more frequently.  I miss it and I'm sad to hear that "young" people are no longer sending handwritten letters.

I was slightly appalled to hear that he didn't know how to address an envelope.  What?!  How is that he doesn't know how to address an envelope?  I learned how to do so in school.  In second or third grade.  I hope that he takes his real world lesson from the kind gentleman to heart and sends another letter soon.

When's the last time you wrote a letter?  Do you think that we've lost the art of letter writing?

Happy Memorial Day 2011!

I've been looking forward to this weekend for some time now.  One of my dearest friends who I met in high school is coming for a visit from DC.  The weather is clearing and the sun is shining.  I hope it stays nice for her.  I have a lot of fun activities planned for us.

Living in the city without any outdoor space makes it hard for a barbecue but I sure wish we could have one an afternoon or evening to celebrate the start of summer.  Good thing there are too many amazing restaurants to choose from here in the city.

What are your plans for the Memorial Day weekend?!  Have a barbecue and think of those of us without outdoor space in the city!  Be safe and have fun!

Farewell Oprah

No matter if you like or dislike Oprah, her departure from TV is a loss.  As a woman, I enjoyed watching Oprah off and on for the past ten plus years.  I was inspired.  I felt hope.  I was touched.  Not just once or twice but nearly every time I turned on her show I felt an emotion that moved me to think about something a little harder or to do something that I might not have had I not watched her show.  She asked the hard questions and she sought the truth.  I may not have agreed with her every time she spoke but she opened my eyes to a lot.

As a PR professional, it was one of my career goals to get one of my clients on Oprah.  I tried and I tried many times and the closest I got was talking to one of her producers but with no luck.  I know that I'm not the only PR professional who was frustrated with this great challenge.  Clients over and over again set getting on Oprah as the epitome of success.  Luckily, I was able to score other media wins to make my clients feel successful but the elusive Oprah win would never happen for me.  Deep breath.  Let it go.

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While I never watched Oprah daily, I'll miss knowing that I can turn my TV on at 4pm during the week and know exactly what to watch.  I can't think of any other media mogul who has impacted television, pop culture, life, as much as she did.  I don't know who else might have the same impact in the near future.  There will now be a huge hole in television programming - one that I'm not sure anyone else can fill.  Only time will tell.

Good luck to you, Oprah!  I enjoyed watching you ride the wave of the last 25 years and I look forward to seeing how your OWN journey unfolds for you.  Though you are saying goodbye to daytime television, I know we will be seeing you again soon!

Taste

Seriously?  I've been distracted and worried about things out of my control affecting someone incredibly close to me.  So, when I got an email from Gilt Groupe yesterday introducing their newest launch, Gilt Taste, I clicked right away.  I look at each and every image of meat and cheese, the sweets, the produce.  If only I could climb into the web page and roll around in it.

I'm a petite woman but I eat to comfort myself.  I wanted to turn into Gilt Taste. Their photography is fantastic and if only we could taste a little of each like at a tapas restaurant.  Their prices are a little high but who cares?!  I just might need to buy that Payard's lemon pound cake for $35 and eat it in one sitting.  Actually, I don't care too much for sweets so I'd be satisfied with just a slice...

I can taste the saltiness of the caviar on this blini...Yum.  But at $222, I think I'll have to skip it.

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And the pantry items?  I'd die for the Fleur de Sel Caramel popcorn for $48.  I love me some popcorn.  Yum.

Alas, I think that ordering gourmet foods online isn't in my future.  But, perhaps a kind soul reading this blog might take pity on my stomach and send me a gift!

If you'd like an invitation to join Gilt Groupe, send me your email address and I'll send you an invite.

2011 Can Only Look Up

2011 has been a rough year for us.  I'm not ready and may never be ready to go into a lot of detail but I can tell you that we were dealt a bad hand so far this year.  If I could do it over again, I would.  Or, would I?

It started out with some health issues of my own on New Year's Eve when we were in Los Angeles.  We were down there to celebrate the Wisconsin Badgers trip to the Rose Bowl.  They lost and sadly so did we though the trip wasn't a complete loss because we made some memories and had some really good laughs.  In the past month, my sister who is bi-polar is dealing with some tough issues as a result of her illness and a surgery she had to have done.  It opened my eyes a little more to how she functions and how I need to learn to deal with her when we are in contact.  And, another VERY close person to me is dealing with an unexpected illness of a different kind that we are all still trying to grasp.

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Through all of these ups and downs, I'm more and more grateful for Mark.  Without his love, support, and encouragement, I think I would be lost.  When we exchanged vows in August, we promised to be there for each other in sickness and in health.  So far, we are proving ourselves right.  It is true that you fall in love with your spouse more every day - I've certainly done that with Mark.  Luckily, I've fallen in love with him more not only because of the tough times we've experienced together this year but also because of the fun and laughter that we share every day together.  He makes me laugh EVERY DAY.  Seriously.  I think that he makes it his goal to have me roll on the ground laughing at least once a day.  He succeeds though he might argue that I'm the one who makes him laugh.

Truly.  I'm glad that I waited until I found HIM.  The right guy to spend the rest of my days. He has shown me what true love is and what true love should be in life.  I'm lucky and in knowing so, I know that 2011 can only look up no matter what else comes our way.  [Sorry for the sappiness...but I'm feeling it and need to get it out!]

Really? Again?!

I have a penchant for losing things - especially my driver's license.  Late last year, I lost my driver's license but it was ok because I wanted to get a new one with my new last name.  Shortly after I replaced it, I found my other one.

Yesterday, Mark and I headed out for the afternoon.  I left my bag at home and tucked my license into the pocket of my vest.  We ran our errands at Walgreen's and the Apple Store and then headed to Crissy Field for one of our favorite walks.  As I was taking off my vest at home, I took my phone out of my pocket and realized that my license was gone.  Really?  Again?!

I checked the car.  I called Walgreen's and the Apple Store.  Neither had a license reported to them.  I filed another police report.  I'm pretty sure that it is somewhere along Crissy Field along the three mile stretch that we walked to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge and back to our car.

Oh well.  I hope that someone finds it and destroys it.  I'm not sure what use it will do for someone.  Hopefully, it will be found by someone responsible and law abiding and they will do the right thing.

I guess I need to head back to the DMV soon. Bummer that the only appointment they have available is after June 18.  We're traveling on June 25 so I guess I have to go wait in line.  Ugh!

Have you lost your license before only to have it returned later? Is there anything else I can do to protect myself after losing my license?

Advice Needed on Advice Giving

Recently, I've had a lot of people approach me for advice.  These people are people who read my blog or my reviews on AskMissA.com or are people who I'm friendly with in real life.  They email or call me privately and ask me for advice on a range of topics from public relations to writing, from their love lives to career changes, etc.  I respond and give my recommendations and wish them well.  Luckily, I often hear back on the success of my advice, which makes me feel satisfied that I can provide inspiration and support.

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It truly makes me happy that people ask me for advice and I feel honored that they trust my opinion.  I find it a little odd too in some ways because I myself am constantly asking others for their opinion on matters of my own heart.  I need validation in my choices and reaching out to others is one way in which I find that validation.  I guess I feel lucky that people want to hear my thoughts and need to be confident in knowing that my advice might be valuable.

Now, I need to know how and when to say no for dispensing free marketing and PR advice.  There's a reason why I get paid well to do what I do too.  Dispensing free personal life counsel is one thing but PR counsel will have to be another.

Do people come to you for advice often?  Where do you draw the line between personal and professional advice?  When do you decide to charge them?  How do you tell them?

Feeling Cranky

Lately, I've been feeling cranky.

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Poor Mark.  He gets the brunt of my crankiness and most of the time he doesn't do anything to deserve the backlash.  He thinks that I should just get over it and move on and not allow my crankiness to ruin either of our day.  I agree but sometimes misery loves company and I want him to be cranky with me - I know, so not nice of me.  Sorry, my sweet.  I really do love you and I don't want to hurt you or ruin your day.

I don't know how to get out of my funk.  It is probably hormonal and will go away in a couple of days but I hate being cranky!  It makes me get in my own way.  I should just climb into bed and get out when I'm not cranky anymore.  Good thing I have client work that needs to get done - I can focus on something else! 

What do you do to get out of a funk?  Do you ever take your own crankiness out on your spouse?

Facial Goodness and a Chemistry Lesson

I've had a lot of facials in my lifetime.  I actually often find them more relaxing than massages because I can truly relax.  My body isn't being pushed at a million different pressure points and I'm not being asked to flip.  With a facial, I can truly go into my own zone and not worry until my eyes are uncovered.  The facial that I had on Friday was not necessarily one of the most relaxing but it was one of the best for my skin.  Not only though did I get a facial, I also got a chemistry lesson.

A couple of months ago, I "won" a facial in a silent auction.  As part of my goal to relax more and do something each month to pamper myself, I scheduled the facial for last Friday (very close to the end of the month).  My last pampering effort was the beginning of March with a massage.

I made my appointment online with Andrew Scuola at Sync Spa in North Beach - one of two locations.  The process was so simple and I got an email confirmation that plugged right into my Outlook calendar.  How convenient!  I was also asked to bring the products that I use on my face along with me to my appointment.  Very curious!

Parking is an issue in North Beach, so I was pleased to know that the salon is located right next to a parking garage - and they validate $2 off, which isn't much but every little bit helps.  When I arrived, I was greeted and asked to wait.  Andrew soon came out and handed over some paperwork for me to complete.  It seemed pretty standard; however, my first clue that it was not going to be a typical facial was the question to list all of my skin care products.  Good thing I remembered to bring them!

Once the paperwork was complete, Andrew brought me back to a comfy couch outside the treatment room.  There, we sat and reviewed all of my answers.  Next up, he looked carefully at all of the ingredients in each of my skin care products.  He went into great detail about how one's skin reacts or doesn't react chemically to each of the ingredients.  What I took away from it was that 1) my sunscreen is really a lotion and 2) the molecules in my "fancy" face cream makes my skin feel really soft but nothing is being absorbed into my skin to properly hydrate it - unless my skin is prepared to receive hydration every product will just sit on top of it making it feel nice but not do anything useful.

Andrew said that he would decide on the best facial for me once he got a good look at my skin on the table - something that I truly appreciated since many esthaticians previously just give me the facial I sign up for not knowing anything about my skin.  The table that he had in his treatment room was divide.  I honestly could have used it as my bed.  The "bedding" was so soft and comfortable - I truly felt cocooned.

The facial itself was fantastic from start to finish.  When Andrew did the extractions, I barely felt a thing.  If I ever need an extraction again on my face, I know who to go to.  There was no pinching or pulling of my face.  He treated my face and skin like they were the most delicate flowers on the planet.  Seriously, I've never had such lovely hands make my face feel so wonderful.  Andrew walked through each step when necessary - quietly letting me know if I should expect any tingling or sensation - otherwise was quiet.

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After the facial was over, he walked me through his full analysis of my skin and pulled some products that he though would be good for my skin.  I asked him how often he recommended a facial - most estheticians recommend once a month - and was surprised by his response.  He said that he wanted me to follow my new skin care routine for a month and then come back.  After that follow-up session, he probably would not need to see me for another 3-6 months.  How happy was my wallet?!

My skin felt divine the rest of the day and the next day.  The true test after a facial is how lovely my skin feels in the subsequent days.  Having followed his recommended regimen, it is now four days out and my skin still feels soft and supple.  Some of the surface changes that I want to change are still there but Andrew says that it will take a few weeks/months for some of those to become noticeable (e.g., sun/age spots, etc.).  Time will tell.

For now, I am happily sticking to this new skin care regimen and I'll see Andrew in about a month again.

If you live in the Bay Area and are seeking a new facialist, I highly recommend Andrew.  Visit his website here.  Also, he is running a referral special right now:

Get $25 off any in-spa products purchased at the time of your first treatment.  To get your $25 discount, make an appointment online, mention my name (Michelle Landwehr) as a referral and you will get this discount at the time of your appointment.  Then, please send me a message and let me know that you have an appointment scheduled so I can follow up and credit for the referral.  This promotion is only valid through June 2011.

Enjoy!