I'm NOT Outdoorsy

I grew up in the rural suburbs, on ten acres of land, but I'm not outdoorsy.

Yesterday, I took my dog over to my parents house to help acclimate their dog, Zoe (who is fearful, anxious, mean, and old), to my pup.

This is their second meeting. Daisy did great again. Zoe was leashed the entire time and would growl and snap at Daisy every time Daisy got close. But Daisy constantly was testing Zoe's boundaries

My dad thought if we walked them around the woods, maybe that would help Zoe trust Daisy more.

There's a lot of snow out there. First Daisy and I were blazing the trail for the old man and old dog. Then we switched. Then we switched again. The snow was just below my knees. We hadn't even gotten very far, when...

Step. It was up to my waist. I yelled. Dad laughed.

Then, I realized I was stuck. My boot was sucked in to mucky, muddy, swampy, icky something underneath.

In my struggle to get my boot/foot/leg loose and keep the dogs apart, I got my other boot stuck. But there was no freeing it.

I acquiesced. I pulled my foot out of my boot, but the snow avalanched into the vacant hole.

I tried digging. Daisy tried digging. Dad stood laughing (and kept Zoe away).

There was no rescuing it. Not without a shovel (and without the dogs).

So in one stocking foot, I walked back to the house. My sock, ankles, and pants covered in snow and mud. My non-booted foot stinging with cold.

Dad went back out with a shovel and rescued my waterlogged and mud-covered boot.

The boots are still drying and need a good scrubbing.

What did the entire adventure teach us? I'm NOT outdoorsy!

Wild Wednesday: Bornean Bay Cat

One of the world's rarest wild cats, an elusive creature once thought to be extinct, has been spotted in camera traps in Malaysian Borneo for the first time since 2003, researchers said Thursday, January 13.

The Bornean Bay Cat, a long-tailed reddish or grey feline the size of a large domesticated cat, was sighted in the northern highlands of Malaysia's Sarawak state, the forest department said.

Three photographs showing two or three individuals were captured, bringing new hope for the future of the endangered animal about which very little is known.

This species is very secretive and only exists in Borneo. It was classified as extinct until a photograph of it was taken in 2003.

It is very encouraging more so because this photograph was taken in a logged forest. When researchers saw this it made them wonder whether this kind of habitat can sustain wildlife, even for rare and important species like the bay cat.

Other than these handful of images, most other information on the species consists of historical records, morphological descriptions, and anecdotes.

Three's Company - TV

Erie has always been the light of our lives, but now it is brightening up the TV airwaves again. Being in the spotlight of three television shows.

Meadville's own comedian Tammy Pescatelli will debut her new reality show "A Stand-Up Mother" tonight at 10 p.m. on WEtv. The show will feature Pescatelli, 41, with her husband Luca Palanca, 42, their son Luca Jr., 2, and members of their extended families in their Meadville home.

Tuesday's first episode introduces the clan through an unusual party - a "Wed-tismal." Pescatielli and her husband didn't have time to have a wedding reception or a baptism for their son, so they have one big party. And, of course, work beckons. Pascatelli's agent calls her for an LA audition that conflicts with the party. So she needs to videotape her audition.

It sounds like this show will definitely feature a lot of characters.

Next up. HGTV's Income Property is coming to America and one of the three cities they will be renovating will be Erie, PA! Income Property (currently only in Canada) creates awesome renovations for rental spaces in a homeowners house. So you can apply to today, if you have an income suite in need of repair.

Be warned. You still have to pay for the renovations. The host Scott McGillivray gives the homeowner (and future landlord) two options for renovations, one more affordable than the other. But it still is not a cheap re-do. Of course, you will be adding value to your home and knocking money off your monthly mortgage payment. I love the idea of doing this to a part of my house, especially with my close proximity to area colleges.

Lastly, Erie may be getting madeover, extreme-style, again. ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition announced last week, that it hopes to come back to Erie to give another deserving family's home a face lift. They were here two summers ago when they made over Clara Ward’s home on East 21st Street. Let's move that bus all the way to Erie.

If you know a deserving family, you can (and should) nominate them or apply yourself.

Congrats, Erie! Way to make us proud!

Roll with it

As George Costanza once pointed out, toilet paper has not changed in his lifetime and probably wouldn't.

Well that logic has been refuted, Kimerly-Clark announced in October it developed a new tubeless toilet paper roll.

The company uses a “special winding process” that keeps the roll round(ish) and allows you to use even the very last piece of tissue without having to worry about glue.

Scott Naturals Tube-Free is for sale in the Northeast part of the country at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. If these test sales show high interest, the brand will be made available nationally.

Most consumers toss, rather than recycle, empty tubes.

The 17 billion toilet paper tubes produced annually in the USA account for 160 million pounds of trash, according to Kimberly-Clark estimates, and could stretch more than a million miles placed end-to-end. That's from here to the moon and back — twice.

It's nice a company is recognising the importance of making everyday items more eco-friendly and helping to make the public more aware.

I wonder how much time and money was spend on research and development of this product. Would the money had been better spent advertising to people to remind them to recycle the toilet paper rolls?

Do you recycle your TP tubes?

I do. And if the new toilet paper roll is wrapped in paper, I also recycle that.

We only have one world and we must leave it a better place for the generations to come.

Please sign my comment and promise to recycle your empty toilet paper tubes.

Wild Wednesday: Asian Carp

Asian carp have been found in the Illinois River, which connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Due to their large size and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes Ecosystem.

To prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA, the State of Illinois, the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together to install and maintain a permanent electric barrier between the fish and Lake Michigan.

How did Asian carp get so close to the Great Lakes?

Two species of Asian carp -- the bighead and silver -- were imported by catfish farmers in the 1970's to remove algae and suspended matter out of their ponds. During large floods in the early 1990s, many of the catfish farm ponds overflowed their banks, and the Asian carp were released into local waterways in the Mississippi River basin.

The carp have steadily made their way northward up the Mississippi, becoming the most abundant species in some areas of the River.

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, where the barrier is being constructed, connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes via the Illinois River.

What effects might Asian carp have on the Great Lakes?

Asian Carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes because they are large, extremely prolific, and consume vast amounts of food. They can weigh up to 100 pounds, and can grow to a length of more than four feet. They are well-suited to the climate of the Great Lakes region, which is similar to their native Asian habitats.

Researchers expect that Asian carp would disrupt the food chain that supports the native fish of the Great Lakes. Due to their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes Ecosystem.

Are Asian carp already in the Great Lakes?

In June, a live Asian carp was caught by commercial fishermen in Lake Calumet near Chicago – past an electrical barrier designed to stop it. And earlier DNA sampling has found traces of the carp in the Chicago Area Waterway System, a tributary of the Great Lakes.

There is no evidence of a reproducing population of Asian carp anywhere in the Great Lakes. Yet…

What can we do?

In September 2010, Barack Obama appointed John Goss, a wildlife official in Indiana, to the office of U.S. Asian carp czar. We cannot wait any longer. We need to let Obama and Goss know we need a permanent solution that will protect our Great Lakes way of life.

Last Thursday Cleveland area residents demanded feds take urgent action to keep Asian carp from storming Lake Erie at a public meeting.

National Wildlife Federation and other groups called on the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to create a hydrologic barrier between Lake Michigan and the Chicago Waterway System to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. NWF also wants the Corps to complete the Chicago portion of the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study(GLMRIS) study within 18 months (which has been orginially estimated to be completed by mid-2015 at the earliest - and a solution could take several more years after that.)

USACE is hosting twelve National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) public scoping meetings in the metropolitan areas. None are coming to Erie. But you can submit your comments online at any time through March 31, 2011.


We need to protect Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes.

Baby Bump - Good. Baby Bump - Bad.

Not many stars accessoried with a bump this year at the Golden Globes.

One actress looked great and one didn't. But surprisingly, it was the opposite of who normally gets it right and wrong.

Natalie Portman may have won best actress for Black Swan but this dress (specifically the rose) did not. Natalie wore a pink-and-red Viktor & Rolf gown and Stella McCartney shoes with Tiffany & Co. jewelry and a Dior clutch. I think Natalie would have looked gorgeous if that hideous rose wasn't plastered across her chest, the accesories weren't red, and the hair wasn't so tight in that french twist. Natalie and fiance Benjamin Millepied are due this summer.

Jane Krakowski, who has made many red carpet mistakes, looked gorgeous in this Badgley Mischka Couture slate blue silk chiffon, georgette and chantilly lace one shoulder gown. She completed her look with Casadei shoes and a Salvatore Ferragamo light blue clutch. Jane and her fiance Robert Godley are due in April.

Thoughts?

Golden Globes - Sleeves, Bare Back, Front Slit

The Golden Globes 2011 have come to a close. Again, they were hosted by the edgy Ricky Gervais (who after this year's comments, I don't believe will be invited to host again).

The big winners: The Social Network (Drama Picture), The Kids Are All Right (Comedy Picture), Toy Story 3 (Animated Film), Colin Firth, "The King's Speech" (Drama Actor), Natalie Portman, "Black Swan" (Drama Actress).

The big losers: Fashion.

As I was collecting images of the best and the worst, by pile for hideous kept growing and growing.

A few trends I noticed: covered arms, bare backs, and front slits.

Here are my two favorites:

Angelina Jolie left her simple black gown at home and was one of several women who wore emerald green, long sleeves, and plunging back. Jolie glitters in an Atelier Versace gown and Robert Procop jewelry.

Anne Hathaway was my other fav. She wore an amber Armani Privé gown embroidered with Swarovski crystals, Roger Vivier clutch, Brian Atwood platforms and Van Cleef & Arpels vintage jewels.

Others who fell into the best-dress category by default:

Scarlett Johansson appeals to my love of '40s-style fashion in this full-sleeved Elie Saab gown with floral appliqués, Jimmy Choo heels and Van Cleef & Arpels jewels, including brooches worn as hair-clips in her teased do.

Clare Danes wore a custom Calvin Klein Collection neon silk halter dress with a low back and carried a gold box clutch from the designer, along with Roger Vivier sandals and Fred Leighton jewels.

January Jones always tries to get away from her Mad Men character's 1960s style and bares all (or, at least, a lot) in this red fringed Versace gown with a soft retro do and Neil Lane jewels.

Elizabeth Moss finally wore color and it was one that worked with her skin tone. This custom-made Donna Karan is the best Moss has ever looked. One note: steam the dress before the runway.

UGLY:
Catherine Zeta-Jones wore curtains... I mean... a bed spread... I mean... a strapless forest green Monique Lhuillier ballgown, Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry along with Ferragamo shoes and clutch.

Julianne Moore shows how not to wear a one-shoulder gown in this pink Lanvin dress, nude pumps also by Lanvin, Bulgari jewelry and vintage clutch.

Lea Michele did not get a good grade for this red carpet in her rose-colored, one-shoulder Oscar de la Renta gown with ruffled details, accessorized with Christian Louboutin heels and Lorraine Schwartz platinum jewelry.

Olivia Wilde is not a princess is this embroidered chocolate brown Marchesa gown, Tiffany & Co. jewels and studded gold Christian Louboutin booties.

Michelle Williams puts hippies to shame in this never-want-to-grow-up, flower-child, embellished Valentino gown, Christian Louboutin heels and Fred Leighton jewelry.

Kyra Sedgwick, as always, is going to have to work closely with the fashion police. Sedgwick wore an orange Emilio Pucci gown with a ruffled V-neck, a VBH clutch, Casadei sandals and chunky gold and diamond Ofira jewelry.

Heidi Klum attempts to wear a Spring 2011 striped halter dress by Marc Jacobs, sexy red platform sandals and Lorraine Schwartz diamond and wood bangles.

Tina Fey didn't wear black, but did again hit bottom in this navy velvet L'Wren Scott gown, Jimmy Choo heels, a Swarovski clutch and Lorraine Schwartz sapphire and diamond jewelry.

WORST:

Helena Bonham Carter in Vivienne Westwood. There are no words.

I wish there were more good looks to commend, but unfortunately, there was a lot of ugly on this year's red carpet.

Did you have a favorite look? Which look do you think is the worst? Who did I miss on my list of best and worst?

Monster Monday: Tips for Dealing with Self-Evaluation

We've all been there. Staring at the blank form, trying to figure out how to be modest, but still highlighting our sucesses. This is not something that college classes teach you. Luckily Monster.com contributing writer Malcolm Fleschner explains how to handle the self-evaluation component of your performance assessment


Maybe you're like many politicians, rappers or movie stars, and you love nothing more than to talk about yourself at great length. Then again, maybe you're a little more reserved about the prospect of tooting your own horn.

For those in the latter camp, being asked to perform a self-evaluation as part of an employee performance appraisal can cause more than a little consternation. "What is the point of this?" "What am I supposed to say?" and "Is whatever I put down going to be used against me?" are just a few of the questions employees raise when confronted with an employee evaluation form.

The first step, before you put pen to paper, is to relax, says Milwaukee-based executive coach and organizational development expert Joan Lloyd. The self-evaluation was not developed by sadistic HR departments just to torture employees, she says. Rather, it serves a genuine purpose and, when properly handled, can help further your career.

"Self-assessments have become very popular -- and with good reason," she says. "Managers can't possibly remember as well as you can everything you accomplished throughout the year. By asking you to provide input into your own employee evaluation, it reminds your boss about all the good things you achieved."

Self-Praise With Specifics

Today, many employees work independently and make more of their own work-related decisions. As a result, managers are less-aware of each team member’s day-to-day activities. That's why, when filling out a self-evaluation form, it's important to detail your accomplishments, be specific and avoid soft terms, says Stephanie Dawkins, a former global senior VP for Volvo and author of Corporate Coffee: Success Never Tasted So Good.
"Adjectives such as 'great,' 'good' and 'a lot' are very subjective,” she says. “Try to use more measurable objectives such as 'have demonstrated project management skill via coordinating X project' or 'met all objectives before deadline.' Make sure that you have a record of personal accomplishments, projects led, objectives met, training sessions attended and skills developed to draw from.

Lloyd adds that a performance assessment is no time for false modesty, so go ahead and include factual evidence to support your record of accomplishments.

”Don't say, 'I work well with my fellow team members,'" she says. "Instead, say, 'During the Maxwell Project, I stayed late for three evenings to help Janet get the delivery ready for shipment, and I volunteered to cover for Pat when she went out for surgery. This saved the unit money and kept a high level of service for our customers because we didn't have to hire a temp.'"

Own Your Shortcomings

On the flip side, when it comes to addressing the negatives of the past year, Palo Alto, California-based career counselor and coach Richard Phillips says employees need to be proactive about bringing up what he prefers to call development areas.

"You can often head off trouble by saying, 'This is an area where I need to develop, and here's what I'm doing about it,'" he says. "You never state a weakness or a problem without a solution. Even if your solution isn't that good, it demonstrates that you're taking responsibility and that you can self-manage."

Lloyd says that, contrary to the stereotypical image of the boss who's eager to dress down employees, most managers appreciate team members who take this kind of initiative.

"As the boss, it just makes your life easier when someone says, "I know I fouled up that project,'" she says. "And then when you follow up by saying, 'But from that experience the learning lessons were X, Y and Z and now, as a result, I'm doing these two things differently,' that shows a tremendous amount of self-awareness. It also allows the boss to relax because he or she thinks, 'OK, now I don't have to bring this up.'"

Directing the Dialogue

A big part of making the self-evaluation work for you is your perspective, Phillips says. Don't view the experience as an opportunity for management to play "gotcha," but as a chance to make yourself look better than you otherwise might during the performance review and to neutralize any potential negatives, he says.

Lloyd agrees, emphasizing that the self-evaluation allows you to frame the conversation, control what winds up on your performance appraisal form and set the tone for how you move forward.

"By taking this sort of initiative, you set up the whole performance review meeting to be a win, and much more career-focused and coaching-focused,” she says. “You're more likely to wind up with a really great, open-ended, two-way dialogue about your past year. You also have greater control over what goes on the record, and that record will be crucial in terms of your future career and opportunities."

Do you have self-evaluations at your job? When do they occur? Have you struggled filling yours out? Any other tips you can offer? Any horror stories on what not to do?

814 - Safe for Now

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) voted Thursday to review its decision to split the 814 area-code region and assign the 582 area code to our region.

It means that Erie County and the rest of northwestern Pennsylvania might keep the 814 area code.

Commissioners voted to take another look at their decision after receiving more than 40 petitions signed by more than 14,000 individuals, utilities, businesses, and organizations speaking out against the split. Verizon was one of those businesses that really made a difference in the reexamination. Verizon is in favor of an overlay. (Businesses and individuals who already have an 814 phone number could keep it, but new phone numbers would eventually receive ones starting with 582.)

The PUC held public hearings last year, but it didn't get much feedback. Only six people attended the initial public hearing in Erie on April 23. Since there's feedback now, it will host more public hearings and technical conferences. The time and location of those meetings has yet to be determined, though the commission said in a news release they will be held "throughout the 814 area code."

Let me pose one question. Did the PUC not do a good job publicizing the public hearings or were we not paying attention? I understand that many individuals don't get outraged until something actually happens to them. But shouldn't Verizon and Manufacturer & Business Association have known about last year's hearing?

I'm frustrated. I don't know where to place the blame, but I think it's on all of us. The PUC for not notifying the public better. Local businesses and organizations for not speaking up when this suggestion first happened. And the citizens in the region for not paying attention. This entire issue could have been much better handled and our area's outrage could have been avoided.

With that said, YAY for 814 possibly staying!

Harborcreek Graduate Killed in Action

Twenty-year-old, army specialist Jarrid King was killed in action in Afghanistan on Wednesday. He was one of three U.S. Army soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb.

The Defense Department said King and the two other soldiers died from wounds they suffered in the explosion in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They were assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y.

King graduated from Harbor Creek High School in 2009.  Two of King's brothers are current members of Harbor Creek's baseball team.

He is only the second soldier to be killed overseas from our area since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars began.

Sergeant Donald S. Oaks was killed by friendly fire in 2006. Oaks was also a Harbor Creek High School graduate and the Wintergreen Gorge Bridge of the Bayfront Connector Highway (over Four Mile Creek) was renamed in his honor.

Sorry to the family and friends of King. We are grateful for his service and mourn his sacrifice.

Thanks to all our troops who serve and protect our country. Come home safe!

Monster Monday: Five Tips to Get Organized at Work

Megan Malugani from Monster.com offers us some much needed advice on getting, staying, looking, and feeling organized. Something I desperately need. Something I promised I would do in my new office. Something I am never successful at.

No one wants to be considered the office airhead. But losing just one important phone number (“I can’t believe I spilled coffee on that sticky note!”) or forgetting one vital meeting (“Where is my darn calendar, anyway?”) because you’re disorganized may make you look like one. These five organizing tips can help you become known for your brilliant ideas rather than your scattered brain.

1. Chuck Your Junk
Just like when you declutter at home, think about whether you’ve needed something within the last year. Make a “toss” pile, a “store” pile and a currently active “to-do” pile. That take-out menu from the bankrupt sandwich shop down the street? Toss it. The budget report from 2009? Store it, but only one copy. A printout of the presentation you’re giving on Friday? Keep it on hand.

2. Store, Store and Store Some More
Resist the urge to be a perfectionist in dealing with the old paperwork in your “store” pile, or you’ll be lost amid stacks of miscellany for days. Just create a way to organize your materials in a way that makes sense to you. Everything related to the annual meeting could go in one labeled plastic bin or box, for example. Then work with your boss to find a place outside your office or cubicle to store this stuff.

3. Tackle Your To-Do Pile
This is where you should invest your efforts for the biggest payoff in long-term, sustainable organization. Create file folders for each project you are currently working on (or a different folder for each client or for each upcoming due date -- whatever makes sense for you). When you complete a project, go through the file and discard the unimportant documents within. Then store the folder -- which has been winnowed down to include only the project essentials -- into an appropriate bin.

4. Keep Your Desk Clear
The surface of your desk should now be visible. Hooray! Keep it that way. One surefire way to prevent clutter from accumulating on your desk is to adopt the one-touch rule. Deal with every piece of paper that crosses your desk immediately. Trash it, act on it, file it or -- if you really must -- place it in your inbox until you have time to deal with it. (The one-touch rule is also applicable to email. Either respond right away, or direct your incoming messages to appropriate email folders.)

5. Use Technology Wisely
Strive to keep phone numbers and other often-used data on your computer and/or mobile phone. Online organizers -- which you can access via your computer or your phone -- can combine your calendar, address book, to-do lists and more. They can also send you pop-up reminders about meetings and deadlines. It may take a little time to master using these tools, but they’ll save you time (and lots of sticky notes) in the long run.

Do you consider yourself organized at work? Do you keep your desk neat?

Green Your Fitness

New Year’s resolutions aside, this is a great time of year to focus on physique. This week the Sierra Club gives ideas about how to get fit in the greenest of ways.

Tip #1: Empower Your Commute
That means: You power your own commute. Human-powered modes of transit (walking, jogging, biking) conserve fossil fuels and get you in better shape right quick. Live too far from your workplace to walk or bike? Surely there’s some regular commute you make by car that you could replace with calories. Bonus points for recruiting others to do the human-powered commute with you — for creating a foot-centric “carpool,” if you will.

Tip #2: Get Greener Gear
When getting fit, it helps to have the right shoes, the right clothes, and the right, uh, support. But before you go out to buy an armful of synthetic products (yes, spandex, nylon, and their brethren were invented in a lab), remember the many green-thinking companies that produce sustainable apparel made from bamboo or hemp and leave your money in their hands instead. But since buying of something new isn't always the greenest, you could also consider used workout gear — check the local Goodwill or Salvation Army for perfectly good threads.

Tip #3: Get Outside Already!

This isn’t just an aesthetic decree. It’s a practical one that’ll actually save a good amount of fossil-fuel energy. Running on a motorized treadmill is the equivalent of leaving 50 CFLs on while you exercise. Running outside? Priceless. For some, though, neighborhood or weather makes it hard to step out for a jog (though, really, it’s almost never too cold to exercise outside). If that’s you, wise up your gym routine: use human-powered machines instead of electric ones, choose facilities that have green measures in place, and encourage managers to run the joint more sustainably.

Hopeful Harborcreek - Eastway Plaza Development Plan

 Last night at Harborcreek Township's Planning Commission meeting, supervisors heard new plans for the mostly vacant Eastway Plaza. A first step at this hearing Thursday night was a requested a zoning change by the plaza owner, Benderson Development (based in Buffalo). Apparently, a zoning mistake was made decades ago zoning some of the plaza residential. This error needs fixed before any development can move forward.

But there now is a concept on the drawing board for the run-down plaza. It includes some renovation, demolition and new construction to try to attract new retail development to the plaza. Part of the concept is a new 92,000 square foot building.

Township Supervisor Dean Pepicello said, "The concept shows half of the plaza would come down. The eastern half would be demolished and replaced with what looks like a free standing, almost 100,000 square foot building. So it would be a major change on Buffalo Road and the Eastway Plaza. It would have a huge impact going forward."

Now even if the township approved the zoning change at last night's meeting (the minutes have yet to be posted on HC's website), the plaza owner would still have to submit a land development plan once a tenant for the new building is found.

Here's hoping for big things for the plaza.

Eastsiders, what type of commercial business would you like to see? Grocery? Restaurants? Convenience? Department?

What stores would you like to see in the proposed 92,000 square foot building? Target? Kohl's? Wegmans? Tim Hortens?

Goodbye, White Cheddar Popcorn.

Troyer Farms is the only U.S. manufacturer of potato chips that grows its own potatoes. As a result, Troyer Farms can legitimately claim to produce the freshest chip in the country.

But after March 7, when the company lays off the last of its 350 workers and moves it's operations to York, Pa. (where the headquarters are located of the company is that bought Troyer Farms in 2008), it will not longer be able to make that claim.

I know this doesn't surprise most people, but I think it saddens all of us.

My follow-up questions are:
Where will area elementary schools go for field trips now?
What snacks will be donated to charity events now?
Will the chips, popcorn, and pretzels even taste the same?
What will happen to the potato farm?
How does the Troyer family feel about this?


Which Troyer Farms snack is your favorite? Mine is, hands down, the white cheddar popcorn. Scrumptious!

Green New Year's Resolutions

Here are the Sierra Club's tips to making your resolutions more eco-friendly and community-centric.

Tip #1: Commit to an Act of Activism

If you tend to shy away from causing a scene or making your voice heard, this could be a productive exercise. Pick an issue about which you’re particularly passionate — perhaps stopping factory farms from polluting water? Or protecting wildlife from climate change? — and do something active about it. You could organize or participate in a protest, write a letter to an agenda-setter, raise funds, or use your creativity to do something else to help move the world toward the solution you’re envisioning. How else to turn hope into change?

Tip #2: Volunteer More

It’s been scientifically proven that people who volunteer are happier, healthier, and live longer. It just takes a few weeks for you — and your community — to start reaping those benefits, so start thinking about which cause you’d enjoy donating your time to in 2011. Perhaps you’d be good at taking inner-city kids into the wild, spending time with animals, or cleaning a beach or river. Not sure where to start? Contact your local Sierra Club chapter for green opportunities, or find more general volunteering resources at Serve.gov.

Tip #3: Build Community

If this tip sounds a bit vague or overwhelming, that’s because it’s a huge topic. But you can start by identifying an organizing principle around which you’d like to strengthen a local community — environmental issues work well. Then get active: Organize get-togethers around that theme, share your skills (and stuff), inhabit public places more (which also saves electrical light and heat, since they become communal), engage your neighbors, and encourage a culture of stewardship by serving as an example of the type of citizen you’d like to see more of.

Tip #4: Resolve Not to Resolve
If you’re already overcommitted, or are simply happy with all the eco-positive community measures you’re involved in, resist the urge to pile one more scoop onto an already heaping plate. It’s a paradox, but resolving not to make a resolution — that is, to keep things manageably simple, balanced, and focused — can make you more effective and committed to achieving the planet-furthering goals you’ve already set for yourself.

Employers Make Passes at People In Glasses

People are more likely to get a job if they wear glasses to their interview, a British College of Optometrists study found.

Experts say it is because of an old stereotype that people develop bad eyesight by reading a lot.

A third of British adults think glasses make someone look more professional and 43% think glasses make people look more intelligent, according to the research. A staggering 40% already wear or would consider wearing clear lenses they do not need just to look the part and improve their chances of getting a job.

Dr Susan Blakeney, Optometric Advisor to the College of Optometrists, said: "It's great to see a shift in how we perceive glasses.

So. Will you toss you contacts to the side for your next interview and opt for your glasses? Would you buy fake glasses to help you look smarter?

And for those of you who toggle between both eye remedies, have you felt a difference in how you are perceived? Inquiring minds want to know...

11 Things You Should Resolve Not to Do at Work in 2011

Monster.com offers career advice by contributing writer Megan Malugani.

I know I am guilty of almost all of these things from time to time.

The new year is a perfect time to say “hello” to workplace happiness and “good-bye” to the bad habits that make you miserable and hinder your professional success. You’ll enjoy your time in the office a little more -- and improve your professional reputation -- if you make it your New Year’s resolution to cut down on these 11 counterproductive behaviors:

1. Excessive Complaining
Enough already. Constant whining about insignificant things (“It’s horribly unfair that Department X got a casual day and we didn’t!”) doesn’t serve a purpose and keeps you in a perpetually bad mood. Plus, happy people will avoid you.

2. Gossiping
Ditto for gossiping. The next time a colleague tries to engage you in the office drama du jour, offer a one-word response, like “interesting” or “wow,” and follow it with, “I’ve got to go. See you later.” Repeat as necessary.

3. Heartlessly Criticizing Others
Sometimes you must criticize a colleague’s or subordinate’s performance. But have a heart when doing so. If possible, mention a few positives for every negative, and try to be constructive rather than cruel.

4. Beating Yourself Up
So you made a mistake, or your brilliant idea actually turned out to be a bad one. No one is perfect. Own up to your mistake, or take responsibility for your failure. Then move on.

5. Taking Yourself Too Seriously
C’mon, lighten up. Admittedly, this may be tough for overworked employees in a difficult labor market. But that is precisely the reason to flash those pearly whites and crack a joke now and then (even of the “gallows humor” variety): Everyone benefits when the tension is brought down a notch, even for just a minute.

6. Stagnating
Are you content to be bored at work? Do you want your boss to consider you uninspired? Probably not. So make it a resolution to learn something new or try something different in 2011.

7. Isolating Yourself
In today’s topsy-turvy job market, professional networking is more important than ever. So this year, don’t hole up in your cubicle. Get out there and meet some new folks -- both inside and outside the company -- who share your profession or work in your field.

8. Blending into the Woodwork
Even if you’ve always had a hard time speaking up in meetings or expressing your opinion to your boss, it’s never too late to start putting in your two cents. Pick one work-related issue that is close to your heart and that you’re knowledgeable about. Contribute a few comments on this issue during a meeting -- you may be surprised at how seriously people take the input of someone who speaks sparingly!

9. Blabbing Unnecessarily
Stating your mind is important, but don’t just talk to hear your own voice in meetings, either. Speak up only if you’re adding something of value to the discussion.

10. Burning Bridges
Don’t assume that colleagues, customers and others who cross your professional path will forgive and forget when you do them wrong. So make it one of your resolutions in 2011 to stay on good terms with your professional acquaintances. Yes, it’s sometimes hard, but oh-so-worth-it in the long run.

11. Wasting Time Via Social Media
Wasting time at work is as old as work itself. But a particularly timely pet peeve of many bosses is the overuse and/or misuse of Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media. Alas, this final resolution -- to curb your social media addiction -- may not make you happier at work in the short term, but it will protect you professionally in the long term.

How many of these workplace bad habits are you guilty of?

Brogue-Mance

I normally try convincing myself out of too-trendy shoes based on practicality, longevity of said trend, and the change of seasons, but when I saw these brogue/oxford shoes by Joan and David, I was sold ... on the deal. 

Originally, priced at $180. These pewter, leather, Joan and David jazz oxfords were marked down to $99 on Shoewoo.com. But that is not where the sale ended. The site-wide clearance had them marked down another 70% off, plus 30% off because I was buying three (well, actually, more than three) pairs of shoes. With all those markdowns, I bought these for only $21.

Perfectly priced, and the metallic finish is loud enough to make a statement, but refined enough to still be worn as a basic. And they will instantly add an exclamation point to any lackluster outfit.