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On Getting And Maintaining A Manicure

A few weeks ago, I had a friend visiting for the week. The last day of his visit, Phil told me he had a surprise for me. “Don’t make any plans for 3 o’clock today.” he said cryptically. Needless to say, I was pretty curious.

When we pulled up to the Bar Harbor Spa, I got excited. Clearly I was in for a treat, and something I would never buy myself in a million years.

“We’re getting manicures.” he said. Fun!

What I didn’t expect was for people to actually notice it, and treat me differently.

This Week(s) In Business: Tweetup Edition

I usually publish ‘This Week In Business’ on the blog Wednesday or Thursday of each week. I realized Sunday I didn’t do it last week. D’oh!
I have been quite scatterbrained these last two weeks (you can see further examples of my recent flakiness on Facebook). I am going to attribute it to the move and being busy and just try to get back on schedule this week.
Despite what some people believe, I actually maintain a separate personal and internet life, with Facebook being the point of intersection, so it’s always interesting when I meet people from my internet life in person. And it was a week of meet and greet at Breaking Even Communications.

Too Cute Tuesday: Hula Hoops

Tonight’s craft is sponsored by Quigley’s Building Supply in Fort Kent, Maine. To sponsor a craft, contact us.

Next week, Too Cute Tuesday is gearing up for our month of giving… to each other!

Starting next Tuesday, the TCT crew will take turns helping one of our members complete a project in their house. Think of all those projects that you may want to get done but are nervous or simply dreading attempting yourself…Yup, we’ve got them too! Christy is kick off TCT’s Month of Giving next week by having us help her build a bar.

But this fantastic election day, we have decided to do a fun, whimsical craft to celebrate. What do you get when you combine the playful fun of PVC pipe with the plumbing marvel of hip swiveling? A hula hoop!

Sue didn't think she had skills but by the end of the night, we all realized she was just being modest.

Marketing Monday: Calfinder Blog

Every Monday, I talk about individuals or companies promoting themselves in a neat way online. Feel free to contact me to nominate yourself or a friend; I’m always looking for new ideas.

When I think of groups of people who have a good excuse to not be on the internet much, I think of building contractors.

I know a few contractors (from my hardware background) and when someone wakes up super early to work hard on a construction site all day, it is perfectly understandable for them to not have time to, say, catch up on blog reading on their lunch break. Those of us chained to our desks (you know, in a nice way!) have it easy as far as following internet trends.

Calfinder is a nationwide service matching contractors with home renovators. Part of their site is a frequently updated blog about remodeling trends, DIY tips, and information about locations and contractors. I use this blog as an example with some of my clients (and have emailed it to my family a few times) to show what a company can do with a blog.

Don't think contractors are online? Think again. Even professions that are traditionally non-bloggers are getting online, and accessible to the rest of us.

Here’s what I like about Calfinder:

I’m Moving: A Follow-up

Great news for me this week is that I have found a new rental and I am moving in two weeks. Here’s my new house, which is three times as large as the apartment I am living in right now.

My little house, some random car for scale.

I was told how hard/impossible it would be to find something affordable and year round in Bar Harbor but here’s how I performed my real estate miracle:

Why Your Friend Is Online All The Time

An Explanation From A Socially Needy Person


Every time I hear someone complaining about those people who change their Facebook status multiple times a day, I smile to myself. I smile because I have become that person.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t do this because I am bored or have no friends. I have a full life and real life friends. Really!

I would like to shed light on those people in your life who, like me, seem to reach out an awful lot online. Yes there are actual reasons for this behavior which I will from now on call ‘socially needy’.

Sometimes a lack of loin cloth, internet access, and my dog are what keeps me sane. I bet if Castaway Tom Hanks would have had Facebook, he would have updated his status more than I do.

Too Cute Tuesday: Halloween Costume

Joe found us a theme-appropriate and delicious cocktail again this evening. Bravo! )€”Joe Horr Photo

This Tuesday, in preparation for Halloween, Too Cute Tuesday was to be a dry run for the big day this Saturday.

I decided to be inspired by the offerings at Goodwill and go as a player type of guy. Christy is going as one of her friends, and Sarah is dressing up like Mary Poppins. (Dorrie isn’t dressing up this year.)

In the holiday spirit, Too Cute Tuesday’s Cocktail Consultant Joe found a Halloween related cocktail that is delicious and made with fairly cheap and ubiquitous liquor. Yay Tuesday.

Materials
Whatever you need for your costume. Thrift stores and other peoples’ closets are amazing resources. To give you an idea, Nicole’s costume cost $40, which includes the aviator sunglasses and beagle boxer shorts she could theoretically wear again. (Pink man’s polo, not so much.)

Cocktail of the Night: Vampire Slayer
1 oz. peach schnapps, 1 oz. grenadine, 1 oz. vodka. Fill with orange juice, top with maraschino cherries (if you’re not Nicole- she dislikes them intensely).

Marketing Monday: Garfunkel and Oates

Every Monday, I talk about individuals or companies promoting themselves in a neat way online. Feel free to contact me to nominate yourself or a friend; I’m always looking for new ideas.

It’s almost a sure thing to say that video is the next big internet thing.

Alright, that came out wrong. I am certainly not saying that people aren’t using video effectively now but I think that in the next few years, just like now most everyone has a website, in a few years most everyone will have video on their website. And as cameras get more affordable and videos get more search engine friendly, there will be more of a reason then ever to finally get in front of a camera.

Having recently begun to appreciate Youtube more myself, I have begun checking out cool videos. Among my favorite ‘series’ is Garfunkel and Oates.

 

Why Renting A Bigger Place May Save Me Money

It’s really interesting to shop for unique things like apartments or cars. Each is so different it’s hard to compare, you can’t exactly hop online and find the best deal like you would for, say, a certain model of digital camera. The whole thing is a bit more nuanced than that.
Clearly costs are an issue to me and, in looking at larger spaces, my rent is going to cost more. But there are some additional features that a larger apartment can accomodate that might make this move actually less expensive than where I live now.
I’ve attempting to assign some monetary values to some of this stuff, if only so I can fairly compare apartments. What do you think? Have I forgotten anything?
Washer and Dryer access- $25/month
Currently at the Bar Harbor Laundromat, I am paying about $6 for a load of laundry. A big load, sure, but $1 for 16 minutes of dryer time? Come on!

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