Do you watch Shark Tank?

Posted by random olio

So I really like the show: Shark Tank, especially with the addition of Mark Cuban. I love the banter and the bluntness of the judges. Since I have always been interested in the entrepreneur side of things, it is intriguing to watch different business owners (although some just have an idea and not functioning businesses yet) try to tell their story, their idea, themselves, and the worthiness of their product or company. Some guests are spot on with their approach: their ideas are clever, their sales approach is solid, and they get the money they need and the right investor to support them. Others are horrible. I guess like American Idol, there has to be a few that just miss the mark (and sometimes horribly so).

The show always makes me think about how I would approach the Sharks, and what savvy way would I try to win them over? Of course I would need a great business or product idea, but so much of the sales pitch is in the story and the confidence in which it is presented. Each judge has their own interesting nuances that you get to know over time. Mark Cuban has become my favorite judge, he is a bit cocky, but will also put himself out there for someone he believes really works hard and will truly make him money on his investment. Not all the judges will put themselves out there like that.

If you do not watch, it airs on Friday nights, and you can probably multi-task a bit while you watch (check Facebook, knit that hat, give yourself a pedicure). Yes, even some of you men should be doting on your feet, why not while catching up on your DVR?

the 'largest' shark tank

Enjoy!

From Homeless to Harvard

Posted by random olio

Feel like reading a good book and heartfelt memoir? A few months ago, I read: Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, by Liz Murray. It is a book that even if you had a good upbringing will make you feel like anything is possible.

Liz grew up in the Bronx with drug addicted parents. While she was not living on the streets until she was 15, the apartments she did live in were not truly habitable. This book shares her story of coming out of horrible circumstances. She eventually graduates from high school in two years, and wins a New York Times scholarship to Harvard. It happens because of her perseverance to change her current circumstances. Some parts of the book are hard to read, but as you read, remember that she lived these experiences. There were times when she would hide in her friend’s closets on very cold days. Other times her friends would smuggle her into their rooms and feed her. My heart just yearned for the fact that her friend’s families did not take her into their homes completely. Maybe the parents were just getting by to feed their own children. I so badly wanted someone to notice her situation and take her in.

She watches both of her parents abuse drugs for many years. They steal any money Liz might make for food or clothes to pay for their drugs, and they use their welfare check at the beginning of the month for drugs. She has such love for her parents, regardless of what they put her through. Without giving it away, you will see how later in her life, the unconditional love she gives them.

After college, Liz Murray founded the Broome Street Academy, one of the first high schools for homeless youth. You can find more information about Liz Murray on her website, Manifest Living.

I encourage you to read Breaking Night. It will remind you that we are capable of more than we know.

What? What? What? Would you share your Facebook + Email Passwords?

Posted by random olio

I had a different blog post in my head today, and then I read this news article and I just was appalled. My two second recap of this news article is that job seekers are being asked to give their username and password for their Facebook and email accounts so that potential employers can look at their accounts and see if there are any issues they might need to be aware of. Definitely read the full CBS News article here as it gives the full context.

Personally I keep my Facebook profile private to my Facebook friends only. To me it is a conversation between me and those I decide I want to be friends with on Facebook. I have been specific about who I have accepted and who I have not. I do not accept requests from everyone that “Friends” me, although others might. If I specifically made my profile public than it is any potential employer’s decision if they want to google me, or look at my public Facebook profile. If I make it private, then I should not be out of the running for a job because I do not wish the company to invade my personal life.

To me it is an invasion of my privacy and a matter of principle. It is also an invasion of your friend’s privacy (email addresses, contact information, and content). I can assure you, I am not appalled by this because I have something to hide. I am appalled because of principle. As it is, the boundaries between professional and personal lives are narrowing. You can do a bulk of work transactions on your phone, or from home, blurring the lines between your day job and your personal life. Is it too much to ask to have a few places that are sacred for your personal life? Maybe at the office you are a manager with a principled and driven approach to managing your team, yet on Facebook a softer side of you shows with comments regarding friend’s babies. Maybe that is not the side of you, that you want the office to see, so you purposely did not friend folks from work so you could have a life and friends separate from work.

What will be next? Will employers ask for passwords for our checking accounts and our credit cards to see what we purchase? How about our library card accounts to see what we are reading? I have many issues with anyone asking for a password for any account. For one thing, many of us use the same password for multiple accounts, so how is it even legal to ask for this type of private information? Another issue I have, is where is the privacy of our personal lives? Does the potential employer need to know that your good friend just died and your Facebook friends have been consoling you? No. You might have been just trying to keep it together each day as you work through the loss of your friend. Is that the potential employers business? No. Why would it ever be okay for a potential employer to have access to your email account, where you may receive emails from your bank, credit card company, mom, sister, etc.?

Maybe what is needed is not so much focus on social media and job seekers, but for employers to hone the skills of those interviewing to be more savvy with their “reading people” skills to ask the right questions of the job seeker. The interviewer can work to get to know the job seeker as a person sitting in front of them, rather than spending their time focusing on what their friends might post on their Facebook wall. What did employers do before Facebook and Twitter? Has Facebook become such a view into a person, that it overpowers the skills and experience of the job seeker?

Please read today’s CBS article. For more information about legislation in Illinois, here are more details, and in Maryland, here are more details. Both states are working to pass legislation that would bar employers from requesting usernames and passwords to job seeker’s social media profiles. More states should be passing this type of legislation. We deserve more privacy. Job seekers should not be put in a position that they feel awkward and withdraw their application or that they willingly go along with such invasion of privacy because they have mouths to feed at home.

Still appalled in Portland.

UPDATE ON 3/23/2012: Facebook has released comments urging employers not to ask for password s.

First Day of Spring!!

Posted by random olio

It is March 20, 2012, and the FIRST DAY OF SPRING! I am so excited. I cannot wait for days and days of sunshine. The stems of my daffodils are up, as are my snow caps. The leaves are getting bigger and bigger on my hydrangeas, and my hostas and irises are just sticking their heads out of the ground. In the front, the weeping cherry tree has small, light pink buds opening up. And yet, we had snow flurries on Sunday and actual snow just a few miles away yesterday morning. Each time the snow hits, I pray my green budding friends will continue to bloom. I am not much of a green thumb. I tend to kill most indoor plants (my husband keeps them hydrated because I forget). What?! Sound strange? If something does not yell for my attention, I can easily forget about it. Which means quiet plants = no watering. Somehow I have managed to keep the plants in the backyard alive. Although I do not think I can take all the credit. It must be our sprinkler or maybe Chris is really watching over them.

My green budding friends mean that soon I will be able to break out my Chaco flip-flops! I cannot wait. In honor of Spring, here are a few ideas I wanted to share with you. (Click on the image to read quotes more easily).

a few ideas on Spring and renewal...

Enjoy!

Triple C weekend – (Cleaning/Creativity/Cookies)

Posted by random olio

I had a great weekend! Chris and I randomly started cleaning out the garage on Saturday. We purged, took items to Goodwill, organized, found items to sell on eBay, and then headed into the house and thoroughly cleaned. Ah, spring cleaning! It is almost as though spring cleaning should be done spontaneously. We even did all the laundry. It felt great to accomplish so much together. At the end of the night I made Chris’ favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

mmm...chocolate chip cookies

I have been making this recipe for years, but rather than type it up, I also found it recently posted here. My notes on how I alter this recipe: I use 2 cups of chocolate chips. I bake both cookies sheets at the same time and switch which rack they are on at about 6 1/2 to 7 minutes in to the baking time. I also make smaller cookies (use 1 Tablespoon) to form each ball. Mine look chewier (and are chewier) than the picture on the recipe link.

Since we worked so hard on Saturday, Sunday felt laid back, AND while we had moments of snow flurries, what we also had is SUN. Gosh how we Portlanders fill with glee when the sun comes out. It was perfect. For most of the afternoon, my studio had sun. It was bright and I was inspired. So, between yummy brunch and my run, I painted for quite a few hours. I finished a painting and have almost finished another.