Favorite things of summer…

Posted by random olio

Last week it rained like cats and dogs here in Portland. It poured and poured. I guess it means summer is almost over, and yet it went by so fast. I am a bit bummed out about this news. I loved all the time that we worked on our home, being outside, having meetings outside while basking in the sun. Some of my favorite parts of summer: flip flops, dresses, skirts, freckles, iced coffee, sunshine, fresh fruit, veggies, and flowers, farmers markets, the list goes on. Starbucks is already offering my favorite fall/winter drink: a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yum. So does that mean it is officially fall?

As I look back, nostalgic about summer, it made me remember my local library’s Summer Reading Club. This was back in the day when there was a card in the back of the book that sat in the sleeve, and they would stamp the date of when you would need to return the book. There was a long wall that they set up. It was set up in increments to space out the different numbers of books read over the summer. I loved proudly posting the number of books I had read during each library visit of the summer. If I remember correctly there were mini prizes the higher you got up the wall.

Even though I will miss my dresses and flip flops, there have been a few days of cooler weather when I have pulled out the jeans and long sleeved shirts, and it has been quite nice. Since I live in Portland, I will of course miss the sunny skies, abundant farmers markets, and eventually I will have to put my flip flops away.

What are your favorite things of summer? What will you miss most?

The path of least resistance?

Posted by random olio

How often do you pursue an issue not because of the money you save, but because at the end of the day your decision to dig deeper has more to do with principle?

These past few weeks it seems there have been quite a few issues Chris and I have run into where we have to stay adamantly persistent to get to the bottom of an issue due to the principle behind the situation. We always ask ourselves, will fighting this potentially help someone else in the future? If we resolve this, could it mean that maybe what happened to us will not happen to someone else?

Often I think individuals just want to find the path of least resistance, yet that can be the easy way out. The harder, more involved, and sometimes frustrating path is to hold companies and individuals accountable for the mess they sometimes make. I will give you an example. Our company covers one preventative exam per year (per individual covered). It is free. This year Chris went to a different location for his check up. It was one of those quick places, that you just walk in. Quick and easy. Or so he thought.

After the specific provider forced him to pay his co-pay, he remembered that his preventative exam was free. Phone call after phone call to our insurance provider and the medical care provider to hopefully resolve the issue, what he found out was that while this medical provider was “in-network,” yet they were also listed as an “emergency care” provider. The contract between our insurance company and this medical care provider was that copays only apply for non emergency care providers, yet this is not disclosed to us. Based on that, and the contract they had with our company, we were required to pay the copay. Obviously a loophole.

After many hours and phone calls later it is finally resolved. We received a refund of our copay, after our company got involved with our complaint. While this was for a small amount of money, what if it was for $20,000? Does the amount really matter? Is it more about principle? $1 or $100, or $1,000? We should hold others accountable in hopes that we make life easier for individuals in the future.

What do you think?

Creative You.

Posted by random olio

Do personality tests fascinate you? We all have a desire to understand ourselves better. It is an insatiable desire in some. I am an avid learner so of course when I came across “Creative You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive” by David Goldstein and Otto Kroeger, I was intrigued. I cannot say I read it cover to cover, I did more of a “scan.” So it is not listed on my list of 2013 books. Nevertheless, I wanted to share this book with you. It talks mostly about how we are each creative in our own ways, while talking through the lens of Myers-Briggs.

If you have never taken a Myers-Briggs test you can do so here. I do not know if that site is the most accurate, but it is a start. Before taking it over the weekend, I had thought I was an INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging) from previous tests. Taking the test again confirmed that I am INFJ. “Creative You” looks at the different Myers-Briggs personality types and looks at them through the lens of creativity. It is a fascinating concept. For example, INFJ is listed as “The Inspirer.”

It takes you through different types of creativity (music, acting, cooking, painting, etc) and shows how different personality types might respond in different situations. It also discussed these same personality types at work. I had a few aha moments when comparing my creative type to Chris’. So often we think of ourselves as strong in some areas and weak in others, and yet what came to me as I compared us creatively is that he is more strongly creative in certain areas than I am and vice versa. So maybe I should be aware of my blind spots, and not try so hard to fix them. Focusing on the creative strengths might be the best bet.

I definitely recommend peeking at this book!

Just right now.

Posted by random olio

I do not often watch a television show or movie without multi-tasking. I often get bored or distracted easily. So when I watched “Hit and Run” this weekend and did not multi-task, I was a bit miffed. It is not a movie I would have thought would have sucked me in. It did not get that many ratings, and does not have this amazing story line either. What intrigued me? That Dax Shephard wrote, acted, produced, and directed this movie.

I am always a bit impressed when a movie has been someone’s life and baby. Just like “Garden State” and Zach Braff, had me at hello. You will know most of the individuals in the cast. They are all friends of Shephard. They do their own stunts. The cars are his own. He financed it on his own too. I wanted to see what it was all about, and while not Oscar worthy, it was a good and entertaining movie.

Maybe I liked it because it was the perfect mix of car action with a little bit of the relationship world. A great mix for a couple and a night of movie watching. Two of my favorite quotes from the movie… The first one he says to his girlfriend a few times throughout the movie. It is his signature way to calm her down. I like it.

“Close your eyes and take three deep breaths…This is the only moment you need to worry about. No yesterday. No tomorrow. Just right now. You’re not late for anything. You aren’t going to miss anything. You are exactly where you are supposed to be and you are exactly who you are supposed to be. You are absolutely perfect and whatever happens today is exactly what is supposed to happen and if you want, I will spend every moment with you for the rest of your life.”

“This car is tits.”

“Hit and Run” might not be the best movie, but it will entertain and make you laugh. It made me appreciate movies that are not made with millions of Hollywood dollars. Just some money, good talent, and a story. What a novel idea…

Squatty Potty

Posted by random olio

I know, I know… I somehow frequently bring up potty talk, but this time I could not resist. Last week I came across a Fast Company article about a new device called “Squatty Potty.” For those of you without kids, please keep reading as it is actually not a potty for training little ones. It is a potty for us all. I am including a video below that explains the process in full. The gist, in case you do not watch it, is this. For those of us that live in the western world, we sit on a nice porcelain vessel that allows for excrement to quickly flush away. What we have lost sight of is the best way for our bodies to shit it all out.

The Squatty Potty is a step stool of sorts that allows your feet to basically be the same height as your butt. When we sit normally on a toilet we are at a 90 degree angle, the Squatty Potty shifts your body to a 35 degree angle (see their website for illustrations). The way we sit on a toilet impacts our puborectalis muscle, and does not allow it to relax. By ensuring our body is in more of a squatting position, the puborectalis muscle is relaxed, allowing for ease in the pooping realm. Who knew!? I am fascinated.

Before I go out and buy one, I made a makeshift one yesterday out of 2 shoe boxes. If after a few days of trial I see amazing results, I might purchase the three pack. So beware future guests, you might just wonder why there is a “Squatty Potty” in your bathroom. It will be my treat to you.