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I’m picking up a 4×4 Extra cab pick up tomorrow and selling my current 97 Tacoma. It’s older and it’s got a lot of miles but it still has a lot left to go. Mine is available in the 3 grand range. They’re hard to find and all the rust free trucks are out here in the west but mine is one example of many good Tacos that are available at an affordable price that will fit the bill perfectly.
Dressing rooms are a must in most apparel stores, but they do take up valuable floor space. Make the most of dressing room areas by using adjoining walls for promotional items and accessories like belts and scarves. If you provide dressing areas, be sure at least one door and changing space meets the Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines, too.

The thickness planer—A thickness planer will significantly expand the creativity and craftsmanship of your work by allowing you to buy roughsawn stock and use wood of any thickness in your designs. Nowadays, a new planer often represents a better value than a used model. In recent years, DeWalt and Ridgid have introduced portable planers with chip-ejection fans, which work as a built-in dust collector. Dust collection is important for all tools, but essential for thickness planers. This feature can help delay the expense of a dust collector and thus reduce the overall cost of a planer. Speaking of dust collection, I should mention that I don’t use a dedicated dust collector in my shop. I use a shop vac with a small hose for my sanders and a larger-diameter hose for the tablesaw and router table, and I depend on the built-in chipejection fan for my thickness planer.

I would definitely stick with the vapor barrier under the floor to avoid moisture from breaking up the OSB. try to build the base high enough to keep it dry and allow airflow to dry it out under there. FYI I recently repaired a neighbor's shed roof that must have been partially repaired before with plywood. The OSB was fine under the shingles, but the plywood was wrecked due to moisture. I would stick with OSB. Since you live here in NOVA, details will be a little more helpful to you. I really can't use the shed in the summer without the AC on. It gets direct sun and gets up to the 90's in there with out any air movement. I am planning on eventually lining the inside of the ceiling with that thin reflective insulation to bounce back some of the heat.

Tip: Save money on specialty displays! Many manufacturers offer retailers low-cost or free specialty display fixtures designed to highlight their branded lines, like the one pictured below. These make great speed bump or outpost display units on a tight budget. Your product line reps can tell you if they’re available, plus provide merchandising and display advice.

The idea behind this segment is to find products that solve common problems we face as homeowners. And the cool thing for me is that I get to learn a lot about the professional side of home improvement. Well, I’m looking for do it yourself items. For example, do you know why carpenters pencils are shaped differently than ordinary round pencils? So they won’t roll off of an inclined surface like a roof. And the larger size allows you to draw fat lines as well as fine ones while you’re marking lumber.

Hey Ted! If you mean to ask whether you could sit up from one of the vertical sidebins and have enough headroom under the Leer 122, I think that would be a no. You’d have to build the sidebins to be a little shorter. At least with my truck, that would be the case. Perhaps with a full-size pickup you would have enough room thanks to the overall size increase of the canopy as well.
By posting on this site and forum, the poster grants to Canadian Woodworking Magazine/Website the unrestricted rights to use of the content of the post for any purpose, including, but not limited to, publishing the posted material, including images, in print or electronic form in a future issue or issues of Canadian Woodworking magazine or related Canadian Woodworking products, and to use the post for promotional purposes without further compensation, as well as the right to use the poster's name in a credit along with the post.
My wife and I have just bought a block and will be building a new house – as part of this will be the building of the “shed” – which is really a workshop as I am a very keen Woodworker (I have most of the toys!!). My question is – Leaving money aside “Is a brick or metal shed better – especially in regards to moisture, inside temperature (heating and cooling), noise etc”? Any other suggestions would also be appreciated – eg lining the structure, power needs, lighting, etc. I appreciate your expert opinion. – Ivan Banks
The right first step online for most stores and restaurants is creating a Google Local Business Listing. Google accounts for 90% of all global organic search traffic and more and more of that traffic is coming from mobile devices. Chances are, your customers are using Google to find you, so you’ll want to make sure your hours, description, contact details, address, and images are all accurate.
When starting a small business, many store owners underestimate the value of a persuasive shop design. What they don’t realize is that people are visual creatures. In fact, 90% of the information transmitted in the human brain is visual. Clear, consistent store design will ensure that you attract your ideal customers into your business by delivering a subconscious uniform message.
In an indoor or basement shop with industrial carpeting, lay down inexpensive laminate flooring to make your life a bit easier at the end of the day. Be sure to anchor the panels or place a large rubber mat beneath to keep them from sliding over the carpet. (Covering up your carpet is even more critical if you want to go beyond wood and work with a material such as aluminum in your indoor shop; metal shavings dig into any kind of carpeting and are incredibly frustrating to clean up.)

You might be thinking your business aspirations are too ‘early-stage’ to merit investigating the permits required to run your small business. You’d be wrong. The costs and requirements of staying on the right side of the law should be factored into your initial business plan and ongoing projections. In the long run, this will save you time, money and heartache.
The on the go mode is ideal for when I’m just driving all day and need to pull over and get some rest, be it in a parking lot, a residential cul-de-suc, or wherever. I usually toss a couple of items in the cab of my truck and crawl into the “coffin” sleeping arrangement for a quick night’s rest, but I can also crawl in without placing anything in the cab.


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Saving The Cat…Or Trying To…

My writing group have decided to do sessions with Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat book. Yes, i know its for screenwriters, but…there does seem to be some merit in applying Snyder’s rules to other forms of writing. The aim? To hopefully improve our novels, so I’ve decided to start work on a new one for the exercise.

Our first session was to come up with a “Logline” and a title for our piece. Ok, well most of my fellow writers already had stories, and titles. Me? I just had an idea in my head. But, by the end of our first session that idea was more formed and i had a better understanding of what my story is about.

I haven’t done a blurb, a synopsis or a plan. I don’t even know the main characters name…yet…but I’m determined that my Nano novel this year will be planned. I’m so fed up with being a pantster and tying myself up in knots. So I’m hoping that these sessions will get me well on the way to being more organised.

Snyder says you should be able to sum up your story in one or two sentences. If you ask yourself the question “What is it?”

So here is my title and the Logline of the novel i’ll be working on from now on…

A woman’s search for recovery after a stressful divorce turns into a nightmare, as she battles against the late owner of her new home.

Ok, that just about sums it up…but…I’m not happy with the word nightmare. I dunno, is it just me? Does that word work? Does it make you think ghost story? Does it make you think she’ll just have a bad time or do you think the story will actually involve nightmares?

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts 🙂 The next session is genre *shudders* lol

23 thoughts on “Saving The Cat…Or Trying To…

  1. I’ve heard good things about using Save the Cat for novels. I think some things just translate.

    I think the reference to nightmare makes the sentence sound too generic. I like “A woman’s search for recovery after a stressful divorce,” though. That tells me something about the story. And “as she battles against the late owner of her new home,” is very telling. Perhaps you need to restructure the sentence so the word “nightmare” is unneeded.

    Just my 2 cents…

  2. Excellent! I’m doing my latest incarnation of my Gideon story using the screen writing tips

    Sorry kiddo – no – it doesn’t sound like a ghost story Look at the definition of log line again. I can’t help at the moment – still working on the trip. But keep me posted

  3. I don’t think it sounds specifically like a ghost story, it’s left open to interpretation. It would make the readers want more information to see whethe the previous owner of the home was creating a ghostly nightmare or a real life nightmare.
    xxx Huge Hugs Vikki xxx

  4. It’s a good book, even though it is about screenwriting – forces you to be more purposeful about your novel.
    No, it doesn’t sound like a ghost story to me – although ‘late’ owner should have given me a clue – but I was thinking psychological thriller because of the ‘nightmare’ bit.

  5. Sorry again doesn’t make me think ghost story how about something like…A woman’s search for recovery after a stressful divorce is turned upside down as she battles against the late owner of her new home.?

  6. I bought the book last year but have yet to use it! Will be following your journey with interest! If you let me know your e-mail address, I can give you a few more names for other related books! 🙂

  7. I think nightmare means a horrible experience for the divorce. Late owners, makes me think of people who passed on. Good luck. I need to plan for NaNo also. I won’t be in school, so I should be able to get it done.

  8. Call me crazy, but if your character is in a current battle with the late owner of her house, that sounds like a ghost story to me. 🙂 The tagline probably needs work, but I like the ideas it expresses.

  9. How about replacing nightmare with something more descriptive? … turns into a life and death struggle … turns into a confrontation with the supernatural … turns into a (either of the previous examples) that threatens her sanity … Play around with it. Write a page of possibilities separated by ellipses. You’ll probably come up with something much better 🙂

    • Oooooo, yeah, thanks Mel…i like the idea of slipping a word in there that tells you its a ghost story, or at least something that doesn’t involve a court battle lol. Thanks honey xx

  10. Nano? ooh does that mean I can spend the next few months procrastinating…whoops I mean planning my nano novel (instead of actually getting on and writing, of course)?

  11. Pingback: Saving The Cat…Or Trying To…Part 2 | The View Outside

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Sayid Dabbah, who immigrated to Israel from Cairo, Egypt, with his wife and three children, is the scion of four generations of silversmiths. Destitute but determined, Sayid, together with his son Avraham, opened his own factory specializing in Jewish art in 1974. In 1985, his youngest son Benny, a sabra (Israeli-born), joined his father and oldest brother. With great patience and persistence, they established a studio in Hutzot Hayotzer, the "Arts and Crafts Lane" in Jerusalem, where they showcased their handcrafted artistic silver Judaica. In its creations, Dabbah's Judaica incorporates many traditional and modern elements which are well known in the field of Jewish art; they incorporate those techniques in contemporary creations made of both sterling silver and anodized aluminum.
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MoonSpoon is designed by Jonathan and Julia 'Spoons.' Jonathan's life work is wood spoon design; Julia creates with graphic images. They design beautiful spoons together in a little shop in the woods of Pennsylvania near Maiden Creek. In their own words: "the moon casts its brilliant light through the trees and inspires our designs the stark beauty of contrast and silhouette emerges from the moonlit night we interpret this graphic imagery in fine, sustainable cherry wood creating elegant serving utensils inspired by moonlight"
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Literature Spotlight: Hamlet

Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. - Polonius, from Hamlet (2.2.201-202) Truly... Where to begin after reading the "The Tragedie of Hamlet: Prince of Denamarke?" Throughout the whole of the play, I must be honest. I was a bit confused and muddled over the ideas and thoughts presented. But the one that... Continue Reading →

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Hotel Jerome is the iconic hotel of the American West and social hub of Aspen: warm, friendly and busting with life and laughter. Charming and full of personality, this is the place where great stories are born and told. Hotel Jerome is rich in history, yet relevant and current with its amenities and furnishings. Charismatic, with a bit of whimsy, friendly and genuine. Hotel Jerome is the sought-out atmosphere for “explorers” of body, mind and spirit.

Aspen’s crown jewel offers the perfect retreat from which to explore the region’s abundant outdoor attractions and world-class dining and shopping. This landmark hotel is renowned among luxury hotels in Aspen for its relaxed elegance, gracious service and authentic mountain spirit. Discover luxurious accommodations, a variety of dining options and the modern amenities of a world-class, luxury boutique hotel in Aspen.

Position Title: Parking/Transportation Manager                       Location:             Hotel Jerome, Aspen CO

Department:  Front Office – Guest Services                               FLSA Status:      Exempt

Reports to:     Front of House Manager                                       Revised Date:      August 17, 2017

This position’s overall responsibility is to assist the Front Office Manager with directing the hotel’s Guest Services Operations including: Bell, Transportation, Valet, and Ski Concierge Services.  This position is the Liaison between Guest Services & all other Front Office departments. The Guest Service Manager is responsible for ensuring that the Bell Captains are accurately organizing, coordinating, & charging daily guest transportation (including; private, courtesy, group drives, & ski shuttle) with the utilization of the Calendar and G-Mail features within Google Applications.  This position is responsible for various administrative functions including: ensuring accuracy of payroll, writing department schedules, coaching & disciplining staff, ensuring & conducting accurate training, running weekly & monthly department meetings, tracking service charges in order to ensure associate payouts, ensuring proper maintenance of Jerome vehicles, and maintaining department budget constraints.

Note: Guest Services Manager will be required to act as transportation, valet, and bell coordinator & dispatch when not performing other administrative functions. During this time, he or she must remain at Front Door at ALL times.

Ensure Guest Service Department staff maintains up-to-date knowledge of the following:
  • Scheduled daily activities;
  • Daily arrivals/departures, house count, special events, VIPs, features and services of the hotel. Review all arrivals prior to check-in to be familiar with guest’s needs & potential issues.
  • Hotel Events & Valet Parking Program
  • Hours of operation of each Food and Beverage & Spa outlet
  • Location of retail shops, restaurants, banks, businesses, etc.
  • Local attractions and activities to recommend for guest inquiries.
  • Town’s layout and specific street names
  • Parking facilities, layout, and procedures.
  • Ensuring staff remain up to date on all of the above information
Ensure Guest Service Department Staff maintain knowledge of Transportation Program:
  • Ski Shuttle Hours of operation & Daily Rates per person (winter only)
  • Private Shuttle Rates
  • Airport Transportation Departure times
  • Private Meet & Greet Transportation
  • Alternative transportation vendor options in case guest is price resistant or has specific needs
    • Ensure Concierge Staff maintains complete up-to-date knowledge at all times of preferred vendor’s pricing, hours of operation, cancellation policies, etc.
    • Guest Services Manager will track & manage vendor commission program.
Document all verbal or written transportation requests or amenity deliveries into Google Calendar & Assigned Tasks.

Answer departmental telephone within three rings, using proper greeting and telephone etiquette.

Organize daily guest transportation – (including private, courtesy, and group drives) with the utilization of Calendar and G-Mail features within Google Applications. Monitor flight information for guests who scheduled Private Airport Transportation to ensure guests are greeted accordingly. Communicate anticipated business demands daily with staff (arrivals/departures/events/etc).

Document phone requests for retrieving vehicles as specified.

Maintain Valet VIP list as directed by ownership & GM.  Ensure that Guest Service staff is up-to-date with list.

Responsible for ensuring proper storing, delivering, and tracking of group/ individual amenity deliveries

Responsible for overall organization of luggage room by keeping updated luggage storing, delivery, and shipping log.

Responsible for maintenance of all bell carts – ensuring daily polishing

Ensure all public areas with focus of the front reception and lobby are clean and tidy at all times

Responsible for Newspaper Program – ensuring daily receiving, delivery, and recycling while keeping track of overages.

Ensure associates escort guests to rooms per Jerome’s Room Escort Procedures while providing detailed property & room tour
Assist Front Office Manager with maintaining department supply inventory list, preparing purchase orders, maintaining up-to-date departmental checkbooks, & meeting monthly budget forecasts.
  • Cut department costs whenever possible including – labor, supplies, and utilities.
  • Adhere to established labor standards and minimize overtime as much as possible.
  • Minimizing # of city parking citations issued & # of Rio Grande Underground Parking Garage passes.

Assist Front Office Manager ensure proper maintenance of Jerome vehicles
  • Scheduling Seasonal oil repairs, tire changes, etc.
  • Ensuring Bell Captain(s) are performing daily maintenance checks for proper levels: gas, oil, washer fluid, air pressure
  • Recording any damages to vehicles, investigating causes, prevent future incidents.
  • Schedule repairs as needed.
  • Recording monthly gas consumption & mileage
Ensure accuracy of posted charges for: Meet & Greets, Private/Skier Shuttles, Delivery Fees, Valet Fees.
  • Ensure proper paperwork is being filled out & filed accurately daily
  • Work with Front Desk Management to ensure non-cash gratuities are being recorded into Proper Management System
Oversee Service Charge Commission & Gratuity Program. Make certain all service charges/gratuities are posted and tracked properly in order to ensure accurate payout. Run Transaction Reports within Property Management System to track Monthly Service Charges including: valet, porterage, skier shuttle, and delivery fees utilizing excel template.
  • Ensure Service Charges & Gratuities are recorded accurately and submitted bi-weekly at the end of the pay period.
Write biweekly work schedule (two weeks in advance) based on forecasted hotel occupancy, scheduled events, holidays, etc. & modify as deemed necessary

Document all vehicle accidents or damages properly with the use of Incident Report Template for security and communication purposes. Work with Front Office Manager on developing a solution and contacting guest.

Review Hotel Jerome’s UNIFOCUS (Guest Satisfaction) Results Daily

Identify service Issues, whether or not issues were resolved to guest satisfaction, identify any negative & positive comments, and if agents mentioned by name. Handle results accordingly with Rewards program or disciplinary action.

Investigate any unresolved issues by collecting all facts. Work with Front Office Manager to contact guest via telephone or e-mail to apologize and resolve issues to guest satisfaction.

Assist in the documentation of Team Member issues as they occur and performing disciplinary action whenever needed.

Assist in the acknowledging and rewarding positive behavior with J-Bucks

Assist in the Hiring, Selection, and Training of new bell associates, valet attendants, shuttle drivers, and ski concierge according to Jerome training programs (including Tarmac driving when picking up at Atlantic Private Airport).

Attend Weekly Hotel Management Meetings including Staff & Rooms Division

Prepare & Conduct Monthly Department Meetings with Guest Services Staff

Understand guest problems and find solutions. Handle guest complaints or problems immediately, ensuring guest satisfaction. Notify designated department/personnel for resolving situation.  Follow up within 30 minutes to ensure completion and guest satisfaction. Document all service issues utilizing the Guest Incident Report template for communication purposes.

Ensure accuracy of payroll
  • Review Daily Jerome Flash Report & Hotel Occupancy to identify labor expenses and adjust as needed.
  • Review Hotel Payroll Program daily to identify any missing punches, erroneous punches, agents approaching OT
Develop/Coach Bell Captains & Lead Ski Concierge on disciplinary action, staffing labor standards, payroll systems, training practices, & luxury service standards.

Assist Front Office Manager in the developing of additional Standards and procedures as deemed necessary.

Continuously assist the Front Desk with updating guest profiles to note preferences, issues, birthdays, etc.

Communicate pertinent guest information to designated departments and personnel.

Clearly and pleasantly communicate in English, both verbally and in writing, using correct spelling and grammar, with guests, co-workers and management to their understanding.

Use good judgment and maintain discretion and diplomacy while performing job duties.

During Winter Only:
  • Ensure ski equipment is received, labeled, stored, and issued in an organized professional manner.
    • Ensure Ski concierge maintains up-to-date inventory log
  • E-mail Forecasted Hotel Occupancy biweekly to Gorsuch Manager to ensure proper retail shop coverage
  •  Ensure Ski Concierge deliver/pickup any tunes from the main Gorsuch shop on Durant Street daily before leaving for the day. If the Ski Concierge is not available, the Bell team will arrange for this to occur.
  • Help monitor professionalism of Gorsuch staff and work with Gorsuch Manager on any service issues.
  • Ensure Ski Shuttle Charges are posted daily with accurate gratuities.
  • Identify VIP Guests for Ski Concierge to provide personalized tour. Ensure proper hourly wage tracking.
  • Manage (orienting & issuing) VIP Locker Program at the Little Nell Residences.

  • Valid Colorado State Driver’s License, with no violations.
  • Excellent driving record
  • Prior customer service experience – hotel front office experience preferred
  • Prior supervisory experience or three years of bell associate experience
  • Two years’ experience driving vehicles.
  • Ability to drive all vehicle types.
  • Combination of education and experience

  • Ability to maintain hotel’s standards, policies and procedures
  • Ability to communicate in English with guests/Team Members to their understanding.
  • Ability to understand guest inquiries and provide responses.
  • Ability to use radio/pager and respond in a timely manner.
  • Ability to prioritize, organize and make good judgments.
  • Ability to maintain concentration and think clearly under all driving conditions.
  • Ability to ensure security of vehicles and hotel property.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality of guest information and pertinent hotel data.
  • Ability to work cohesively with co-workers as part of a team.

While performing the duties of the job, the Team Member is required to reach with arms and hands; bend and stoop; ascend and descend stairs while carrying luggage and parcels; remain at post standing for extended periods of time; have visual acuity while driving; and may be required to lift and/or move up to 75 pounds.  Ability to place and remove luggage into/out of vehicles.

NOTE: A review of this description has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of fundamental job duties.  All duties and requirements are essential job functions.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the Team Member occupying this position.

Team Members will be required to perform any other job related duties assigned by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.

About Auberge Resorts Collection:
Auberge Resorts is a collection of exceptional hotels, resorts, and private clubs, each with a unique personality that assures a memorable guest experience. Property accolades include Michelin Star, Forbes 5 Star and Relais & Chateaux. With ten distinctive properties in pristine locations including Napa Valley, Cabo San Lucas, Aspen, Fiji, and Costa Rica, Auberge Resorts offers handcrafted careers to exceptional professionals with a heart for hospitality and a passion for joy and happiness.

Department: Front Office
This is a management position
This is a management positions position

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Responsible for the leadership supportive functions of Dune Restaurant, in accordance with Auberge standards.  Directs, implements, and maintains a service standard and management philosophy which serves as a guide to respective staff.  Manages the floor to ensure ultimate VIP guest satisfaction.

Plan and direct the functions of administration and planning of the Restaurant to meet the daily needs of the operation.

Clearly describe, assign and delegate responsibility and authority for the operation of the various food and beverage sub-departments, e.g. restaurants, private dining, pool and bars.

Develop, implement and monitor schedules for the operation of all restaurants and bars to achieve a profitable result.

Participate with the Chef and Restaurant Managers in the creation of attractive and menus designed to attract a predetermined customer market.

Implement effective control of beverage and labor costs among all sub-departments.

Assist the area managers in establishing and achieving predetermined profit objectives and desired standards of service, cleanliness, merchandising and promotion.

Regularly review and evaluate the degree of customer satisfaction of the individual restaurants and banquet service, to recommend to management new operating policies.

Develop operating tools necessary and incidental to modern management principles, e.g. budgeting, forecasting, training plans and schedules.

Assistant Restaurant Manager
Page 2
Continuously evaluate the performance and encourage improvement of the personnel in the food and beverage department.  Plan and administer a training and development program within the department, which will provide well-trained employees at all levels and permit advancement for those persons qualified and interested in career development.

In addition to performance of the essential functions, this position may be required to perform a combination of the following supportive functions, with the percentage of time performing each function to be solely determined by the supervisor based upon the particular requirements of the hotel.

Participate in Manager-on-Duty coverage requiring constant monitoring throughout hotel and troubleshooting problems.

Operate word processing and spreadsheet programs in a google environment.

Perform any general cleaning tasks using standard hotel cleaning products to adhere to health standards.

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

Assistant Restaurant Manager
Page 3
Visual ability to observe employees in the workplace, analyze operations and detect situations of concern with regard to areas such as employee performance, grooming, training, policy adherence and morale.

Ability to think logically and make decisions.

Ability to effectively deal with internal and external customers and staff, some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy to diffuse anger, collect accurate information and resolve conflicts.

Ability to read, listen and communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Hearing and visual ability to observe and detect signs of emergency situations.

Position Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have exceptional guest service skills and prior fine dining experience. Candidate must have a passion for food, wine, and cocktails, and the desire to create the ultimate dining experience. Must have excellent people and management skills. Candidate must have ability to stay calm in stressful situations. Must be able to communicate effectively both with the restaurant staff, kitchen and guests/residences. Must be able to lead by example and create an enthusiastic working environment. Candidate must have flexible work schedule as well as work weekends, evenings, and holidays as required by business levels.

Visit Careers at Auberge Beach Residences & Spa - Fort Lauderdale

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Beacon @Women’sMarch2018, NYC

Beacon students, you can share your experience at the march in pictures/videos/writing here:

“It’s exhilarating to be here. I’m sure the march is just as riveting in DC but it feels particularly meaningful to see and contribute to this sense of solidarity and love in my own city. The march makes you forget about finals and homework and all of the busywork we push through to be able to go out and celebrate our communities, our values, and our country (or what we believe our country can be). A lot of the chants I heard and signs I saw were centered around federal politics and, of course, a president whose behavior towards women has been abominable and even criminal. It’s reassuring to see how many people—of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and religions—will stand together not only to condemn a culture that denies women their due respect and opportunity but to advocate for a more inclusive and equitable society moving forward. These are the voices that matter. Your voice matters. I hope Beacon students and all other participants in the 2018 Women’s March have as momentous an experience as I did.” -Ilana Cohen, Editor-in-Chief

“Having gone to the Women’s March last year in Washington, being a part of the same movement in my own city was an amazing experience. Much has changed in the year since Donald Trump was inaugurated, but many of the same civil rights and women’s rights issues persist. It’s always funny to see inventive signs and Trump impersonators, but I only had time to spend around 2 hours in the march, and I spent much of that time in Columbus Circle, specifically near a small group of Trump supporters in the Southwest corner of Central Park. There were about 10 of them–one was just carrying a sign that read ‘Vets before Illegals,’ one had a ‘Women for Trump’ sign, and one was carrying a strongly anti-Islamic sign and was yelling about the ‘evil’ of Sharia law. Personally, I find more value in discussion with those on the other end of the political spectrum than with those whose beliefs align with my own. I was considering talking to this woman to ask why she believed in these things, but then a Muslim family walked by and she aggressively taunted them and I decided against it. I did, however, absorb the content of the arguments they had with Trump protesters, which were fierce, and by no means does the blame lie on only one side for the intensity of the taunts.

Eventually, I started a discussion with a self-described conservative centrist, named Warren, who ‘mostly’ supports Trump. He was wearing no political gear of any kind and said that he too was just there to ‘absorb’ the atmosphere, not attack it, as he said he believes in women’s rights. He defended the Republican tax bill and believed that there should be some restrictions on immigration. While we had a good number of disagreements, and he couldn’t defend all of Trump’s actions (namely his compulsive tweeting), I found that he was a decent person. He has a son who is in journalism school and he asked a lot about my own goals and wished me success. While these kinds of gatherings can seem partisan at times, it is up to each individual to reach out, because polarization will only work to deepen the divide in this country and continue to hamper progress.”

-Adrian Flynn, Website Design & Publishing Director

“It was an indescribable feeling of unity to be part of the march, chanting until I couldn’t hear my own voice.”

– Rowana Miller, Senior

What a Beautiful day to advocate for women’s rights…

C9753C2B-5A46-4909-9335-AB07D09895AF  60BACFF9-1404-483F-9814-A850F55FE96E

IMG_2987.jpg IMG_2984.jpg

IMG_4218.jpg IMG_4214.jpg

Photography by: Boo Elliott, Ilana Cohen, Mollie Butler

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BIONDO Perspectives

Trusted Contact Form

By The Biondo Team

Do you have a “Trusted Contact”  form on file with us? Should there be any questions or concerns about your health or welfare due to potential diminished capacity, financial exploitation or abuse, endangerment, and/or neglect, this form authorizes us and Fidelity to contact the designated trusted contact. To complete a form, please click the botton […]

Q3 – State of Our Business

By Joseph P. Biondo

In a break from normal tradition, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the state of our business at Biondo Investment Advisors. I am pleased to report that by the most common metrics for our business, things have never been better. Assets under management exceeded $600 million as of 9/30/2018, an […]

Sparta Office Grand Opening!

Please join us on Thursday, May 24th Open House: 3:00pm – 8:00pm  |  Ribbon Cutting: 5:30pm Please join us for light refreshments, cocktails and a tour of our new office space. ~ The office is located across from Stop & Shop, 55 Main Street, Sparta, NJ 07871 ~

Cowen Health Care Conference – Boston, MA.

By Scott A. Goginsky

On March 12-14th, Joe Biondo Jr. and Scott Goginsky attended the Cowen Health Care Conference in Boston. The conference was well attended and over 200 companies presented at the event. Several Biondo holdings made presentations and led small group discussions. Many topical workshops were held at the event and included current investable themes such as […]


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Connect with Us

Stop Hating Your Job, Start Healing Businesses

North American employees are completely disengaged with their jobs. So how can business turn this around and start engaging their workforce?

Gallup Research for the past 16 years has confirmed one tragic reality of our business world.
Most of us are totally and utterly disengaged with our jobs. We don’t feel impassioned by the work we do. Dis-engaged is a buzzword for don’t care and not interested in making positive contributions to our organization.

Instead, we trudge through our work week with gritted teeth, doing what has to be done to earn a paycheck to sustain our families and live our “real” life outside of work.
In the United States and Canada alone, just over 1/3 of employees reported feeling any engagement with their work in 2015.

In a “State of the Global Workforce,” Gallup discovered that these two North American countries actually had the world’s highest level of engagement; world-wide people feeling connected to their jobs tracked closer to 13 percent.

Simultaneously, there has been a trend towards the creation of much bigger companies through exercises of acquisitions and mergers. Does that make it better?
No, says Gallup. Employees in large companies report even less engagement than in smaller ones.

The issue of engagement leads to the obvious question: Does it really matter whether or not people care about their jobs, as long as they show up and do them?
It turns out that it does. Lack of engagement has serious negative consequences on the productivity and profit of a company and potentially lasting repercussions on the global economy.

Globally, business has never faced more challenges. It has to maintain high levels of productivity while growing its customer base across different countries and different cultures.

As financial expert David D. Hale puts it, we are facing “the Second Great Age of Global Capitalism.”

In the book The Challenge of Global Capitalism: The World Economy in the 21st Century by Robert Gilpin with Jean Millis Gilpin (Princeton University Press), the authors suggest that our businesses are going through the most impactful transformation since the emergence of the international economy in the 17th and 18th centuries.

They suggest that if businesses are going to adjust to the challenges at hand, they need to understand the forces behind them and find new strategies to adapt to them.
One of these strategies emerging out of Canada and gaining interest in the United States, Europe, and New Zealand, is a unique set of cross-cultural strategies designed to help businesses and others to build bridges for better business development and communications.

Known as The Bridging Principles™ and rooted deep in Indigenous culture, they are designed to get people back to caring about each other, their work, and the world in general. The principles are centered on the theory that we cannot do our best and operate effectively when we are unable to build strong bridges to connect ourselves with the world and its businesses.

In other words, we need to find a new way to work.

The ways to empower workers and companies, the means to grow globally through deep cultural understanding, and the strategies for effective negotiations will all be covered through this new blog series, The Bridging Principles™.

“The Bridging Principles™: Building Bridges for Business,” coming out in Spring 2016

About the Author
Leah Taylor Best is the CEO and Lead Master Facilitator of The Bridging Principles™. Leah teaches cultural anthropology at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia.
Leah has a Masters Degree in Globalization Studies from McMaster University, with an undergraduate degree in International Development Studies. Leah comments, “Learning about the Principles from Chief Alexis has transformed my life. Since I have incorporated these Principles into daily practices, I have increased my capacity for building effective partnerships, problem solving, and resolving conflicts in a manner that leaves both sides satisfied with the outcome. The Bridging Principles™ are an essential tool that people in our globalizing world need more today than ever before.”

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When I meet a designer for the first time I always ask if they know what a podcast is, and I get lots of funny responses:  Usually an “I think so” or, “A what?” — and then my favorite, “Of course, I listen to them all the time!” I love teaching people about podcasts because they are versatile and such great resources. That’s why I launched The Chaise Lounge Podcast: it combines my passion for business with my love of podcasting.

I’m not an interior designer, but I am a fanatic for business and storytelling. So much of an interior designer’s work is based on finding one’s self, building a personal brand, and learning how to communicate that brand to potential clients. Firms can be highly personal, bearing the names of the designer at the helm, and stakes are high. There’s recessions and technology shaking up the industry as well as mergers and acquisitions that affect everything a designer does from sunup to sundown. All of these things can be hard to navigate.

Since launching in 2014, I’ve interviewed hundreds of the top interior designers asking how they got into interior design, why they started their own firm, and what makes them so successful — along with my favorite question, “Beer, wine, or a cocktail?” I don’t talk much about proper interior design, how to put a room together, or the latest trends in window treatments.

Instead, we dive deep into the business of interior design to learn what has worked for the most successful designers in the world. Today, The Chaise Lounge is the top interior design podcast — downloaded in over 100 different countries — and we’re beyond excited to see what the future holds.

So give The Chaise Lounge Podcast a listen. Sit back, relax, grab a glass of Chardonnay, and learn from the best and brightest!

– Nick May


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the Chicest Degree logo

Balenciaga Auto Parts

Posted on November 8th 2017 by

Hello, dearest readers of the Chicest Degree

It’s been nice to take a step back from the digital sphere and writing to get inspired again and gain a fresher perspective outside looking in. As some of you have noticed, as of late things are taking new shapes. When I relaunched the Chicest Degree three years ago. The aim was to create a journal that provided our readers with curated content and thus connect the worlds of fashion, beauty, art, and lifestyle. Now, it’s time for new adventures. While the Chicest Degree continues to grow its audience, the goal has always been to launch a print magazine. As time goes by one matures – tastes and preferences don’t change much but they thankfully do evolve and “FOURTEN” is exactly that – a continuum of everything you’ve experienced so far on the Chicest Degree.

I, personally, have been longing for a magazine that responds to my needs as a modern women – the type that is equally visually engaging, and yet it provides content that enhances me as a creative human being. I want to curate a body of work where you can peruse through beautiful images that makes you feel something, but have thought-provoking journalism that gets you thinking outside of the box.

Somewhere in our digital age we’ve started to mindlessly consume images and suddenly we miss out on important parts of our day liking and scrolling, without getting anything back. The most sensitive of us can notice the void that follows – the restless devouring feeling of not knowing what to do without our phones, social media platforms, or not being able to fully disconnect. Simultaneously the content of digital platforms and print magazines started falling short of anything meaningful. With all that in mind, I gathered a small group of my favorite creative individuals with the task of creating a coffee table like magazine full of brain juice for our restless minds and fingers. I don’t want to give too much away at the moment but “FOURTEN” is in the making and I can’t wait to share more details with you all soon.

Photographed by LO

Ultimately “FOURTEN” is meant to be savored while you eat breakfast in the mornings, a quick read during your travels or the commute to and from work, or on display at your local coffee shop or designer multi-label concept shop. “FOURTEN” will be the problem-solving magazine to the current shift in the publishing industry. The time spent reading it will become a meaningful experience, and easy to engage issue after issue. Anytime and everywhere.

Print isn’t dead, it’s just not done right.

CREDITS: Theory oversized mannish shirt, Zara check wrap skirt, Celine mules, Balenciaga baseball cap, Ellery sunglasses.


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Memories, Dreams and Reflections

I read Carl Jung’s autobiography ‘Memories, Dreams, Reflections’ at a critical time in my life.  One aspect in particular had struck me and contributed to the unfolding process that lead to my re-experiencing, understanding and, ultimately, healing the events of my childhood.

It was without real surprise therefore, as I sat doodling and colouring in my practise journal one evening last week, a memory floated through my mind and I caught it. I recalled the pivotal scene in Jung’s book when, searching for a deeper understanding of the recesses of the mind, he decided to let go of his sanity and immediately experienced himself as dropping through the floor of his study into the abyss.

Once, long ago, I emulated Jung in that moment of consciously choosing to let go, to drop the drop. In a time of deep despair, when it had been made abundantly clear to me the ultimate in paternal wickedness had taken place and the ultimate in maternal indifference had always existed, I would stop trying to deal with the chaotic aftermath, the soul pain, the anguish. I would simply let go just as Jung had.  I would confront my demons, do or die!

In a flash I was falling into profound blackness. Terrified at the speed of the fall I grasped at the sides of the pit, trying to hold onto the last threads of my sanity with my fingernails. But the fall continued, I kept slipping and sliding and tearing my hands as I tumbled down that pit of despair. Again a vision of Jung in his study appeared in my mind and I remembered, I knew, I must let go.  I was terrified.

Just.  Let.  Go.

I let go.

I fell no further, gently my feet touched ground.  I was already at the bottom of the pit, perhaps I always had been.  And as I stood in that deep, still, silent, blackness from far, far away a light began to glow.

What followed changed my life. Perhaps I should say changed me at a fundamental, primeval level. Changed the way my brain and mind and heart worked. Changed my very being and changed my life and my view of the events of my life.

In almost thirty years that experience has never faded from my memory and my understanding of why we live, why we have this human experience has only deepened with the passing of the years.

I looked again at the page on which I was doodling and colouring and wrote ‘Memories, Dreams & Reflections’, closed the book and went to bed.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did.

Mandalas and Dream Catchers

I’ve been drawing mandalas for many, many years. Once it was a tool that helped focus me and bring me into a quiet and meditative space. Another time mandalas became a way of connecting with and working through my feelings in a troubled time. I kept a book filled with my intricate drawings for years until I felt it was time to let them go as I moved on with life. I thought my time with mandalas was done – I turned instead to doily making, a kind of crochet version of a mandala if you freestyle it and work with form and colour as your heart dictates. A thoroughly satisfying and restful occupation, mainly done during long winter evenings and eventually ending up, not with a book, but a blanket – a more cuddly and useful product formed from many hours of quiet contemplation.

And then recently I fell somehow into the idea of painting little dream catchers – a version filled with doodles and shapes of a repetitive nature emulating the work of a mandala.  Here are some I’ve been working on.  They are not quite finished yet…….

Then my journal page got a workout with this

I thought I was painting a mandala – which goes to show you never quite know when you pick up some colours where you might end up ………

The process, if you are interested, was to lay down a mixture of colours over the entire double page spread.  You see them now just as the background of the mandala.  Then I used a circle template to pencil in three circles, the rest is done freehand.  The mandala grew from the centre outwards, with lines and doodles and black, white and gold pens.  When the sixth ring was completed the remaining page was painted black.  When the black paint was dry I continued drawing and doodling the pointy outer shapes and finally the ribbons and feathers – at which point I realised my mandala had become a dream catcher.  I felt the black was too heavy so finally I made lots of squiggly marks all over using a white gel pen.

And here are some details of the piece –

So, even though it’s not quite a mandala and not quite a dream catcher, it was a lot of fun to make!  And it might make nice prints – what do you think?

Finally, for his fans – here is Siddy this morning.  Patiently waiting for Orlando to wake up and accept the toy that is being offered so they can play.

He did wake up and Siddy did his happy dance, but Orlando didn’t want to play – again…….  (sigh)……….

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Muckin’ Abart In My Sketchbook

Here are some sketches I make with different lead and coloured pencils in the evenings, when I just sit and play with ideas and see where they lead – if anywhere.  Just ‘muckin’abart’ really!

At first, when I started painting again, I was just re-familiarising myself with some mediaJournal6

and faces11 8 16

Later, I tried timing myself to see what happened if I didn’t get stuck in detail

This ten minute sketch stretched to twenty minutes……

20min sketch

For some reason I spent an hour playing around with perky birds…

I’m not particularly good at birds and animals – but these were good enough to make me have a shot at Siddy last night – he doesn’t stay still long enough for me to get it really right – but I’ll keep going………

Someone else inspired me to play with modern day flower fairies….. the circled bits indicate I like that idea and want to take it further…….

Flower Fairy1

I really like this one, the one that I’ve coloured – but she hasn’t gone any further yet:

Flower Fairy 2

The first one made it onto an art journal pageflowerfairyfull

While the page was a bit of a wash out  – hence the lake and swans appearing – the fairy herself is great fun.  I like a fairy with attitude!

fairy detail

It’s coming along.  I’ve got several art journal pages to show you next time – I feel like I’m getting near ready to start work on canvas again…….

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

If the Earth Were Only

Here is a recent entry in my art journal – this one took about four days of work to get to ‘finished!’ status.  The main problem was that in my enthusiasm to get started I forgot to gesso the pages so was working on raw water colour paper.  It was inspired by a double whammy, picking up a verse I know well and seeing an artist at her work on You Tube.

If the Earth Were Only ..... Art Journal August 2016

If the Earth Were Only …..
Art Journal August 2016

Do you agree with me that the big-eyed girl is a bit of a worry?  I had seen videos on You Tube from an artist named Megan Saurez and am quite fascinated with her style – I have always tended to big eyes in my work, partly because I think the eyes are the window to the soul and are the most important part of the face – Megan takes it a step further and paints delightfully impish faces and I wondered what would happen if I made my eyes even bigger ………  I don’t have her talent or technique to make it work though – suffice to say I won’t go quite that big again…………

I’ve had the verse in my possession since sometime in the mid 80’s.  An older student gave it to me, thinking I would like it.  She was right!.  I’ve since used it several times when working with middle teens and even some adults.  I just found out the author’s name via Mr Google – don’t you love the internet!!  I couldn’t find out anything else however, just his name, Joe Miller, and the fact that he wrote this piece in a little book which got slated for being neither scientific or spiritual, just a woolly mix of both. Which says more about the reviewer than the work in my opinion.

It speaks strongly to young teens who are beginning to stand firmly in their ‘scientific facts’ and yet still have their hearts touched by something a little more intangible, resting in the realm of feeling.

Personally I think everyone should come in contact with this verse at some time in their lives.  And think about it.

Thanks to the kindly input of Derrick Knight after my last post, the issue with the biggifying feature has been resolved.  You can click twice to get a really good look at my appalling penmanship!

Here’s the text only:

If the Earth were only- text

And here’s a close-up of the face.  I like the hair – on the actual double page spread it looks like fields and hedgerows and forests…….

If the Earth were only - detail

What do you think?

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

I Am a Tree

I just want to say thank you to all you lovely people who have popped by in the last three days.  Thank you for your kind and supportive words and thank you for coming to visit in droves despite my long and unexplained absence.  I so appreciate each and every one of you!  You have quite made my last couple of days most enjoyable  🙂

As a result, here’s another post hot on the heels of the first – just because I’m really happy and you know I have months of missing posts to make up for ……….

After painting every day for almost three weeks I was still really struggling to find my way with colour and form and technique.  And because I was receiving so many private emails and messages wondering if I was okay because of my absence from the blogging world I decided to bite the bullet and share what I was doing.

I was frankly amazed, though I shouldn’t have been, for the community around this blog is made up of the most fabulous people!  All those messages of support, so kindly given, left me quite touched and I awoke yesterday morning to find something in me had moved and changed.  I couldn’t wait to get the chores out of the way and get to the work station.  I knew what to do and decided to just go for it.  By last night a double page spread had emerged in my art journal, almost seamlessly, and was finished and, most importantly, I felt really happy with it.

It is by no means perfect, but it will be I think the basis for another work further down the track.

This idea was sparked by my friend Yvonne’s post that featured relief heads of women found around Venice.  The final photo featured an unusual fresco and aroused a number of comments both helpful and unhelpful.  Mine was one of the unhelpful ones!  All was revealed in Yvonne’s following post.  I thought she was a tree sprite of some kind and even though I was completely wrong – or perhaps because I was – I fell to musing about the spirit of trees and how they might appear, which then led to some further musing on what they might have to say.

I am a tree Aug 16

I am a tree detail

And the words, if your eyes like mine can’t stand the struggle ……… and because I have lost the ability to have you double click on my photographs to enlarge them  – I don’t know why……

I am a tree Words

Thank you for your support and encouragement – it really does take a community doesn’t it!

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

It’s August – Really?

It’s been quite a while since my last post – it’s not that I forgot about you or anything, it’s just that I got – well, side tracked really…..  Lots of inner rumination and pondering and thinking about the state of the world, not to mention my own role in it, led to a need to just be quiet and contemplative for a little bit.  I visited some of you, others I missed, but I’ve been picking up the slack for the last week or so and getting back into the swing.

I also made stuff, some successful, some not so much.  The really exciting thing for me was I picked up my paintbrushes for the first time in over 15 months.  I decided – wisely as it turns out – to work in a journal to begin with.  I’d lost all my skill, not to mention my stuff and the first weeks were a combination of starting to paint, searching, finding, organising, painting a bit more.  I use the term ‘painting’ loosely here – you’ll see why if you stick with me.  As usual my photos need work – but you’ll get the idea…….

First up, I made myself a couple or three vests.  I tend to use patterns as a suggestion if I use them at all and therefore my results are often a surprise to everybody, even me. From this latest foray at plying the hooks,  two will be wearable when blocked and finished – the third is an ill-fitting nightmare and will be undone.

crochet vest Aug 16This is crocheted, adapted from an original pattern consisting of lots of little hexagons all stitched together in long panels.  Made from Lion Brand ‘Shawl in a Ball’ I used three different colour ways all featuring my favourite colour.  The back neck requires building up a bit – I might even do that this evening.

Next up here is a Tunisian Crochet attempt at a vest – otherwise known as ‘Railway Knitting’.  This is my first time making such a big item – but I love plying the huge crochet hook and I love the texture you get from the two step process.  This still requires blocking and a bit of finishing off with a fancy plait thing I’m stitching into the back:Tunisian vest 1 Aug16Here’s a closeup of the bottom edging:Tunisian vest 2 detail Aug16So, here’s some bits from the art journal – I’ve done something every day for a bout two weeks – some pages were complete in one sitting – others took days to come to anything.  It’s all practise and remembering while playing about with colour.

This was the first pageJournal1 bAfter that first attempt I resorted to something I knew well – I’d made quirky houses for years, long before they became a staple of art journalers and I was figuring I may as well give myself some therapy while I tried to remember how to apply colour and use paint to come to form…….

This next nightmare became more a paper piecing exercise followd by a splendiferously gleeful wallowing in glitter and sparkles, none of which you can really see.  It reminds me of paper dolls – do you remember paper dolls?  Journal5

It’s going to take a while before I’ll feel competent with a brush in my hands again – but just having it there has made me very happy!  Who cares if I can’t paint!!

It’s been a long hard winter down here in the Riviera of Antarctica.  This morning I woke to -6 C; a world whited-out in frost.  The upside is it will be a blue-sky day and walking with Siddy, despite the obvious risk of me ending upside down in a tangled mess on some unseen slippy-slidey icy bit, will be a pleasure*.

Here’s the boys all lined up for treat time for those of you who missed themTREAT TIME NOV 20 cropped

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

*I did and it was.

All I Am – Another Art Journal Page

Orlando the Marmalade Cat has been the star of the show for the last three posts, I decided it must be my turn again!  And today I decided to work in my art journal again – I haven’t since September 14th [Be the Change …….]  My how time flies!!

All I knew when I started was that I wanted to work with my new Monte Marte acrylics, which I’ve had since the end of August and still hadn’t opened.  They are beautiful – rich, thick and creamy and as you will see, with a fabulous depth of colour.

I started by laying down some old book pages, which I gessoed over and then I painted.

When the paint was dry I used a couple of acrylic stamps – one with scratchy marks on it and one with words – and randomly plonked them around the pages.  Finally a small Dyan Reavelly stencil came into play and I used a dry sponge with almost no gesso on it to dab out the spots and flowers.

With the background done I sketched the head outline in pencil then painted the area white.  Once that was dry I could settle in and let the features begin to reveal themselves.

I had three colours on my palette for the face and added in some metallic bronze for the hair – in real life when the light hits the page the hair sparkles 🙂

By the time I had finished painting her the words were clearly in my mind, so I wrote them out onto book paper, cut them out and stuck them in before I could change my mind.

Close-ups for you:

Couple of detail shots:

I love my new paints!

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!  🙂


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Professor Deli Chen is the discipline leader in Soil Water, Nutrients
and Greenhouse Gases, Head, Crop and Soil Science Section and China Director in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences and International Collaborative Research Advisor at the University of Melbourne. Director, Australia China Joint Research Centre, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Food Production and Environmental Quality.

Professor Chen holds a doctorate in Soil Science from the University of Melbourne and has over 20 years of research, teaching and consulting experience in Australia and China with the University of Melbourne; CSIRO Plant Industry; and the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His specialist expertise includes water and nutrients dynamics in plant-soil systems; GIS based agroecosystem modelling and decision support systems for optimal irrigation and fertilizer management; and the measurement and modelling of greenhouse gases emissions from land sources and impact of climate on agroecosystems.

JA Prescott Medal; Fellow of Soil Science Society of America; Fellow of Soil Science Society of Australia


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A Conversation with: Roo Yori, American Ninja Warrior, Activist for Dog Adoption

***Quick note: I am very excited to be working on an intense project for year two of The Conversationalist! However, this project is temporarily inhibiting my ability to produce content on a regular basis. Hang with me for the next few weeks and months, and follow The Conversationalist on social media (links below) for updates and posts from the archives. I can’t wait to show you the finished product soon! Now on to the important stuff…***

Andrew (Roo) Yori is a visible force, whether propelling himself up the salmon ladder on the American Ninja warrior obstacle course, or working to raise awareness for dog adoption. Roo’s story starts long before competing in this nationally televised athletic event, but it was certainly the time where a lot of people discovered him and his work, so that’s where we will get started.

He competed in the 2016 and 2017 American Ninja warrior competition, even advancing to the national round in 2016. The competition is an enigma, changing obstacles every location and season, and he trained for the unexpected with a mixture of CrossFit Progression and his own personally constructed workouts. Although he has been involved in athletics for his entire life and has an uncanny love for obstacle courses, a large part of why he joined the competition was to raise awareness for dog adoption. Clad in an “Adopt a Dog” T-shirt, Roo barreled through the course, prompting remarks from the commentators such as, “The dog is learning new tricks” and “he really took a bite out of that one!”… I’ll do my best to avoid the dog puns in this article. I’m sure that get’s ruff for Roo. OK, that is all. That was really terrible, my apologies.

Part of Roo’s mission to promote dog adoption is specifically to challenge the notions surrounding Pit Bulls. These dogs can be a polarizing breed, with their widespread reputation for aggressive tendencies. Yet, many owners, such as Roo, have wonderful experiences with their Pit Bulls, and completely prove these stereotypes wrong. He adopted his first Pit Bull, Wallace, in 2005 from the shelter where his wife Clara worked. Wallace had some problems with the dogs at his shelter, but Roo discovered that he was treated quite unfairly simply because he was a Pit Bull:

“He wasn’t an angel. But I think there were other dogs who weren’t angels either. They didn’t look like he did, so they weren’t as concerned with their behavior. I didn’t like that inconsistency.”

Roo gave Wallace a chance when many didn’t, and he ended up becoming a permanent member of their family.  Like any high-energy dogs, Pit Bulls require a physical outlet to release excess energy. Roo looked into a popular activity for the breed, weight pulling, but Wallace wasn’t quite keen on it. One day, Roo found a posting for someone who wanted to start a disc club in Rochester, and decided to get in on the action. To his, and pretty much everyone’s surprise, Wallace flourished. In a sport not meant for Pit Bulls, he blew away the competition. Recognizing his aptitudes and passion, Roo decided to engage at a more advanced level. It certainly paid off! In 2006, he and Wallace were the 2006 Cynosport World Champions, and in 2007 Wallace was crowned the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge National Champion.

After creating an environment where Wallace could be successful in the midst of the odds stacked against him, Roo and Clara decided they were ready to create a positive environment for another Pit Bull (and the many other dogs that are a part of their family). They adopted Hector, a Pit Bull who was one of the victims of the Michael Vick dogfighting case, in 2008. Hector had scars down his chest, and every circumstance he emerged from seemed to indicate he would be an aggressive and problematic dog. However, he proved to be just the opposite. He worked well with other dogs, was hardworking and affectionate, and defied all of the stereotypes surrounding him and dogs in his situation.

The narratives surrounding how dogs are treated differently based on their appearance resonates with human experience and the judgment and preconceived notions we may have about certain groups of people. We are often too quick to predict someone’s behavior based on his or her background. Roo explains how to combat this tendency with open-mindedness:

“We all have our opinions. But a lot of times those opinions may not be knowledgeable ones. So, just keep an open mind as far as trying to prove yourself wrong.”

This is especially prevalent when considering the differences between Wallace and Hector, and how they behaved much differently than they were predicted to. Hector, who by all accounts should have been a problematic and aggressive dog, was the sweetest companion. Wallace, who had a much less troubled upbringing, proved to be more troubled at times.

In spite of their contrasting backgrounds and tendencies, both dogs have gained quite a following, with fans recognizing their resilience and defiant spirits in the face of adversity.  Wallace’s story even inspired a best-selling novel:

Wallace-3d-hardcover-shotAs many readers grew to know of Wallace the competitor, Roo hoped to show them the Wallace the companion, the one he had grown to know and love. He was excited to bring Wallace along for their book tour to familiarize fans with the dog behind the accolades. However, on their very first stop in his hometown, Wallace collapsed. Roo and Clara rushed him to a vet, and discovered that he had hemangiosarcoma. One of his tumors had burst, and he was bleeding out. Roo and Clara decided to have Wallace go through a risky surgery, and just as he had so many times before, he defied all odds and survived.

In spite of this victory, the nature of hemangiosarcoma is such that there is really no way to predict when the dog’s condition could dramatically worsen. It is an acute decline, typically set off by the bursting of a tumor. Instead of living in fear of this unpredictability, Roo and Clara dreamt up a bucket list for Wallace to make the most of the time he had. The list included things such as riding in the sidecar of a motorcycle, golfing a hole in one, and meeting Betty White. He, again, smashed all of the odds and survived with the cancer beyond his predicted expectancy, accomplishing everything on the initial list! Yes, that’s right…even meeting Betty White.

Wallace lived a full life that came to an end when the cancer became too overpowering. As Roo told me about Wallace’s emotional last day, I was completely touched by the amount of care and energy he put into making this dog’s life as enjoyable and successful as possible, especially in the midst of his cancer. Wallace was troublesome and difficult at times, but Roo did not lose faith in him, enabling him to accomplish things he might have never been able to with a less compassionate or open-minded owner. Hear him talk more about the bucket list and Wallace’s journey with cancer here:

Since the passing of both of his Pit Bulls, and with the continual care of his other dogs, Roo has become an advocate for dog adoption and fought to change the perceptions surrounding Pit Bulls. Aside from the tremendous awareness he has raised on American Ninja Warrior, he has also written about the impact Wallace and Hector have had on his life. In his article “My Pit Bull Never Snapped,” he analyzes the influence of fear in his life and the lives of others.

Fear and overcoming it have been recurring motifs in Roo’s story, whether he is challenging the fears individuals have about Pit Bulls, or tackling obstacle courses that strike fear into competitors across the country. I wondered if there were ever periods where Roo let fear dictate his actions instead of taking the active role as driver of his own life. He explained how fear manifested itself in indecision for much of his life, and how he has overcome this in the past few years, largely because of the influence Wallace and Hector had on him.

“I’ve gotten a lot better at just weighing the options, making a choice, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s not this end of the world situation! That is also where we learn a lot. You find out who you are when things aren’t going your way.”

We dove into a discussion expanding beyond the tangible fears of an aggressive dog or treacherous obstacle course and began to talk about emotional and psychological fear:

“I think a lot of people use fear. If they’re fearful, they try to almost instill that on others, trying to protect them and keep them safe. There’s certain truths to that…I’m not saying don’t be afraid of anything. But, at the same time, I think a lot of those things are just because people aren’t knowledgeable about the situation. So it really imprisons you.”

The fear of being incorrect can be one of the most powerful prisons that restricts people from exploring other viewpoints. I have recognized this tendency in my own life, as well! It is natural to want to remain true to one’s convictions and emerge as the “correct” one. I don’t know many individuals who relish the feeling of being proven wrong. However, this creates a dangerous tendency to refuse considering the validity of opposing viewpoints, which debilitates civil discourse. This is why Roo emphasizes the importance of breaking down one’s fears in order to have  a productive conversation with another human being:

“Have a conversation with someone, a civil conversation, and I’m going to learn from them, hopefully they’ll learn from me. If we can continue to deal with things that way it’s a pretty cool experience in my mind. While there are really ignorant and hateful people out there, I don’t think most people are…Very few things are black and white. There’s a lot of gray in there. And I think we need to converse about the gray a lot more than argue about the black and white extremes.”

I don’t think we could end with a better quote. Roo inspired me to have more of those uncomfortable conversations when possible, and especially, to be open to the possibility of being wrong. There is incredible courage in admitting one’s fallibility and being open to new perspectives. Maybe almost as much courage as the Salmon ladder requires…

Watch my full video conversation with Roo Yori here:

Thank you for reading and listening. I will be posting the podcast component of this conversation on the Eavesdrop page soon.

Also, I understand that Pit Bulls can be quite a controversial topic. For those of you who want to discuss the issues presented in this article, I welcome you to email me directly at theconversationalistne@gmail.com, or start a conversation in the comment section. That is what this is all about.

Speak to you soon,

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The Day My Son Wore a Dress to School

So, it happened. The big day my sparkly 5-year-old middle son had been excitedly awaiting and the mama worry in my belly had been fretting. The day I would fulfill my son’s request and allow him to wear a dress to school. How would he be received? Would people be kind? Was I doing the right thing?

It was the perfect scenario, actually, in that fortuitous, twist of fate way that life has a way of spinning. My son had asked to wear a dress to school (detailed story here) the week prior and now: PAJAMA DAY!

Who doesn’t love pajama day? Being cuddly cozy all day at school, especially in the chilly winter months. It’s delightful. It also proved to be the perfect opportunity for my son to debut his usual nighttime attire. Not Batman pajama sets or truck-themed footed jammies like my 3-year-old son. Nope. My middle son regularly sports his sister’s outgrown sleepwear: princess nightgowns and pastel hued sleep sets.

So, after all of the carefully examined reasoning I’d conducted just days before which lead me to realize that the only logical, moral, and reasonable answer for the dress question was to allow it, I went about helping my son select his pajama day ensemble. A turquoise hued “mermaid queen” bathrobe over a pink princess nightgown with white sweatpants underneath. The reasons for the sweatpants were threefold: 1) it’s regularly in the 35°F range here this time of year and the kids have outdoor recess, 2) the school requires male students to wear pants, 3) our family has required our daughter to wear pants underneath nightgowns she sported to school pajama days because kids are in school to learn and play not to worry about or have their activities limited by wardrobe malfunctions.

And so, all weekend, the pajama day outfit laid neatly folded on my son’s dresser with the rest of his week’s school outfits. Each day he walked by the colorful pile of sleepwear, touching it wistfully with a gentle smile of anticipation.

On Monday off to school he went in his green button-up shirt, red bowtie, and red pants for “red and green day.” Amidst the holidays activities, he told everyone and anyone who’d feign listening all about his pajama day outfit. He told classmates and teachers, buddies and staff. He was proud. Excited. Fearless.

The next day came. Pajama day! As I sat in the dark pre-dawn of the morning sipping my coffee ahead of my daily home yoga practice, I heard the muffled thud of my kindergartner’s feet hitting the ground, the squeak of his bedroom door yawn open, the whisper of his sleepy footsteps padding into the bathroom. Minutes later he crept downstairs and stood silently, proudly, arms wide, chest lifted, grin broad, entirely dressed in his pajama day ensemble. He was effervescent. Beyond joyful.

“You look beautiful!” I whispered to him from the sofa, setting my near-empty coffee mug down on a coaster. He smiled. I opened my arms and lap, and up he scampered, curling in just right like only he knows how to do. And there we hugged and talked and watched a hairstyling video on YouTube — as per his request — before returning to the morning routine.

He left for school that day awash in excitement, bubbling with unbridled enthusiasm, enveloped in boundless optimism. I convinced myself to follow his lead, but there was a whirring in my belly wondering: “What if?”

“What if,” my inner worry asked, “children are unkind?” “What if,” it haunted, “he cries?” “What if,” it pummeled, “this dims his light and closets him?” “What if,” it persisted, “you were wrong?” Those tears, that pain, that mournful experience would rest on my shoulders, weigh my heart. It would stand — in my mind — as my fault.

I sniffed back tears, shook my head up high and countered my fear, “What if children aren’t unkind? What if he’s happy? What if this brightens his light? What if he’s accepted for exactly who he is? What if I chose right?” And I hushed my fear.

That afternoon at school pick-up I waited. Straining from my shrimpy 5’4″ (on a tall day) vantage point to see my son’s face as soon as he exited the building. My daughter exited first and my 3-year-old and I greeted her with a welcoming hug. Then we saw him, nightgown frills peeking out from underneath his winter coat.

He was beaming! Glowing! Brimming with happiness, still proudly sporting all the pastel layers of his pajama day ensemble.

“How did it go?” I asked him, kneeling before him, searching his blue eyes for truth. “Great!” He said. “Everyone was nice?” I asked, my knees chilled by the asphalt beneath me. “Yep!” He chirped, shimmying the straps of his too-big purple backpack onto his delicate shoulders. “No one said a thing?” I said, trying to muffle my surprise. He shook his coifed head.

I looked at him. Really looked at him. He was smiling wide with eyes sparkling. I deep sighed from the inside out. So off we went to the minivan as if it was any other day.

Because, as much as my worry had told me otherwise, that’s all this day was. It was simply a day, like any other day. Just with mermaid-princess pajamas, and a sparkly boy whose self-acceptance, fearlessness, and optimism proved that unfounded fear is no reason to hide, deny, or change. That concern over the unknown is not worth implying a child should be ashamed of or change who they are. That allowing my son to be who he is unfettered by my fears was the only way to go.

I let my son wear a dress to school, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

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Summertime getaways are below. It is now time to venture out as well as delight in some sunlight and also heat. You have lots of excitement as well as anticipating a journey of a lifetime. You do not intend to miss out on the opportunity of packing your luggage as well as hitting the traveling course. Prior to continuing and planning for the last minute holiday, you will certainly go to an advantage if you adhere to some crucial summer season travel tips.

Some Travel Tips Here:


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Tag Archives: joel low

An Evening of Fine Food @ RWS

I’ve written about it and now i’m there to experience the first hand experience of  the RWS Celebrity Chef’s Cuisine!

To read me previous post about the Inaugural RWS Food Affair, click HERE

Last Wednesday, a group of Bloggers, Freelance Writers and celebrated Food Authors were invited to the Resort World Sentosa to experience dining at its finest in the Ocean Gallery @ S.E.A. Aquarium.

We were greeted with Champagnes, juices and soft drinks while we chatted with the six Celebrity Chefs who made this event possible! Read about Chef Cora’s inspiration for cooking, Chef Leong’s thoughts on the Chinese Culinary scene and Chef Joel Robuchon’s ideas on whether to open another restaurant in Singapore!

My first interview was with Chef Sam Leong, Chef Consultant and Co-owner of Forest Cooking School. Interestingly, Chef Sam Leong has a personality of his own, that not only impresses me, but a lot of other writers per-se. During our interview, Chef Leong cannot stop, but emphasise enough of his wife that is his pillar of strength throughout his career as a Chef.

A celebrated Chef, Chef Leong also realised the lack of talents in today’s culinary scene. He mentioned that  “the younger generations are afraid of hardship, many do not have the perseverance to stay in the kitchen for long.” in fact, he briefly mentioned that being a Chef is not easy, it is not what you see on the television, but years and years of hardwork and determination.

Chef Leong also left with a quote for aspiring young Chefs’ “If you’re keen to join the kitchen, make sure you are committed to it, persevere and endure. However, once you reach he age of 25 and think that the kitchen is not for you, quit. Do not waste your time anymore.”

sam joe

Chef Cat Cora, the newest addition to the list of Celebrity Chefs at RWS was also present during our short interview and i managed to “squeeze” some questions for her!

Qn: Chef Cora, being the newest addition to the team of Celebrity Chefs at the RWS, do you feel pressured?

Ans: No, i do not. it’s just like being in the Iron Chefs Competition, it is always challenging and it forces me to really innovate and create dishes that are not only delicious, but presentable. In fact, it is my honour to be working side by side all the celebrity chefs in RWS tonight.

Qn: Chef Cora, i heard that you’ve got a Vegetarian Menu, which is your favourite dish?

Ans: ALL! Haha! Isn’t that what all Chefs would say? Joking. i personally really like the Cauliflower Puree with Basil Seeds and the Roasted Egg Plant Soup with Curry and Cotton Candy.

Qn: I see that you really enjoy using Asian Ingredients into your cuisine, so what do you love about Singaporean Food?

Ans: First and foremost, i really love Singapore! Not only does it have a whole diversity of races, for a Chef, it also meant a whole diversity of dishes! A typical morning for me in Singapore would be at a local coffeeshop or offer house with my half-boiled eggs and kaya Toast!

Not forgetting, TDM never forgets to have an Interview with Chef Joel Robuchon!

Qn: Chef, were do you find inspirations for your cuisines?

Ans: I treat culinary as an art, in all my dishes, i look at it from an artistic point of view. Like a Painting, there must be a balance. Mixing elements to do with taste first. Most importantly, using only the best products,we try our very best to work with local produce, but if it is not available locally, we source it from other parts of the World.

Qn: There a are a lot of Culinary schools that have opened in Singapore, what are your thoughts on them?

Ans: It is great! Reputable Culinary Schools such as the Culinary Institute of America, Temasek Culinary Academy and At-Sunrise are examples of such schools that lays a basic fundamentals to cooking. It is a very good way to start your career as a Chef and a great stepping stone to the industry. Most importantly, it doesn’t only teach you how to cook, but also manage a restaurant in a whole.

Qn: Chef, are there any plans for you to open another restaurant in Singapore?

Ans: Currently, no. There have been many investors and Hotels proposing to collaborate with me, but currently, i realise that there are too many restaurants in Singapore which are really good. Furthermore, i personally i feel that it is not right to open another restaurant in other hotels, especially with my current two at the RWS.

What an impressive start! Let’s see what we were greeted with the moment we stepped into the Ocean Gallery @ S.E.A. Aquarium for dinner!

Here comes the FOOD!! – All by the sequence of their courses, not forgetting the amazing wines that was sponsored by Bacardi – Martini Singapore Ptd Ltd

Wines served for the Evening:

  • Penfolds Koonuga Hill Autumn Riesling
  • Penfolds 2 Shiraz Mourverdre
  1. Le Caviar Imperial – by Chef Joel Robuchon
  2. Steamed Marble Goby – by Chef Sam Leong
  3. Double-Boiled Cordyceps Flower – by Chef Li Kwok Kwong
  4. Slow Cooked Salmon Roulade, Hokkaido Scallop & Fried Octopus – by Chef Cat Cora
  5. Beef Short Rib – by Chef Douglas Tay
  6. Sweet Temptation – by Chef Kenny Kong

EK YAP Creative Director Photographer www.ekyap.com www.flickr.com/ekyap

EK YAP Creative Director Photographer www.ekyap.com www.flickr.com/ekyap

EK YAP Creative Director Photographer www.ekyap.com www.flickr.com/ekyap

EK YAP Creative Director Photographer www.ekyap.com www.flickr.com/ekyap

EK YAP Creative Director Photographer www.ekyap.com www.flickr.com/ekyap

grp photo copy

Meanwhile, for more information on the promotions which ends today, do not hesitate to join in the RWS Food Affair by clicking in the link HERE

The Weekend Khakis – Breathing Chinatown

Working on a dying culture, a dying trade, a dying Heritage.

Singapore has definitely moved and changed so much over the last twenty years. Many of the Singaporean culture, heritage and values have developed because of commercialisation. In fact, looking back, life was much better though we weren’t as advanced as we are now.

Last week, we decided to find back our culture, a Singaporean Chinese culture. So we decided to make a trip down to Chinatown in search of our roots and also, to see how Chinatown has developed since the last time we were there.

Do you Know?

That in the early day when Sir Stamford Raffles and Lieutenant Jackson, the colony engineer, drafted the Town plan in Singapore, the Chinese immigrants were located at the SouthWest of the Singapore River?

Interestingly, the dialect segregation also had an unintended effect on commerce in Chinatown – business owners, either for the convenience of communication or the comfort of the familiar, would often hire workers of their own dialect. This eventually led to trades being dominated by particular dialect groups:

The Hokkien, among the earliest to arrive in Singapore, took on trade and commerce and came to dominate as business owners.
The Teochew specialised in agriculture, with many making their fortunes from gambier and pepper.The Cantonese became miners and artisans, taking on occupations such as bricklayers, carpenters, woodcutters, tailors, jewellers and goldsmiths.

Like the Cantonese, the Hakkas worked in craft-related occupations but also dominated the niche trade of pawn broking.

The Hainanese were among the latest to arrive and had fewer options – they entered the service industries, and specialised in occupations associated with food and beverage, such as coffee stall holders, assistants, bakers, barmen and waiters. – No wonder i am in the F&B trade!

After the war, Chinatown gradually recovered and even flourished, entering into its ‘golden age’ in the 50s. She began to take on a character and popularity of her own. She became the ‘in-place’ for everything; people came here to get their marketing done, find the latest cut of cheongsam, get their fortunes told, celebrate festivals and meet their friends over dimsum. The streets thronged with all sorts – storytellers, streetside wayang, fortune tellers, hawkers, peddlers and travelling medicinal salesmen. The sights and sounds of Chinatown’s streets were the tales of early tourists and marked on postcards sent around the world.

Soon, modernity came knocking. By the time the 70-80s came around, the rest of Singapore was changing. Public apartments were built in mass, allowing Singaporeans to break away from the cramped squalor and live in comfort. People moved out of shophouses and into new, high-rise flats built by the government – and Chinatown was no exception. Even the street stalls were relocated into the purpose-built Chinatown Complex.

The charm of Chinatown seems to be lost, opening up to commercialisation, the vibe that we used to get when we were young seems to be diminishing. More and more developments and changes to meet the ever-growing influx of people coming into Singapore, perhaps one day we’ll lose everything. Probably it’ll just be another plot of land, a piece of land that we use to build homes, high-rise buildings and offices.

As for now, enjoy while you can!

*P.s. In case you’re thinking why Ms. Small Girl has such big and rough fingers, that’s just me “hijacking” her self shot! Hahaha@@

Thoughts of the Day – A Singaporean Diary

Somehow, i don’t blame Singaporeans for not pursuing their Passion. To a certain extend, some may agree with me that Passion can’t feed you (at least in Singapore), others might be fortunate enough to be finding their passion in something that hands out a solid pay-check.

On the contrary, some might disagree to this post and choose to say that it’s all about being satisfied with what you have. However, humans are never easily satisfied isn’t it? It’s our nature to be competitive and moving-forward instead of backwards or being at a constant. Unless you’re so sure that inflation in Singapore will fall or remain constant, then perhaps you might be right about being satisfied with what you have now.

If NO, stop giving yourself excuses and say that you should be satisfied with what you have, passion can always be pursued, but one just have to be realistic and be OBJECTIVE instead of SUBJECTIVE.

*this is not meant to relate to anyone or anybody, it’s just my own thoughts.

Next on TDM, The Weekend Khakis in Chinatown!!

Alternative Investment & Passive Income

Have you considered having money cashing into your account while you’re deep in sleep?

Or have you considered having an alternative investment?

Earning your Interest in Banks? Perhaps not…

Let’s take a look at the interest rates of our banks in Singapore (Fixed Deposits).

Commonly, many middle-income Singaporean, would be looking at depositing a fixed deposit of about 10K-50K at any given time. So, the highest interest rate we can see from the graph above is probably from the Bank of China or Standard Chartered at about 1.18% per annum (min. 12 months).

Let’s do the maths… if we were to invest $30K into a fixed deposit, that means, after 1 year of “safekeeping” it in a bank, we will be looking at earning a pathetic sum of $354 dollars.

For some of you, WOW! That’s good money huh?!

But let’s take a look at Singapore’s Inflation rate per year at the graph below:

An average of 5% per year, so what make you think that with a 1.18% interest rate over a year of fixed-deposits would do you any good? So do you think you’re even earning anything?

Perhaps not right?

Well, what if today i tell you that you could perhaps double or triple your interest rates with the same amount of money?

Would you consider it?

The people at Genesis-Global Gems & Jewellery have managed to come out with an Investment plan for you for a period of five years.

“At Genesis-Global, we only deal with diamonds of the highest quality, carefully handpicked by our team of experts, ranging from very rare fancy coloured blues, pinks and yellows, to fancy shaped diamonds and the usual white round brilliant diamonds.

Every white diamond that we supply bears the ultimate hallmark of excellence in polish, cut and symmetry*, as certified by none other than the World’s leading diamond grading authority, the prestigious Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which adheres to the Kimberley Process.

Such hallmark of excellence, combined with the other aspects, such as top colour and clarity, is the only assurance, by our standards, of the true investment value of a diamond that is worthy of your attention and appreciation.”

Perhaps… Perhaps… Perhaps!

If diamond investment is not your cup of tea, or perhaps you’re thinking if investing in Diamonds is a scam. Do not worry, to ease your worries, Genesis Global Gems & Jewellery is also listed in the Millionaire Magazine and all the diamonds available in-house are GIA certified.

Doesn’t convince you enough? let’s take a while and listen to what CNN MONEY has to say about investing in Diamonds. To watch the Video, click HERE

I’m Keen to know more!

If you’re keen to find out more about an alternative investment or perhaps you’re keen to purchase a piece of diamond studded jewellery for a much lower price, maybe you’re considering to get married and you’re looking for a alternative option or a one-of-a-kind diamond ring for your other half.

What’s better then Genesis Global that provides a one-to-one; by appointment only consultation that is absolutely FREE!

Do not hesitate to email me at: thedrinkingmarket@gmail.com

Visit their Website HERE

Fill up the form below with some of your questionnaires!


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Neal Pollack
Neal Pollack
Neal Pollack, The Greatest Living American Writer, is the author of many semi-bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction. He also cohosts the podcast Extra Credit on with his teenage son Elijah. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.
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