Embarrassment + Organization

It's funny. I consider myself a happy and easy going person but when I think I've unintentionally hurt, offended or upset someone, I really just want to cry and hide. Lately, I've been so happy that I've noticed it. I was just thinking this morning that it's been so nice to have been on a high for so long. Even the occasional bad headache hasn't messed with my mood. And then, the rest of today happened. In one instance I said "hi" to a co-worker, who's name I thought I knew. I totally called her the wrong name. Not even close. I thought she was a completely different person. Ugh. Earlier today I was reprimanded by a friend for inappropriate Facebook posting. I didn't even consider that it might be inappropriate. Oops. I feel like poop.In researching embarrassment, however, I learned that it is also a medical term. Yay learning.

In other news, I'm thinking about starting a website for millennials called getyourshittogether.com. (Unfortunately someone already has the domain name but I'm sure I can work out a deal.) The point of the site would be to share useful tips in managing life's many facets in order to live and work as productively as possible. I'm often amazed by how hard it is for people in my age group to manage multiple projects, i.e. some people are really organized at work, but not at home, or vice versa. And, while we have so much more technology to help us keep our shit together, it can be hard to choose the right kind for our needs. Or, even if we use it, it can be hard to keep up with all of it. Our generation is somewhat unique in that we are pretty tech-savvy, but we were also alive for awhile before the internet took over our lives. Expectations about our reachability have grown tremendously in our lifetime. Also, some people just aren't that into using their phone as their calendar. I get that too. I think it would be interesting to pull together different literature on staying organized, keeping the e-mail inbox under control, managing voicemail, helpful websites, etc. There could also be some info on financial management and career advancement. If you know of existing stuff like this, let me know. I haven't delved into any research on it yet.

Song of the Week: "Don't Vote" - Cass McCombs

Three Cool Ideas

1. The Good Gym
Help someone run an errand while you get your work out in.

2. Neighbors for Neighbors in Jamaica Plain just started SnowCrew, a group of volunteers who help their neighbors shovel after big snowstorms. You can sign up to shovel or get help via text message.

3. In urban food deserts like Detroit, why not let Walmart move in to establish small stores?

An idea a day

I find myself full of ideas these days. Some might be good, others not so good, but I think it's time to start keeping track of them, in case any of them are worth anything. Feel free to comment and tell me that I'm a genius, a lazy dreamer or a complete lunatic.

1. Healthy Gift Basket Subscription
You can buy people gift basket subscriptions of almost any kind these days: Beer of the Month, Cheese of the Month, Bacon of the Month and even dog treat of the month. Why not cater to the health-obsessed, tree hugging, my-body-is-a-temple folks with a green, good for you, health food gift basket. Sounds questionable, right? But, what if each month was a different yummy and not bad for your surprise, like fair trade organic chocolate, vegan energy bars, assorted detox teas or locally grown root vegetables with a recipe on how to use them? It would be like SELF magazine but edible. Also interesting: herbal remedy club



2. Vest with personal heating unit
Tired of hunching your shoulders against the wind? Ever feel like if you could keep the spot between your shoulder blades a little warmer it would make the winter much more tolerable? I have a preliminary design for a special warming vest. It comes with a reusable heating pad that you can warm in the microwave in two minutes, then pop in a pocket in the back of the vest. Wear it under your coat or when you go to sleep. It will keep your neck and upper back warm for more than 30 minutes. Perfect for walking the dog or setting out on your commute in the wee hours.



3. Alternate Economies to Fight Climate Change
Not to be a cynic, but it doesn't look like we're going to pass a Cap and Trade bill in America any time soon. Still sea levels are rising, weather is changing, we're destroying communities in the name of coal and doing myriad other things to ensure our future is not so promising. There is a lot to be done legislatively to fix our future, but we can't count on the government alone to get us out of this deep fried pickle. We need corporate buy in. We need more companies to invest in a clean energy future, more investors to invest in clean energy companies and all parties involved to create those green jobs everyone's been talking about. We need to create economic alternatives for people in communities that rely on dirty energy.

But why trust companies to be charitable? And creating incentives takes money and the government time. In Appalachia, where people have an intense love/hate relationship with the coal industry, there has been some success in luring businesses in to create employment alternatives but not nearly enough.

Instead of trying to create incentives for companies to go to the people who need them, why not make new companies? We could train community members in the art entrepreneurship, identify needs in the communities and create common sense business solutions to address them that are both environmentally and economically sustainable. It might sound crazy but I think it's a sweet idea.




More soon...