Outland: Charlotte, NC

So after the Orange & White game, I packed the car up and headed to Charlotte to spend Easter with the Kakadelis’. It was nice to “come home” and not feel like I had to see anyone else. Everyone I needed to be with was under the same roof 🙂 I love visiting them because they are the nicest people you’ll ever meet! We stayed up late catching up and then went to church at the Ballantyne Campus where some jokester decided to pull the fire alarm! The kids had to be collected and evacuated from the building and it became chaotic for everyone.  Thankfully, it was in between services and people were already out the door.

On the way back in we caught up with an old friend, who I had not seen since high school. Karl, Brittany, and I served on the Carolinas District Board of Key Club International. We were “do-gooders” to say the least. I believe we would have been flagged as some of the most notorious troublemakers in our  respective states 🙂 It was great to be reunited, just like the old reunions we had outside of Key Club. You couldn’t write a better sequence for a movie, but Karl recognized another fellow Key Clubber in the parking lot. One that was in the Class of Lieutenant Governors before our term. From behind him appeared a wife. Surprise, surprise. Then his mother emerged between two cars with a baby! We were shocked and overly congratulatory to say the least. I promptly dialed our other mutual close friend in Phoenix and left the story on  her voicemail. It was just intense that we saw 2 years of Key Club flash before our eyes in 5 mins. Life comes at you fast!

Anyways, the Kakadelis’ own Outland Cigar which boasts an elite club for gentlemen. Gentlemen such as Tom Petty who owns a Founders’ Locker for his personal entertainment at the Outland Lounge. They can set you up, nicely, with great gift ideas and help you try some new cigars like the Gurkha that I am more partial to. It is like a trip to Tommy Bahama-land 🙂 There are two locations, one in Ballantyne and one on Piedmont Row near SouthPark Mall. The SouthPark location has great chocolates and will have the lounge nearly complete. If you’re looking for a place to play cards, enjoy some scotch, watch any golf, races, or games….Outland is the place for you! They do host some wives’ nights and ladies nights, but memberships are exclusive to gentlemen. Some local restaurants in the area are willing to deliver, so definitely check them out for a new place to meet or have casual business discussions!

Who knows who you’ll run into!

There is something about going home to Asheville. I’ll tell you what, the drive to Charleston is not scenic via I-26. However, the drive from Charleston to HHI through Beaufort, on Hwy 17, ranks on my top 5 views among Hwy 25…all the scenic routes lead to Asheville. It’s funny coming from Charlotte, driving into South Carolina, to get back into North Carolina. I can’t say that I mind it much when I get a preview of the Blue Ridge.

And then the ridgeline really comes up on you and takes your breath away 🙂 I have gone through a whole bunch of mileage. Needless to say, I will be chasing it down with a trip to Charleston and day trip to Augusta this weekend. When this month ends, I will have some reprieve. I hope I can keep myself together for a few more weeks. Although, I find some comfort in the chaos. I have been training myself since high school to manage multiple schedules and attend conferences back-to-back. Maybe I am meant for a more chaotic future ahead of me. If that’s the case, I welcome it with open arms!

On the other side of the table…

I am greatly distraught over my lack of posts last week. April has really worked me. I am so blessed to have a full plate that is challenging me in new ways. (Un)fortunately I have been able to see lots of people and spend my weekends all over NC & SC, but the travel has quickly worn me down and I am completely exhausted. I am going to write mini-posts and try to catch up on last week. My sister complains, often, that I blog too long and she just gets so discouraged to read them and that words are not her friends.

Last Wednesday, April 8, I attended Clemson’s Communication Studies Career Launch. I was in a Clemson House ballroom with 4 other businesses seeking interns or new hires for the summer and fall. I have to say that it is really strange being on the other side of the table. I doubt my interviewing tactics were well planned, but I was glad to see friends and old classmates. It gave me great practice in speaking about my company succinctly. I met some great candidates and hope everyone finds what they are seeking. Out of the 10 resumes I was able to find 2 worthy candidates for our internship program. They will be having a phone interview on Wednesday and coming to the office on Friday. Business development seems to be growing at an rapid pace, so if you are seeking a great learning experience this summer send me your resume to christinalor@sensiblecity.com. Be sure to visit our freshly launched website at http://www.sensiblecity.com.

A drive to Clemson is one that I greatly anticipate. How can you not love driving on Hwy 25 through Travelers Rest and Easley? Especially on a day like this?

My lists have lists…

Must be spring because my lists have been getting it on for some days now! This week has uncovered workplace emotions that have I have not really felt until this week. It has been a great exercise for my brain, but at a certain point on Friday my brain just stopped. I was looking at these phone call notes and trying to work on “inbox zero” and I couldn’t make anymore productive decisions. I think the moment I committed to bring the maxi-load of laundry home and jump in the car to Charleston did my day end right there. On the 4 hour drive home I was re-thinking phone conversations, to-do lists, and course of action for Monday. Today I offered to take the kids out to Sullivan’s Island and I’m thinking my time is running out to prepare for the next week. But I owe it to them, on Spring Break, and to myself to turn the brain off and just soak in the sun. So that is what I am doing today. I left my phone charger at home with the Slumdog Millionaire disc I had intended on bringing home for my mom. I was glazing over a book in bed, this morning, did I overhear my mom say,”She left the the disc at home” and my brother say, “She always leaves something.” I better pack the movie case now so I can return it to Blockbuster. Oh and I better grab the jacket I left on my birthday weekend, while I’m at it…

6 Minutes with Van Jones, an Urban RE:visionary

Cheers to Van Jones, the new Green Jobs Czar! I love how Van says “You have to have a breakdown to have a breakthrough. You need a crisis.” We are on the brink of a new future, a green future! Van is the burgeoning voice that will lead us to into our more sustainable economy! Human technology is capable of releasing creativity and excitement, we are truly on the brink of an ecstatic and ever-changing era! Please share this with your friends and family, change is on its way, like Van says, “connection, redemption….it’s about us finding each other again, believing each other, helping each other, and holding each other and that being the basis of not just the economic recovery, but the human recovery.”

I just want to you let you know that Van Jones and David Gottfried are not clients of ours. However, Van serves on the Board of Directors on Urban Revision, who is our client. Urban Revision offers to provide solutions to what Van is talking about. The competitions are collecting designs to implement in a fully-sustainable city block.

Stanley connects to Colorado!

So, I am preparing Stanley for another trip. My friend, Beth, has so graciously invited Stanley to join her in Colorado! She is very eager to take him skiing! I’ll be sure to include some pictures for Clarence’s classmates of Stanley’s brief stay in Asheville, NC. He will soon be in the Rockies and I am sure he will have so much to tell you when he returns next week!

The Adventures of Flat Stanley

I was asked by my dear little brother, Clarence, to participate in his class project at Belle Hall Elementary.  He wrote me a letter asking to bring Stanley to “sights in your town” and to “plese mail him back […] when his trip is over.” For reference, Clarence is seven years old and in first grade!

Here is a picture of Stanley. He arrived in my post box in the course of the weekend, or perhaps last week. I am uncertain as to ascertain his accurate arrival until Clarence asked about him on Saturday. So, today Stanley begins his trip in Asheville, NC. I brought Stanley to work so he could see my office, at The Sensible City,  and people watch downtown. I work right in front of Pritchard Park so there is always interesting voices below my window. Unfortunately, it is very windy and I don’t think Stanley would like the weather.

Do you have any suggestions on where I should bring Stanley this week? I wonder what stories he will bring back to Mt. Pleasant, SC…

Sticky note for this week’s Double Whammy.

Earlier this week, I gave an example of an un-social company. Well I found Jennifer Van Grove’s article on Mashable and thought how interesting that companies, in Client X’s industry, have been embracing social media. I love the layout to how each company is using Twitter to their advantage. Cheers to the Top 40 Best Twitter Brands and thank you Jennifer for revealing the people behind them!

Travel

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This is a big category and it’s growing every day. We’ve include airlines, hotels, a cruise ship, and even a rental car service under the travel umbrella. We admire these big brands for being bold on Twitter, and we hope that their ground-breaking efforts lead to better service for all of us who travel and know just how stressful it can be.

Jet Blue

Twitter Name: JetBlue

Jet Blue Official Tweeter: Meet Morgan Johnston, manager of corporate communications with Jet Blue. Morgan’s high flying Twitter philosophy is to tweet as the community sees fit saying, “our role on Twitter is driven by the requests of our followers. Twitter is a great way to talk to many, but even better for listening.”

Stats: 10,771 following/10,076 followers

So why is JetBlue tweeting?: “Our goal would be to make ourselves available, help whenever possible, and to show that our brand is built by real people who care about our customers.”

Most interesting Twitter discussion: “Probably being asked what our policy was on furries following an exchange http://is.gd/f1k8.” [I’m not sure what furries are, but I think it’s a Comic Con thing, and vaguely reminds me of something I saw on Entourage.]

On plans to promote the account to passengers: “Short answer: no, we want to grow naturally with the Twitter audience, long answer: We know we’re guests of the Twitter community. Inviting our own guests who might not understand how Twitter works, and only see it as a tool to talk to us is a bit presumptuous.”

A follow-up to the above question: “There are some rules and practices on Twitter that aren’t immediately obvious to new users. (following, DMs, replys) It’s hard to help when people sign up and simply say, ‘hey, when’s my flight?’ assuming we see an unaddressed tweet.”

Southwest Airlines

Twitter Name: SouthwestAir

Southwest Airlines Official Tweeter: Meet Christi Day, the emerging social media specialist at Southwest Airlines, and the gal behind the famously low fair offering and customer-friendly twittering airline. According to Christi, Southwest, an early Twitter adopter, “had been blogging for more than a year when we discovered and joined Twitter in July 2007. We were intrigued by its possibilities.”

Stats: 6,085 following/8,287 followers

On 2009 promotional opportunities via Twitter: “We will do announcements on Twitter from events…posting pics/vids. And whatever else unfolds, we’re open to ideas : )” [Twitterers take note – I think she’s hinting that they want good ideas from you]

On lessons learned: “Be honest, be real, be quick, be FUN”

When asked about internal awareness re:Twitter: “Hard to say for sure, but we promote our activity internally and encourage Employee participation.”

Double Whammy, my work post.

It has taken me a week, but I’ve crossed off everything on my to-do list, with the exception of some new spreadsheets for future efficiency. I had sublists within the master list and it’s pretty much done. The highlighted part describes a new task that I am going to spend the afternoon working on. My load lightened significantly after a school district shut my event down. I am sad to have to abide by their wishes because it was going to be a very unique story about a music program in Music Appreciation Month! The teacher and music coordinator have been so enthusiastic to host the media and show off some of their new instructional tools. Needless to say, I had to honor their wishes and play by the rules. Hopefully we  will have all of the red tape clear for a prospective event next month, I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

There is so much red tape wrapped up policy and procedure. I wonder if and when people will ever address issues, head-on, and learn to communicate! In college, I imagined that crisis communication would be a hot business because there always seems to be negative media perpetuating stories to the masses. However, that is certainly not the case. Bad press continues to be bad press and companies and school districts alike do not always deter negative messaging. They are like my mom who would, sometimes, pretend I didn’t just tell her something bad that I did. Just because you (Mr. Big-Wig Whose-a-ma-call-it) did not issue a statement doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Today, I was told of a prospective client that did not want to work with us because we are based out of the US. My informant educated me on the recent bashing that has been circulated virally through online social networking. This group, we will call Client X, is overseas and fearful of the encompassing OSN. Excuse me, Lord Proprietor of Client X, I think it would be wise for you to act within the environment that throws your name around with such disdain. Why don’t you participate in the dialogue and throw some positive conversation into the mix. How do you expect to yield positive results if you fail to give positive experiences? I say, jump into the loop and stand up for yourself. Who are you, to deem us unworthy of your contract? Americans tweet better because it is a platform that was created in America! (Excuse the patriotic tone) Who would be better to fight your battles in the realm that you so passionately said you must be apart of? Just because Americans are not your target market?! American tourists tend to jet-set around the entire continent (country-to-country where you could be expanding your business) and your good name could encourage others to patron your business and spread your good business by word of mouth and viral marketing. Above all, online social media is a strength of our company and in this day and age we are not limited by our location. Most of our clients are not even within our own state!

Your hesitance makes me less likely to refer you to my European family and friends. Your backwards thinking is not very progressive in the current marketplace and I feel like you will only succumb to issuing press releases for all the days of your life! Discrimination is not right, it’s outdated!

(Stepping off of the soap box). I wasn’t trying to be dramatic, it was the Caramel Delight GSA cookies that I’ve been eating.

Today has been a day of post scripting. I am aware of the powers that be’s need for control. I understand the concept of controlling a message. I respect the decisions you have to make, but dissonance of fears must come from some creative Googling and research. We researched you and are equipped with the ability to approach you with a gameplan. Rather than being a stick in the mud, how about being a leaf in the wind? Let the wave of viral marketing set you free to embrace others who are being blown my social network tools. Together we can strategize for positive communication and spread the joyous news of you being amiable and service-oriented. I am going to have a pull a card from my mom, though, if you fail to seek out means of positive communication, for your own benefit, then I will have to believe you aren’t doing anything to improve your uncheerful disposition and that your quality of service for your customers will continue to create pandemonium for the rest of us chatting it up on Twitter!

Talk + The Hardest Part

Oh brother I can’t, I can’t get through

I’ve been trying hard to reach you because I don’t know what to do

Oh brother I can’t believe it’s true

I’m so scared about the future I wanna talk to you

Oh I wanna talk to you

Everything I know is wrong

Everything I do it just comes undone

And everything is torn apart

Oh and thats the hardest part

coldplay. talk & the hardest part

Stuck in a tough place

Again, I have hit a point where I am stuck. Stuck in a weird situation, in a place that does not feel like home, with a job I love and adore. But everything can’t be perfect. So I suck it up and say “Thank God I have a job” and hope the rest becomes bearable. Asheville is a place I can enjoy, but living here lacks mental stimulation and anything that is remotely similar to Charleston. I said it, “Charleston is my home and I have come to love it.” I mean I was doing laundry in my complex facility and someone up and jacks my detergent. I am assuming another or the same culprit wanted to use my dryer as well leaving a finicky piece of pink thread to knot all of my clothes together and thus rendering them wet. I mean I am cutting thread in over 12 places that has 20 items in the most awful fashion connected to each other. I was not missing thread from any of my clothing. So imagine my despair on a Saturday night cutting pieces of pink fuzzy wuzzy from a huge ball containing articles of my clothing.

Can anyone feel me?