Taking it to the streets

TheBetsy is on the loose.

You heard me. Loose. Running free.

Which is awesome considering I’ve just spent 2 1/2 weeks home-bound with children and NON-STOP rain.

Lesser people would’ve broken. I broke about 4 days ago. A lot is said about motherhood- suffice to say I can tell you from experience your Mom is right: you ARE ungrateful, you SHOULD feel guilty. Not only did you ruin her body, but she probably was cool before she had you.

Look, if being a Mama was just a regular job, I can speak with utmost confidence, we all would have quit. A while ago.

So back to being on the loose.

I’m spending a few delicious days child-free with the hubby- the benefits of having fabulous in-laws who are absolute bonkers over their grandchildren.

Lucky, lucky girl.

So whilst I’m traipsing around the countryside I’m trying a little experiment- total iPhone blogging. No computers all must be done with “Velma,” my trusty side-kick of an iPhone 3G. (No “S” model- I don’t really need it, though the hubby is working on me, so we’ll see.)

Stay tuned readers of TheLiquidBetsy…

Meet the Greatest ROI Shirt- The NEW #44 of The Betsy’s top 50 Faves

High ROI shirt- No Iron Pinpoint Shirt

I’ve got style.

I also have kids. And am cheap.

When I find something that is in the intersection of these three things I have to share. It’s compulsory. And this one has made The Betsy’s top 50, (see #44, )

First a confession.

My mom, Jeannine, is known as a sage among my oldest friends (which, of course, now you can see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.) She has a few rules that just keep coming back to haunt me. And my friends.

A few gems from Jeannine:

1. If it doesn’t add tingle to your life, GET IT OUT.

2. If you know you’re going to hate yourself for not buying it, no matter what… buy it. If you love it, buy one or two more (especially for shoes, especially if you’re a size 8 1/2 or up.)

3. All will be revealed, in due time. (This is actually from  Mabel, mother of Jeannine and Grandmother of The Betsy- works like a charm for gossip and office intrigue. Basically have patience.)

Of course Jeannine, being my mother, I am skeptical of any and all clothing gifts. Her style is sometimes not my own, and other times she is spot on. Go figure.  But it’s the thought that counts, and I am one to always try new things (go see #29) so when I received the following for Christmas I gave it the old college try.

Boy am I glad I did. Jeannine strikes again.

She gave me two classic button-up shirts- from Land’s End.  You heard me right. Land’s End.

Meet Land’s End No Iron Pinpoint Cotton Shirt. And it’s on sale.

Hello-oooo Gorgeous.

For a busy, stylish Mom (or college student, or young professional) these wonderful shirts are just fabulous. No iron (so no iron or dry cleaners) they look much more costly than they are. They are the ultimate High ROI shirt. They wash like a dream and they are classically stylish. I top mine with one of my big chunky necklaces and tuck up the collar, sometimes pairing it with a fab belt, dark-rinse sexy jeans or classic pencil skirt and a vintage Hermes scarf. Pure fashion YUM. Think like Diana Vreeland,  Katherine Hepburn and Coco Chanel chic. All, who while epitomes of style, were the first purveyors of high-low fashion mix. Tres, tres chic.

If you want the best bang for the buck. Great casual shirt or just a great shirt. Buy one of these shirts (hell, at these prices buy two or three.) They pack wonderfully and take a beating. Believe me I know what I talk of. As soon as the twins were born I shelved all my silk. Spit-up is like kryptonite to silk. A killer.  These Land’s End No Iron Pinpoint Shirts seem to be impervious to sticky finger and gooey, snotty hugs & kisses, catsup and chocolate pudding.

Did I mention they’re on sale? Like $19 bucks.

Again, Hello-oooo Gorgeous.

Note: I am totally not being sponsored by Land’s End, though I prolly should be. This Rec fits TheLiquidBetsy’s “if it’s good, it’s good” motto.

TheLiquidBetsy’s Newest Partner- The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

In an effort to expand my horizons and legitimize my endeavors on TheLiquidBetsy I decided to see what trouble I could stir up by offering to champion a cause or product, so long as it fit Betsy’s motto: “If it’s Good, it’s Good.”

Well, it doesn’t get much better than The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and The Campaign to Cure Paralysis. It’s as good as good can get, and I am honored to be able to help.

The thing is, spinal cord injuries don’t discriminate- they are an equal opportunity life destroyer. The ripple effect of these types of injuries affect not the victim but care-givers and loved ones, friends, co-workers. And it not just an injury, these people need “whole life” treatment with services and assistance, not just therapy and medical care, to get back to being productive, contributing members of society.

But what if we could just cure paralysis? What would it be worth to you, to a loved one?  This is a “pay it forward” type of prevention. No one can mitigate a spinal cord injury, paralysis- cutting out the fat, taking up running or eating organic isn’t going to do the trick. Because it often finds you, via accident or injury.

So join in the Campaign to Cure Paralysis– ’cause if it’s Good, it’s Good.

This, my friends, is just Good.

Motivation: gets the Respect…still quietly kicks everyone’s ass.

Photo courtesy of h.koppdelaney, from Zen Habits

In my last post, I was giving Motivation it’s due respect. Looks like I’m not the only one! One of my fave’s (see the blog roll if you don’t believe me– it’s on Betsy’s RSS feed) Zen Habits-Simple Productivity has a post on the topic.

It you don’t know Zen Habits you should, with 119,000 RSS subscribers, Zen is considered one of the top blogs around, the creator even has a guided tour (worth the read!)

Contributor Jonathan Meade, Why Motivation Doesn’t Really Matter is actually a misnomer. One of the comments posted said it should be called “Why Trying to Motivate Yourself Doesn’t Work Sometimes” which is a more accurate title. Still worth the read. Read the comments on others take on motivation.  The take-away: motivation deserves respect, mostly because motivation (or lack thereof) still quietly kicks everyone’s ass.

Now on a personal note,  seeing something like this is nice because it means that TheLiquidBetsy is in really, really good company.

So, at least for today, Betsy ate lunch with the cool kids.

If Luck be a Lady, Motivation is Her Snarky, Fugly Sister Melvine.

ABC's Ugly Betty- my patron saint of motivation

We all like luck.

From “Get Lucky” to “Lucky You!,” we cheer each other’s drinks with “Luck be with you.” We throw salt over our shoulder, wear green on St. Paddy’s Day (& kiss the Blarney Stone & hunt for those pesky four-leaf clovers,) for what? For Luck.

But no one ever pays scant attention to Motivation.

Luck is the Prom Queen, and Motivation is her too smart, snarky sister who can’t skate by on her looks and has to work freakin’ hard just to get noticed.

Except nothing worthwhile happens without motivation. Nothing.

Lucky doesn’t get you across any finish line, motivation does. Day in and day out. Think of marathon runners- mostly because I intensely dislike running and thus have utmost respect for any person runs long-distance- and luck, my friend, has nothing to do with it.

Training, lots of training. Running in cold, rain, sleet and snow, heat, early morning before work, late at night, when sick and tired. Running. Not to the corner store— like 10 to 15 miles. Every day. Weekends. Birthdays.

So unless something takes out all the Ethiopians, Kenyans, and the myriad of other born & bred long-distance runners then that bitch Luck has nothing to do with winning the Boston Marathon, let alone finishing it.

I tried to look up the patron saint of motivation. Nada. Again, if Luck be a Lady, Motivation is her Snarky, Fugly Sister Melvine. No respect for the hardest working muse out there.

Oh, except Motivation isn’t technically a muse either.

And just because I can’t help myself (and you know you want it)- a little ditty by the Chairman:

Bite Me Dunkin Donuts. You’re the 70’s Detroit of Doughnuts.

This in response to my Twitter tirade on Dunkin’ Donuts – I promised to expand my 140 character posts into sometime more readable. So, as promised,  here ya go.

A week or so ago was National Doughnut Day.

I love doughnuts. Not on par with cupcakes, or Nutella, or Burn Notice (on USA Network…) but a good doughnut and an ice-cold glass of full-fat milk can be a heavenly experience. Problem is, I live in the North East of the U.S.A. which is pretty much Dunkin’ Donuts territory. So back to my story…

Most places offered a free doughnut for the day (with some sort of purchase, natch) and Dunkin was no different. So being the thrifty (e.g. cheap) Scottish lassie I am, I made a detour with Baby Lug in tow for our free doughnuts. Wondering why in the heck have I not had a doughnut in a while… I mean I love ‘em, right?

Wonder no longer. Dunkin’ Donuts’ offering is embarrassing.

Now my young son loves Dunkin’- but he’s two. He doesn’t know any better. But at Dunkin’– they should. Call me “a marketing person who happens to be a foodie” but if you have it in your name (even if it’s misspelled) the product should be good.  My husband argues that no one goes to Dunkin’ Donut for the doughnuts, they go for the coffee. Silly rabbit Betsy.

It should matter.

Look I don’t expect much in a pastry from Starbucks Coffee or a salad from McDonalds (though they’re not bad in a pinch.) But crap doughnuts from a donut purveyor? That’s just sad. Or worse, it’s just complacency on the part of Dunkin’ Donuts and THAT’S unforgivable. It’s like Detroit of the 70’s– just because you’re the only game in town doesn’t mean you can slack off. Not in this economy. Not ever.

What also irks me is how Dunkin’ takes over a territory. It’s very similar to Walmart- they move into a town and wipe out the local Mom & Pop doughnut shops with convenience and consistently decent coffee. But what they lack is a good doughnut.

They seem to want to offer good food. They hired the ever perky Rachel Ray. Their menu boasts breakfast items, flatbreads, etc. Though I don’t know anyone how has ever really eaten one and enjoyed it. I tried to look at their site to find out more about their menu development and doughnuts… and found nada outside nutritional info. Not even the executive chef that run’s their kitchen. Tons of ways to order coffee though!

What I do know is they are mass produced at the lowest possible price point. Not in small batches, not a whole lot of variety outside of differing kinds cake, and variations of glaze and the god-almighty playdate staple … The muchkin. No bearclaws, no old fashion, no coconut.

Oh and the quality of their cake and glazed? The former has too much nutmeg, the latter is just meh, innocuous and nothing special. Too puffy and always tastes slightly stale. What Dunkin DOES do is make the most of these two basic recipes by using them as the base for most of the rest of their doughnuts. Sure the y have Boston Creme and that doesn’t make variety. And they always have that “just trucked-in taste.”

I think I spent most of my tweets trying to get Winchell’s to buy Dunkin’. At least with Winchell’s you get more variety out of a franchised doughnut. But the best of all is the little doughnut stores that dot the beaches, Main Streets, and corner stores of our great nation. Made early and fresh by people who actually own them.

Perhaps this is the next trend in food? Gourmet doughnuts. Now that is something I’d pay more than full price for!

Move over Magnolia Bakery… the era of the designer doughnut may just be here…

And lest you forget what is was all about Dunkin’, here’s your own 1983 commercial:

Read The Liquid Betsy, NOW Listen to @TheBetsy on BlogTalk Radio!

I was interviewed recently and thought I’d share the end product. Cause it’s good.

Jon Hansen, host of Blog Radio’s PI Window of Business asked me to join a panel to discuss “Has Blogging Crossed the Threshold of Legitimacy?“ I was happy to accept. What an excellent experience I had!  The panel was outstanding, the discussion was fast and furious, and our host kept the us all on time and on topic. One of the best interviews I’ve ever done or been associated with. We went over the allotted time limit. I could have chatted for a lot longer (but you knew that…)

So many thanks to my fellow panelists: the delightful Dr. Ellen Brandt, Ph.D.,  the winner in the Community Marketing’s Great Blog Off. – congrats to her for this week, she launches her new blog “Baby Boomers – The Angriest Generation”; the insightful Elizabeth Hannan, an on-line evangelist at Pragmatic Marketing whose firm focuses on leveraging the new media to elevate brand awareness; and David Bush, who as CEO of Iasta (a supply chain software company) launched probably one of the first “content marketing” blogs as the creator and editor of an industry leading blog the e-Sourcing Forum.

So here is the interview in it’s entirety for your listening enjoyment.

Do the Hustle and Thrive…

Everyone should have a top 50- Here’s Betsy’s

Patience isn’t only a virtue, it is a differentiator

Patience in practice.

I am not a patient person.

I want what I want when I want it. Not unlike a two-year old.

The scary thing is that I am not in the minority. Yep, I’m in the majority. And, quelle surprise,  so are you.

Me?

Yes, Pumpkin– YOU. ‘Fess up, I bet you probably don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many times in a day you exasperatedly say “Jesus Christ, could they/you/it take any longer? I’m in a hurry.”

That’s a good point. As wrote the sentence above there’s a “Me-centric-ness” that just leaps out. And that’s what’s wrong. In this day of almost effortless immediate gratification, we’re training ourselves to be less patient, more self-centric and thus less grateful for the effort, the ingenuity, the technology that transpires for our benefit.

Slow it down.  Follow my logic train. Let’s think about apple pie.

What?

Apple pie. Only a little over a century ago, getting an apple pie involved much more than hoofing it over to Shaw’s, Ralph’s, Winn-Dixie or any other  le supermarché.  To get a hot apple pie on the table you needed the following: some grain, a mill, flour, a cow, milk, churning butter, a chicken, eggs, making baking soda, an apple tree, some apples, a wood stove, trees, axe, cutting the wood, sugar, a pig, a knife, rendering the fat (insert a dozen other steps,) procuring spices (insert dozen other steps,) mixing, rolling, cutting, seasoning, mixing, laying the crust, scooping the apples in pie tin (oh, yeah don’t forget procuring or forging said pie tin,) baking, cooling and then eating.

In essence, a hell of a lot of planning, time and patience. No wonder obesity was nil back then.

There probably weren’t a whole lot of F.A. Jeans hanging on people’s pegs.

Nowadays, your average two year old know Dunkin’ Doughnuts = doughnuts. NOW.

My two year old also knows Amazon “One-click” button = books, probably tomorrow; Comcast OnDemand= Scooby-Dooby-Doooo!; ATM = $$. We’re raised on more and more immediate gratification. By contrast, and to be fair, we were all raised this way too. 7-Eleven= slurpees & big gulps, TV= entertainment, Ice cream/ Pizza parlours & McDonalds= YUMMY Food Fast.

Drink me.

So what does all of this immediate  consumption and immediate expectation mean? That we, as a species, are developing into pretty freakin’ impatient beings. We want what we want, when we want it. Usually right NOW.

Calvin demonstrating my point.

So not only is patience a virtue, it’s a premium– so much so it’s a differentiator.

Be the patient one. That’s the goal. While everyone else is running around like a chicken with their heads cut off (blame my Mom, Jeannine, for that charming little turn of phrase but it fits) be the one that realizes it is just temporary. It’s ALL temporary in some form.

I’ve been recently reading (more like listening to CD’s) of Dr. Wayne Dyer. He does a pretty good job for making the case for the temporality of it all. And I mean it all. But I am not selling my brand of crazy here– I’m just making the case for patience. Patience not for it’s own sake; but  accepting that everything has a flow, unfolding on its own terms, at its own tempo. You might as well enjoy the journey and not be inpatient about it.

Hear me out.  Sometimes things happen effortlessly. Sometimes, no matter how freakin’ hard you try, The Titanic is just going to go down– throwing deck chairs off the deck isn’t going to stop the inevitable. Not to say don’t try, don’t have goals, the exact opposite.  Set the goal, work the system and relax in the unfolding. That is the patience I am discussing here.

I’ve always loved how the Chinese looked at patience. In the past, when the Chinese implemented a major initative, they expect it to take years, decades, even generations for it to come to fruition. That’s some patience folks. Now compare that to modern business strategy implementation, usually they expect results in weeks, months or until the CEO gets fired.  Of course, given how technologically interconnected we all are now, I bet even the Chinese are starting to get impatient.

Business today is chock full of the impatient. People investing for a quick buck. A lot of the economic mess we’re up to our eyeballs in can be pretty much chalked up to impatience. I want what I want when I want it. Now. Bigger house, better car, newer TV, nicer vacation. Bigger, better, newer, nicer. Now.

Again I am not saying not to dream of nice things. Ambition and goals are a good things. The stress of NOW (wither overextending yourself financially or the stress of work or overwork for example) really negates the pleasure of obtaining your heart’s desire or goal. What if you just relaxed and let it unfold? What would happen? I think you’d be surprised at what transpires. I usually am.

Be the different. Stop being inpatient.

As they say, a journey of a thousand steps starts with one step. My two cents is this: I say stop looking for the shorter route and enjoy the walk. See the sights. Learn a few things. Breathe. You’ll get there in due time.

Of course, I have to remind myself of this… a lot.