virtualmom

Cash for Gold on 46th Street (Diamond District)

 
Instead of walking downtown to watch the Yankee's Ticker Tape Parade(I am a baseball fan but I don't have a particular team) I am headed to 46th Street to get some cash for some of my old gold jewelry!

Now that gold is nearly $1,100/ounce, I think my timing is right!  

Maybe I'll use the money I get to buy Hanukah gifts this year!  

****Update:  PLEASE shop the street!!! We had to go into 4 places to find out the correct price-the buyers speak in PENNYWEIGHT( 20 in each ounce).  Our end result:  Over $5,000!  Not bad for 'found' money.  Really this was old jewelry that I had no sentiment attached to.  

I have asked the buyer we used to come to In Good Company so that members can conveniently bring in their old stuff.  
 ****Sunday New York Times has yet another article about selling gold: Inside the New Global Frenzy for Gold

Green Shoots!

Anyone else like this term? It is the 'NEW' term the media has picked up on when referring to our economy. They say that we are starting to see a lot of Green Shoots in the economy --in other words, things are just starting to grow.

In Honor of My Mother

I always knew my mom was a special person, but it has become clearer and clearer as I age. The more life I experience, the more I realize just how special she was!
In her honor, I am unveiling a new website called www.virtualmomcoaching.com. I thought that launching it on Mother's Day's would be particularly appropriate.
I have been wanting to give back for sometime now, and I have been thinking about trying to help others who may just need a little motherly coaching. I know that I was lucky to have a mom who coached me to reach my goals and if I could be of help to others, I would feel grateful to do so.

What Ruins Your Appetite?

I am asking around and would appreciate some feedback as to what makes you lose your appetite? Is there something visual that would make you not want to eat? One friend told me that seeing either a hair or a bug in her food ruins her desire to eat. Those offenses don't bother me, but my appetite does shrink after viewing vomit. These 3 examples are probably universal, but what else can stop you? Please either leave a comment or email me. I am working on something and need some feedback!
Much Thanks!

FREE STORE

A couple of artists opened a store on Nassau Street as an art exhibit. It is called the Free Store. If you know me, you know that I am full of ideas, so it is not unusual that I have in the past thought about a free store. I went down to check it out immediately once I heard about it. As I told La. later, it was not how I imagined it to be. I(of course) like my version better! But I will certainly give the artists credit for actually opening the store which will be open at 99 Nassau Street(between Fulton and Ann Streets) for another few weeks.
What can you get there? It carries items that you can find in any regular thrift store. Similar to other stores, there is even a line to check out--except that you don't pay anything here. You just record in their book what you have taken. Apparently on Opening Day, the crowds rushed in and took almost everything! Shows our GREED-huh? The owners had to shut down and adjust their motto. They re-opened and said please limit yourselves to 1-2 items that you really need!
There wasn't much in the store to let you know that this was ART. But if art's effectiveness is to make you think, and maybe make you think outside of your box, then perhaps the concept of NOT BUYING did indeed make their consumers question the act of buying, even if only for this one minor purchase(or non-purchase).
As I am writing this-I just thought that I should donate some of my RE-GIFT STICKERS and Buttons to them!!! YES, I am going to go down there later today! How fun!!!
Here is a photo--I am afraid it is not very good.

My Secretary in Israel

As I have written before, we will soon be going to Israel. It has been a few years since we have taken a big trip and I'd forgotten how many little details there are. This will be our first time to the Holy Land, so I am really unfamiliar with the lay of the land. Plus we are staying in a rented apartment(more economical) and I will not have access to a hotel concierge. I have made a list of some things that I want to get done, some that I have been unable to do from here. Fortunately I heard of the business called Secretary in Israel which employs Americans who are living in Israel as virtual assistants. I signed up and I now have a secretary. Her name is Chevy and I am excited because I just realized that I have never had a secretary before! Chevy is going to get us tickets to an Israeli soccer game(you know us-soccer crazy family) and find us a nice restaurant near the Wall for a post Bar Mitzvah celebration. She's actually gonna complete my 'to do' list!
About a year ago I read Tim Ferris's book, The 4 hour Work Week, and he talks about a virtual assistant company called Your Man in India, another company like SII.
I'll report back on Chevy--hope she is good!

Thong Undies (as told by Hanky Panky Owners)

Last night I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at In Good Company listening to the owners of Hanky Panky tell their business success story. It was very inspiring listening to them. Hanky Panky is an intimate apparel company that is responsible for bringing the thong to the american market. They have sold millions of their style # 4811(the number which they have trademarked because it is so famous). They have a great story. I love a great success story!
Although the company has been around now over 30 years, everything changed for them on June 18, 2004 when an article about them and their thong was featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal. The international press was overwhelming! They were inundated with calls and emails from department stores and customers who wanted to buy their thong! Literally overnight, their business changed. (One audience member asked what PR firm got them the interview- and they said that ironically they had just fired their PR firm and had not yet hired a new one-when they got their biggest story ever!) Sales doubled and so did their staffing eventually. The change was something they had always dreamed about but it came suddenly and the transition period was rough they said. But since they were a solid company for some many years beforehand, they weathered the storm and are proud to have been profitable every single year! The two women have been partners and friends the entire time(a true feat!) and work well together because they respect eachother and keep separate responsibilities(one deals with design, the other with the business part of business). In these tough economic times, their uplifting talk was a needed boost for the roomful of young women entrepreneurs in the audience!

Scared to Look at my Stats!

I disappeared from this blog for an entire week and this morning I was scared to view the stats showing how many people viewed the site. I looked anyway and sure enough, the numbers were down. I don't use this blog as an income source, so in the longrun, viewership doesn't matter, but when viewership has been on the upswing, I can't help but be disappointed in myself for missing a week!
My excuse? One of the books that I have been wanting to read finally came in to the library and I picked it up and started reading it over the past week. The book is by Julia Cameron called the Artist's Way. It is another self-help book, but one that was recommended by several people I respect. From the very beginning of the book, she has you writing first thing in the morning in LONG HAND in a notebook! Well, all is fine and dandy, I can do that but I normally write in this blog at that time! She asks that you do this exercise for 12 weeks. So far, it has been hard for me to write in a journal and then open the computer and write some more!
The exercise is called Morning Pages and is supposed to be free form. You write whatever comes out, no pre-conceived notions. You have to fill three pages and then stop! You could write, "I don't know what to write, I don't know what to write" on all 3 pages. This is to clear your mind of the accumulated junk on a daily basis- just like you might clear your tummy of such every morning.
I questioned my friend Donna about it and she said to just do it and not question it!

Penis Pokey. I want an Idea like this!

I don't know why I think this book is so cute and clever and funny but I do and apparently a lot of others think so too because it is selling so well. This is what the publisher says about it: This book contains no nudity. No profanity. No sexual material of any kind. And yet it's totally obscene.
I want a bestselling idea like this!
How about the matching undies? Too much? HMMMM.. gotta think about what's next!

Vision Boarding for 2009!

I had so much fun last night, thanks to everyone who should up despite the horrid rain! To me, the night was a total success; old friends and newly met friends sitting around the table going threw a massive pile of magazines and cutting out appealing images and words to ultimately glue on to our own personal vision boards for the upcoming new year. We played Joni Mitchell and the Counting Crows, drank wine, and chatted while doing this relaxing and reflective exercise.

The results? See for yourselves from the pictures I have included. Some awesome work was done!!! I highly recommend making one yourself at home!! Give it a try!!!