Short is the New Tall











I am so OVER hearing about this…

After the results were announced Birkhead proudly announced “I TOLD YOU SO.”

I feel so bad for this poor baby.



{March 30, 2007}   How old are you really?

I’ve recently been working a company called RealAge….check out realage.com its a great site that gives nutrition, fitness, medication, and relationship health tips.  RealAge also provided Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg-a pediatrician that serves as a spokesperson for one of my clients.

Dr. Jen’s publicist urged me to take the RealAge test the other day and now I’m hooked…so I know Im 24 years old, but based on how I live my life my body is actually 2 years older!  After you take the test the site tells you what factors are aging you (in my case STRESS, not enough calcium, second-hand smoke, not flossing regularly woops!).  Take the free test at http://www.realage.com/reg/regvar/st1.aspx?mod=LONGFORM.

PS, on another note, America, please stop voting for Sanjaya…he’s ruining my life.  I blame it on you, Votefortheworst.com!

VFTW season 6



Thanks Shanalan, this made me laugh:

Company Policy:  Effective from April 2007 

Dress Code

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise. 

Sick Days

We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday & Sunday. 

Bereavement Leave

This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early. 

Toilet Use

Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the “Chronic Offenders category”. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company’s mental health policy.

Lunch Break

Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that’s all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast. 

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere 



{March 21, 2007}   First Day of Spring!!

Ok I’ve been getting quite a bit of grief for not posting lately…so I wanted to be sure to jump on good ole’ WordPress and give a hollerrrr to world wide web…

Happy first day of Spring and good riddance Winter!!  As I sprinted from my apartment this morning I was not so happy to find that the temp was in the teens…but my carefree happiness returned when I found out I get my iced coffees from Dunks free today (amazing). So yay for Spring, pastel colors, sandels and iced coffee!

I blame my lack o’ blogging almost entirely on Comcast and my up again, down again Internet service in Southie, but I guess considering I sit in front of a computer screen all day Monday-Friday I’ll take a very small amount of blame.  Regardless, Spring is a time of growth and renewal and colors and all things warm and fuzzy..so I think it’s only right for me to make a vow today to start blogging again!!

On another note, on the Boston PR front I’m going to an event on Monday that should be interesting:

pubclub logo

Publicity Club of New England

Saying it loud and clear!

Using word of mouth, viral, buzz and blog marketing

Word of mouth is a pre-existing phenomenon that marketers are only now learning how to harness, amplify, and improve. Word of mouth marketing isn’t about creating word of mouth — it’s learning how to make it work within a marketing and public relations objective. Word of mouth marketing empowers people to share their experiences. It’s harnessing the voice of the customer for the good of the brand. And it’s acknowledging that the unsatisfied customer is equally powerful. Learn from the experts at this exciting panel discussion.

Moderated by Laura Tomasetti, managing partner of 360 Public Relations, the panel will include:

Dave Balter, Founder & CEO, BzzAgent

Walter J. Carl, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Communication Studies, Northeastern University

Jim Nail, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Cymfony

Just added: Lois Kelly of Foghound and author of Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing,

First 50 registrations will receive a copy of “Grapevine: The New Art of Word-of-Mouth Marketing” co-authored by Dave Balter.

Monday, March 26
The Library at Hotel 140
140 Clarendon Street, Boston

6 pm Light Dinner
7 pm Panel Discussion

To Register
Please register by credit card go to http://www.pubclub.org and click on the link on our home page. To pay by check, please email kelly@pubclub.org to reserve your spot and then promptly mail your check to The Publicity Club of New England, PO Box 514, Rowley, MA 01969.

If you’re into blogging, or public relations, or social gatherings, or even better–all 3…come join me for a cocktail!!

More later:).



SCANDELOUS! According to Boston.com “A Brazilian website [Glamurama] reported yesterday that Tom Brady‘s girlfriend Gisele Bundchen may be pregnant and, if so, the Pats QB is the father.”

Tom has been lucky to keep up a fairly good image with the media after his ex Bridget Moynahan announced that she was pregnant.  Now another pregant girlfriend could be disastrous for Brady’s “family guy” image.

 Ummm, will someone please sit down with Tommy and have a long talk about SAFE SEX??  Is she really pregnant? Someone, anyone, FILL ME IN.

 



It appears, as of now, that Mr. Libby will be heading to jail for lying.  I guess my mother was right when she said that honesty is the best policy…

One of the jurors in the case was interviewed on the Today Show this morning, and said the jury believed that several people were at fault for this leak and that Libby is, for lack of a better phrase, “taking one for the team.” If this is the case he may regret that noble decision down the line if he ends up with the maximum sentence (25 years!).

Do you think Bush will play nice and grant Libby a presidential pardon?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-07-libby-fate_N.htm 

Libby's fate remains unclear. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced June 5, but his federal sentencing guidelines are much lower.



{February 22, 2007}   Pogue on “PR Parasites”

I came across David Pogue’s NYT post from a week or so back on the downside of being a tech writer.  Interesting read if like me, you’re in the PR industry.  David comments on a Gizmodo posting that is focused on the “PR parasites eager to suck away precious time.”  I work with a number of passionate, intelligent PR practicioners that truly want to aid and partner with reporters – not waste their time.  So I can’t say I agree with the description although I enjoy the alliteration…

The comment thread at the bottom is the most interesting by far…it starts to get pretty darn nasty.



C’mon JetBlue, baby! Work it out!!

 JetBlue’s recent issues have been well publicized and some think this could lead to the airlines eventual demise.  I certainly hope not.  As someone who is not a big fan of flying the friendly skies–JetBlue has always been my saving grace:  Nice flight attendants, little delays, TV’s at every seat–what can beat that!?

I can’t say that I would be so supportive of True Blue if I had been one of the poor, closterphobic passengers forced to sit on a plane for 8 hours. One can only hope that whatever caused JetBlue to be unable to prevent the infuriating delays and hundreds of cancelled flights stemming from a Valentines Day snowstorm in New York will be righted and forgotten through JetBlue’s apologies and the creation of a customer bill of rights that promises vouchers to fliers who encounter delays.

David Neeleman, founder and chief executive, described the crisis as “a huge bump in the road” but said JetBlue would move past it.

 Note to readers:

A colleague of mine was chatting with a JetBlue staffer yesterday at the airport about their recent problems and he mentioned that in the next two weeks the airline will substantially reduce domestic and international ticket prices in a goodwill effort to win back customer loyalty. So if you wanted to take that trip but tickets were too expensive keep your eyes on JetBlue in the coming weeks, their prices should hit rock bottom.



Happy belated Valentines Day to everyone. To be honest–I love chocolates and romance and all that jazz–but I have a hard time grasping the obsession with Valentines Day.  Do you realize thereare nearly 100,000 photos tagged Valentine on Flickr??

 I realize that it may be sacreligious as a girl to even whisper this… but I THINK VALENTINES DAY IS LAME.  In my humble opinion, there is nothing romantic about Hallmark ,Russell Stover, Whitmans, Godiva Chocolatiers, 1.800.Flowers and Korbel Champagne capitalizing on the tale of Saint Valentine.  Not to mention 2/14 becomes an absolute torture chamber for the unattached.  If you ask me it’s just cruel.  Plus, wouldn’t you rather get flowers on a random day than on a day that your significant other feels obligated to send them? (I’m not complaining hunny–i mean my roses were very very pretty)–but you get what I’m saying…

More later 🙂



{February 13, 2007}   Speaking of Crazy High Heels…

Thanks for the tip on this one blondie 🙂 …

Oh Gizmo introduced to me another option for all those sore-footed Short is the New Tall readers out there! 

 Apparently some absolute genius (otherwise known as Marte de Hollander) created convertible high heels.  According to Oh Gizmo the design known as footloose “offers the best of both worlds with adjustable high heels that turn into flats by simply twisting the heel around.”

I’m skeptical.  I’d simply have to try these babies on.  I mean…are they fashionable? Is the heel going to collapse when I’m walking down the street? … That just will not do at all! 

If anyone has tried these out let me know.  Comfort without sarficing style is always a plus in my book.



et cetera