Reject a Job Offer?! Maybe.

From salary.com: A very informative article to help you stay objective in deciding whether or not to take that job offer.

-Katie

Consider This

Create Your Space: Cloey Style!

For this edition of "Create Your Space," my dog, Cloey Margaret, will share her wisdom.

That's me and my lovely design

Ever wanted a space to call your own? 
With your own personal touch?
As my mom always says, it's important to celebrate your individuality.Your space should reflect YOU, so make it your own!

Here's what you'll need to get started:

1) A sign.
My human sister made mine for me, since I can't write. I thought it was pretty good.

My Sign

2) A corner of the house.  The kitchen is a good place, as there are many design tools in the kitchen, such as food and paper products.

Me looking for more design tools

3) Pops of Color:

*One bag of lettuce
*One head of lettuce 

*One small pumpkin, preferably freshly plucked from your local pumpkin patch.

4) The Neutrals:

*One old bone
*A couple of napkins
*One loaf of expensive, organic, 12 grain bread

The Design Process

Once you have your sign and your corner, it's time to make you mark!

Step 1: Forage for the above materials.

Cruise the counters. Check the kitchen sink if necessary.  This is where I discovered a treasure trove of items, such as those listed above. (Mom didn't think I'd get stuff in the sink! Ha ha!)

If you are too short to reach counters and sinks, I suggest you hire a Great Dane.

Step 2: Color me beautiful.

First off is the head of lettuce. Once you've shredded it sufficiently, make sure it's strewn all over. 

Caught in the Act! 
Me With the Head of Lettuce

Now for the bag of lettuce. This one's a bit trickier for those of us not sporting opposable thumbs. So open it with your fangs and shake it like you mean it!!!

Greens are all the rage in decorating right now, so go wild with them. But please, spare the label on the bag if at all possible, as you never know if they'll be a product placement opportunity that comes along. (I'm hoping the magazine, "Dog Fancy," will be contacting me soon.)

And oh, that cute little pumpkin. Such adorable, orangey goodness!!
The color orange, which I'm not sure I can see anyway, is the final bright hue to incorporate. Make sure it gets adequately annihilated and balanced among the green.

Mmmm...those pumpkin seeds are good eatin'!

Step 3: But don't forget the neutrals!

Napkins can basically serve as confetti. Shred and sprinkle them accordingly.

A bone anchors the vignette with some weight, and gives an appearance that you do indeed gnaw on it from time to time, as opposed to those other things you shouldn't. Which reminds me...

The loaf of bread: be free with your beige carbohydrate of choice and begin chewing indiscriminately. Please note that the entire loaf might get consumed during the design process, and that's okay. Designers need nourishment while they work.

Step 4: Achieving the "Rampage Look" 

Please ensure you do lots of frenetic tearing, shredding and spewing. You want your onlookers to know that you are an edgy designer, one who isn't afraid of not only pilfering a few odds and ends to achieve the look you desire, but also one who doesn't mind getting down and dirty with design.

And it can indicate you're a just a tad irked that they left you at home.

Step 5: Weathering the "What the ;*@# did you do, Cloey?!!!!" reaction to your masterpiece.

Give your best "I am sooo sssorrrryyyy!!!! it will never ever happen again!!!!" look.

Can you feel my remorse? It's palpable...

And just remember two things:

Great artists are always misunderstood during their lifetime 

and

That loaf of bread will always be worth it.

Could You? Would You?

Via Flickr

...walk away from millions of dollars?
Just curious.

-Katie

NFL football player considers happiness factor

Keep Those Juices Flowing...

The creative ones!
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229424?newsletter=true

Words to Live By: William James

"I have often thought that the best way to define a man's character would be to seek out the particular mental or moral attitude in which, 

when it came upon him, he felt himself most deeply and intensely active and alive. 

At such moments there is a voice inside which speaks and says: 

"This is the real me!"

-William James, 

philosopher/psychologist,

in a letter to his wife, 

Alice Gibbons James (1878)

Office Space Revisted

What if your office looked like this?  Would it change the way you viewed your job?
Just curious...
-Katie

Google Tokyo

"You'll Never Walk Alone"

I performed this classic song at a cabaret many years ago and it remains one of my favorites. Introduced in 1945 by writers Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II for the musical, Carousel, the song has been performed by a wide range of singers, from Judy Garland to Elvis Presley to Renee Fleming. It has a sweet, simple, timeless appeal, and, dare I say, songs like this just aren't written anymore.

I post these lyrics for all of you who are having a rough time right now, and particularly for my friend who is battling cancer. She goes in for major surgery tomorrow and I wish her nothing but "golden skies" and an amazing recovery. 

-Katie

"You'll Never Walk Alone"

When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don't be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone

You'll never walk alone

When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don't be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on walk on with hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone

You'll never walk alone.

-Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II