Some Meetings Sneak Up On You

As last week came to an end I finally got around to looking at the calendar for the following month. After filling in a few other plans I surveyed my schedule which is when I realized how quickly the next stated meeting was approaching… I really don’t like it when the stated meeting is on the first of the month. So, after a long summer respite, I found myself behind on preparations for the lodge. To say that I kicked things into overdrive would be an understatement as the notice was yet to be completed, the minutes were in shambles, and the bill summaries had yet to be completed.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I have been in this situation many times before and getting some of these things done quickly has become a somewhat regular occurrence. So, first thing on the list was to get the notice done. I know where to look for all of the information and the messages are pretty cut and dry so this was completed quickly.

Since there was little time to spare I had to forego my usual submission to Staples so the printer at the office was working overtime. Address labels were next which just take time even when working at a fast pace. Stuffing everything made for a long night but it was finally done. Of course, the completion of the notice also coincided with updating both online databases. Yes, we are still dealing with this issue.

The minutes and bill summaries are simply a matter of recording all of the notifications and occurrences which are then put into a specific format. While it takes a little time making sure that everything is done correctly, it is a rather painless process that can be accomplished quickly. By the time the weekend had descended upon us, all of the necessary items were either completed or updated. Last night, a few more updates were made and a call-em-all was scheduled. All caught up… for now.

Now it is simply a matter of pulling together the other materials that I need for the meeting and making sure that everything is ready and in order for when I have to speak to the brethren. All the petitions, communications, and various other pieces of paper are ready to go. All that remains is to reconnect with many of the brethren tomorrow night and beginning planning for the October stated meeting. After all, I don’t want to find myself in the same position next month!

Moving Quotes And Changing Plans

For the past week I have been busy not only prepping for settlement day (which has been pretty smooth thanks to those at the bank and our realtor) but also preparing for moving day which has been a little move involved. Having received quotes from about a half dozen companies in the area, it is amazing to see the difference in how the prices are calculated. While not as expensive as I had originally expected, it is still not a cheap proposition especially when you ask them how much it would cost to have the company pack up your belongings as well.

The range of prices that I received was rather staggering starting at the low end at $700 all the way up to a ten times multiple of that initial figure. Surprisingly the economic company that we used for our last transition, Two Men and a Truck, was the most expensive (by a wide margin) because of the fact that we are moving just outside of their ‘service area’. In the end, we didn’t go with the least expensive but rather the company that seemed the most inclusive, had the appointment available for tomorrow, and was reasonably priced (still on the much lower end of the range).

However, nothing ever goes as smoothly as it should and that was definitely proven about a week and a half ago when I got a call in the early evening which changed our plans. Who called? The realtor representing our current landlord… he wanted to start showing the townhouse in a couple of days. Keep in mind that we gave notice with our September rent check so he could have coordinated this whole process months ago.

Having not packed much of anything at that point I quickly rejected his proposal pushing the earliest possible day to this past Sunday also adding the reminder that we have a 9 month old and he will have to be flexible in scheduling appointments. What realtor in their right mind calls a tenant and asks to begin showing the apartment in a couple of days?

So, since then I have been packing the house deep into the night and making friends with the sales people at Staples, Home Depot, and Lowes. With an evening to go there are only a few more boxes left that need to be packed, the bathrooms and kitchen have been cleaned, and we are, for the most part, ready to move on down the road in the morning. One more night with the preamble coming to an end and the real story beginning tomorrow.

TMI Tuesday: Holding Back

Our son is one of those babies that enjoys being out of the house. He likes being in the car (for the most part), visiting new places, and being around most people. It is nice to see him be so outgoing and we try to get him out of the confines of our house and around other people as often as we can. The simple fact that our son is so outgoing made it just a little easier when we decided to put him in daycare.

Today was his first day and while his personality made it a little easier for him, it was still hard for my wife and me to leave him there for the day. He didn’t shed a single tear or really seem phased by this new environment as his curiosity had him looking around the room and searching for other babies with which to “talk”. It was kind of a surreal experience that left us wondering where the last six months had gone and how our son could already have gotten so big.

While we have left him in the care of family in the past to watch him, this was the first time that we parted ways and entrusted his safety to strangers. We had met them in the past but not for very long. However, we were familiar with the daycare and knew of others who have their kids there so we made the decision to ensure that he is able to socialize while my wife and I are at work. Of course, that didn’t keep us from wondering and worrying throughout the day and making a couple of calls to check in on him.

At the end of the day we were both able to pick him up (I spent the day home from work with a headache probably caused from stress and a lack of sleep). As soon as our son heard our voices we could see the smile overtake his adorable face. Again, no crying or fussing, he was just happy to see mommy and daddy again after spending a day with his new friends.

As soon as we left the building we knew that our son was holding back all day as the gas and poop flowed freely now that he was back home. I guess he already knows not to burp and fart in public. Having spent the day apart they were welcomed sounds as we held our son although I could still go without the smells. One day down and a new routine started.

Every Penny Is Part Of A Dollar

Over the past couple of weeks I have been taking advantage of a couple of opportunities that were presented to me in order to save a few dollars. Sometimes the numbers added up pretty fast while other times it was only a little here and there. Either way, they are all providing a little bit of a return and putting a few extra dollars back into our account. Actually, by the end of the week, all those small sums added up and turned into a rather nice return.

There were really two parts to this whole operation this week… price matching and a credit card promotion. While it did take some time this week, in the end it is going to save us hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the next year. It just goes to show that if you take a few minutes and put in a little effort, you can make things a little easier.

It started a couple of weeks ago when there were a few items that I had to purchase for the house. Not the cheapest things but not really high priced either. When I had a couple of minutes free in the middle of the work day, I pulled up the Sportsman’s Guide website to see if they had what I was looking for. It turns out that they did so I put the items in my shopping cart, typed in my coupon, and selected the 4 pay plan to ease the payment pain.

Everything went smoothly but I was curious to see if there were any other websites that were offering a better deal. Sportsman’s Guide offers a price match guarantee for 30 days from the time the order is placed. There were a few sites that had the same price, a few that were selling it for more, and a couple that were a dollar or two cheaper. I wasn’t about to call over a couple dollars. And there is was… a $25 difference. With website and item number in hand I called customer service and had the price matched within minutes. However, this was a onetime opportunity to save some money. My other call this week was more fruitful.

At some point during the day on Tuesday I got an email from a company regarding my credit card. The offer was for free transfers of other accounts (normally 3%) with a 0% APR for 1 year on those balance transfers. This particular card has the lowest interest rate so has always carried the highest balance… hence no room for transfers. So I gave them a call on Wednesday to explain the situation and to see if there was some way that I could take advantage of this offer.

It never fails whenever I call them, they found a way to make it work. Now, instead of paying a nearly 20% APR on a couple other cards, we are now paying 0% for the next year and, if needed, carry a 12% APR afterward. The percentages may not mean much at first glance but, over the course of a 12 month period this could potentially save us hundreds upon hundreds of dollars (it will also lower our monthly payments pretty significantly). I am sure that many of you may think that this is boring but it saves me money so I am very interested.

The essential thing to take away from both of these is that there are opportunities to save money / keep money in your pocket if you just pay attention. I am sure there are a number of opportunities that I have missed in the past but, in this instance, I was fortunate enough to catch them. When all is said and done, all it takes is a few minutes from you day and a willingness to work with the people on the other end of the line. It was a great week for saving money.

Donate Space, Donate Blood

On an almost daily basis lately, there seems to be one thing or another that I need to address when it comes to keeping things running as smoothly as possible at the lodge. Sometimes I can help while other times I am not sure that there is anyone that can offer assistance. A midst all of the phone calls and emails this week revolving around a variety of lodge matters, there was one particular call that I didn’t expect. A call that allowed me to take action on behalf of the lodge and make something happen to help someone else.

As you may recall, the lodge conducted a blood drive in December and for the event we had a pretty good turnout especially given the fact that this was the first time that many of us were in charge of coordinating and the fact that we were late in scheduling the day and time with the Red Cross. Well, afterward everyone left happy with a respectable turnout and a lot of donations made. It wasn’t the easiest thing to pull off but the results motivate us to ensure that we make this an annual occurrence.

We had come up with a preferred date toward the beginning of the year and while I had been meaning to call the coordinator I simply haven’t gotten around to tracking her down. Yesterday I didn’t have to call her, all I had to do was pick up the phone. As it turns out, the Red Cross needed our help. The venue that they were scheduled to use on April 18^th was now unavailable and so the scheduled blood drive had everything but a location.

After making a few calls and making sure many of the brothers were on board I was able to call her back and offer her, on behalf of all the brothers, the use of the lodge for that particular day. While it was by no means an expected task during a busy week, it was gratifying to know that we were able to help in some small way. Of course, while I had her on the phone I also booked our blood drive for the fall on Saturday, October 3^rd, from 10am to 3pm.

I guess it is a simple lesson that while it is good to seek out ways to help the community sometimes you just have to keep yourself open and pick up the phone when it rings. You never know, you could make a difference just by answering. So, whether you are free in April or October (or both), take some time out of your day, give something to those in need, and donate blood.

An Unexpected Work Email

Soon after my son entered this world my wife and I were both on Facebook sending the first photos of his arrival and chatting with some family and friends about his early arrival. While on the social media site I also came across an interesting message from a company that I had not worked with for over three years. At my previous public relations firm I had led the account for this company and every now and again I would read the updates posted by the CEO and send a quick message here and there about where I was and what I was doing. However, this message was completely out of the blue.

The note was very simple requesting my email address so that he could have his head of PR get in touch with me. I didn’t give it a second thought and gladly sent him my work email. As day turned into night and other events clearly taking precedence in my mind, I had forgotten about the brief chat by the next morning. A couple of days later, having just woken up from a less than refreshing sleep in a hospital bed, I opened my work email and found a message which filled in a few of the missing pieces.

As it turns out, the company was once again looking to invest in public relation in the US and I was one whom the CEO thought of to get the process moving. Keep in mind that this was my favorite company and CEO to work with in the past but since that time I had little contact with him. It was flattering to say the least that he thought enough of me to circle back after such a long time.

When I first started working with this company they really were in the early stages of development and exposure. Over time we worked together to hit a number of milestones both in the size of the company and the funding that it had behind its continued development. Since I last worked with them they have increased in size by over 400% and all the things that we talked about in the past of wanting to do were now coming to fruition.

Since those email correspondences, I have spoken with the company over the phone and provided a little more background on what I am going now and the vast capabilities of my current company. We are moving forward in this exploratory process and I am hopeful that we will be able to work together as this is still a company that I am very excited about and I want to be a part of the growth and immense potential that it continues to possess. However, at the very least, I am happy that the CEO felt the same about me and that all the things that we discussed over three years ago are now a reality.

Mother’s Day Isn’t Limited By The Calendar

There are some holidays that just seem to get overlooked. No matter how much effort we put into celebrating the day, it just doesn’t seem to be enough. I have always felt that way about Mother’s Day as there is so much that my mom has done for me and so much support that she has given to me and my siblings that I don’t know if there is anything that we could do to really show how much I appreciate everything that she has given to me and the love that has never wavered no matter how crazy my life plans tend to be.

While we have this day that is prepackaged to honor our mothers, the origins of the day really show the love that most of us feel and the kind of honor that we wish to bestow upon the wonderful women that raised us. When you read about the founding of the holiday on Wikipedia you will get my point:

The modern American holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia. Her campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her beloved mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Anna’s mission was to honor her own mother by continuing work she had started and to set aside a day to honor mothers, "the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world." Anna's mother, Ann Jarvis, was a peace activist who had cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues.

Due to the campaign efforts of Anna Jarvis, several states officially recognized Mother's Day, the first in 1910 being West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation creating Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers. In a thank-you note to Wilson, Jarvis wrote of a “great Home Day of our country for sons and daughters to honor their mothers and fathers and homes in a way that will perpetuate family ties and give emphasis to true home life.” Jarvis became critical, however, of the commercialization of the day.

So, while I will do what I can on this day to show my mom how much I love her and appreciate her, I will keep working every day to make sure I convey that beyond the confines of a single block on the calendar. I know too many people who rely on holidays and only reach out when there is another reason to call their mom. I don’t ever want to end up like one of those people (although I think there were times in my life when I did). There really doesn’t need to be a reason to talk, to make sure you remain connected, and to let you mom know (even if it is not directly stated) that you love her.

Keeping In Touch... Not Such A Simple Concept

A large part of my everyday job is very simple… it is basically to keep in touch with people, clients and reporters, and make sure that they know everything that is going on. Some call it pitching and for the sake of making it easy I do to but it really is a matter of keeping communication going and talking to people. After all, there is only so much selling that you can do before someone just tunes you out and starts thinking about how they can get you off the phone.

However, as I previously mentioned in my blog yesterday, while I am constantly talking and writing while at work, some of the other connections that I have most importantly friends, have suffered a bit in my desire to keep working and pushing myself harder and harder. While I have made a little bit of progress as of late in getting in touch with friends whenever I have a minute or two here or there, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. If only I had more hours in the day.

The way that I approach my job is not really a common practice for most people in the industry (at least most people that I have met over the years) but it has been working for me. I enjoy talking to people, getting to know them, and seeing if there are commonalities we share beyond the work that we do with a given company. I try to do the same thing with clients when given the opportunity as well. After all, success in this business is reliant upon the relationships that you form with people.

By approaching my job in such a way there are moments when I get a call or an email from reporters and editors and before we delve into business we see how the other is doing, any plans, and anything that may have happened since the last time we spoke. Without a doubt, talking to the media is my job but it is also the job of every other PR person out there. By treating the media as people and not publications or positions, there is a greater possibility of them actually talking to you and you looking forward to reaching out to them. Do that enough times and you have made a professional friend.

As has been a common thread in many of the posts since I began this blog, this is another instance where I need to keep seeking the middle ground. I can’t have work completely dominate my ability to keep in touch with people… there are many friends that I haven’t spoken to in some time. Actually, sitting and thinking for a few minutes, there are many that I can’t remember the last time that I actually heard their voice. Keeping in touch seems so simple until the day you come to the realization that you are only using ten percent of the numbers in your cell phone. Time to get that percentage up.

Answering An Unknown Number

It grazed my mind that I should call a couple of the places I sent emails to just before the holidays regarding membership. I reached out because in order to become a member of these heritage based organizations you need to prove your lineage as well as have a member sponsor your application. However, like so many thoughts in the midst of a hectic day, it quickly evaporated in the bitterly cold dry air not to touch upon the gray matter for the remainder of the working hours. At least that is what I thought….

Toward the end of the day my phone began to ring as I was waiting for my email to refresh on the screen. Not recognizing the number I questioned, I swiped my finger across the screen and answered in a usual authoritative business-like manner. While the accent caught me off guard, I quickly realized that the one of the tasks forgotten during the early part of the work day was about to take care of itself. And so our conversation began.

While trying to rekindle the genealogy research that has been put on hold in recent months (upon months) I began looking for different groups and heritage societies in the area where I might be able to, at a minimum, learn a little bit more about the culture in the deep and distant past of my family (most of our long standing heritage could easily be described simply as American). The two dominant cultures in my family histories (yes, there are numerous blood lines, stories, and histories) are of German and Irish origin with Germany having a substantial percentage lead. Honestly not knowing much about either I looked for different groups where I may learn a little more. That led me to the Irish Society and the German Society of Pennsylvania (both located in Philadelphia). Because you need a member to sponsor you for each I sent out emails in late December.

Today, when I answered the phone, I knew what the call was about as soon as I heard the thin German accent. IT was an interesting conversation because this was a man I had never met before but you could tell in our dialog that we shared a common interest and at some level and ancestral bond. Making the connection even stronger is the fact that the Society was founded about two months after Jacob Duffordt arrived in Philadelphia aboard the Hero on the 27^th of October 1764. My family and this proud society share the same anniversary and we will both be celebrating 250 years.

While there are blood lines that I can trace further back in this land and even a few that were here since before the colonies were even a consideration, the celebration of your surname, your family name, does add a tremendous amount of appreciation, pride, and humility. I am proud to be a very small part in the story of my family and I am hoping to bring things around full circle by honoring our heritage and appreciating a bit of the culture we carried with us on that prolonged and exhausting journey across the ocean from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. Just goes to show that sometimes you have to take a step back or return to the beginning in order to keep moving forward.

“Family Comes First.”

It’s a very simple phrase and one that seems to be bandied about more than its really put into practice. We’ve all been in those kinds of situations when the phone rings and we find ourselves caught between the responsibilities of family and our responsibilities at the office. This is the situation I found myself in on Friday.

Having been in the office since eight in the morning, I got a call at about three in the afternoon from my wife. After going back and forth a few times between multiple people and phone numbers, it came down to the wire when I was needed at home at the same time I had a conference call starting in about five minutes. With other family members holding down the fort (so shoot me I used a cliché), I decided to get through the call and leave immediately afterward.

When the situation was touched upon that I would be leaving after the call, my colleague would have none of it. “Go! Don’t worry about the call. Family comes first.” I think that is the first time that I have ever heard those words uttered in the workplace, at least not with the same seriousness and meaning behind them as I heard that day.

There are moments such as this one when you know that you have made the right decision to join a company. There are moments when you come to fully trust the people you work with, when you feel they have your best interests in mind. Hearing those words put my mind at ease and allowed me to focus on what is truly important to me… my family.

Sometimes, and I am certainly guilty of this, we get caught up in doing the absolute best we can every day, putting forth every effort, and trying to do the best job we possibly can. Sometimes we lose sight of the world beyond the confines of work. Many times, that is the curse of doing what you love to do. This is when we need people around us to remind us of what exists beyond the office walls.

Thankfully, everything seems to be calming down at home and I’m glad I got there as early as I did. So, at this point, I would like to thank my colleague for giving me that gentle kick in the rear that I needed to get out the door. I am sure it is not going to be the last time that is needed.