Now Appearing in an Extended Engagement! Join David Robison as he takes you into his world and his daily life of reviving a stand-up comedy career. Prepare for side trips exploring the "art" of salesmanship and business ethics and his experience with Multi-level Marketing. Enjoy some frequent detours describing his observations on life. Read the exploits of this self-proclaimed Renaissance-man and blooming blogger as you go
On The Road With Dave.
I haven't been this intrigued with an anti-MLM site since I discovered MLM Survivors.
This is a continuation of yesterday's entry regarding the "goings-on" at Pink Truth, the anti-Mary Kay Blog.
If you've read my previous entries about Pink Truth, you may think the blog is all about dissatisfied Mary Kay reps and their crusade to rid the world of the Mary Kay Corporation and all of those pink-Cadillac-driving reps.
But, I give the women at Pink Truth some credit; if they see something wrong, they challenge it all the way to the top. Unlike some "anti-" websites, the women at this blog, do more than complain to each other. They take the bull by the horns and expose wrong-doing by Mary Kay consultants, and they expose the wrong-doers to the corporate level of Mary Kay as well as the general public.
But also to their detriment, in my opinion, is the attitude that their facts and opinions make up all the facts and opinions regarding the hard-working Mary Kay sales consultants that are out there just selling make-up, making some money, and trying to improve their lives.
They can be cruel, as I think they were in the case of Lara McKeever.
Granted, if a right-wing conservative visits and comments at a decidely liberal blog; then the conservative should expect no less than a cool reception. But, while the women who run the Pink Truth blog claim their facts are facts without dispute, they dismiss the pro-MK consultant for facts based on their positive experience.
But Pink Truth goes further than "spanking" the pro-Mary Kay visitors at the site. They go all out to affect the Mary Kay consultants' outside of the Pink Truth website.
The above link is another cached page on the "Internets", because the original blog no longer exists due to legal pressure exerted by the Pink Truth author upon the "Faith" author.
I have to say here and now, that I never got to read the cause of the legal pressure because the original "Faith" entry was deleted along with the entire blog.
The Pink Truth author goes on to explain the situation between her and the "Faith In Mary Kay" author, Melissa Holloway.
"Let me also explain how Melissa's behavior differs significantly from what I do on this website, as some people have tried to compare the two.
On PinkTruth, I strive to be as factual as possible. When asserting something as fact, I do my very best to confirm that it is true fact, supported by documentation and/or experience.(Emphasis Mine) I am not aware of any statement of fact on this site that is not true."
If you read the entire article, you find out that due to a legal letter, the "Faith In Mary Kay" site is shut down.
So, they managed to shut the Faith In Mary Kay site down...
Case closed. Justice is served.
UPDATE: 12/1/06 The Faith in Mary Kay original author reports to me that her site shut-down is coincidental to the altercation between her and the Pink Truth author. I stand corrected on the reason why the blog closed.
But here's what sort of rubs me the wrong way.
Did you know that if I started a blog on a service such as Blogger or Typepad and named it and posted to it, AND then deleted it; that you could go back the next day, start your blog, name it the SAME name and begin posting to it?
Well, you can!
"Faith In Mary Kay" still exists, only now it links to Pink Truth.
Anybody with "one eye and half-sense" can figure out that Pink Truth snatched up the deleted domain name(It's easy for blog host accounts, there's no real domain ownership)
So all those ORIGINAL Faith In Mary Kay readers who have bookmarked the site will now find the "truth" link and will probably subcumb to commenting at Pink Truth and becoming fodder for the women who post at Pink Truth.
This isn't unethical per se', nor fraudulent, but I think it's damn misleading.
Granted, over at Quixtar Blog, critics and Quixtar reps regularly "go at it" in debate; and Quixtar reps often seek out the blog, in order to "set Qblog straight" on the facts, and these same Quixtar IBOs often leave bruised and battered.
BUT, Quixtar Blog hasn't started a "I Love Quixtar" blog which greets the pro-Quixtar person with a post that says,
"I Love Quixtar...
because then I can make fun of Quixtar IBOs and make them cry. Come to my site so I can lambaste you"
So, all you Mary Kay Beauty Consultants out there, listen up!
You can have faith in Mary Kay, but the "Faith In Mary Kay" site isn't what you are looking for.
I grew up in a real small town; a small town with every stereotypical small town cliche'--"streets roll up at 5", "inept small time Marshall", "town bully", "hero coach" and nobody locked their doors.
Because it was so small, we were pretty bored teenagers. So bored, in fact, whenever we heard the volunteer fire truck siren, or an ambulance came screaming into town; we jumped in our van and followed them to where ever the accident was.
Yeah, it's morbid; but don't tell me you don't slow down and look at the accident on the freeway. It's the same thing.
I tell you this because, I'm trying to look away from the website, PINKTRUTH; but I just can't turn away. What's worse is that I'm being sucked into the drama just like watching a TV reality show.
It all started when I wrote about the collective authorship of the Pink Truth blog and their decimation of the character of a Mary Kay consultant. (Pink Truth is an anti-Mary Kay blog)
Then came an entry about The Pink Truth's main author and a press release she published about her site. This entry was written by Ty Tribble at MLM Blog.
In the entry at MLM Blog, Ty speculates on the veracity of a website traffic claim made in a press release about Pink Truth and it's main author.
Okay, for legal reasons, explained in a second, I don't want to publish any part of THAT entry; but as of today it is still available as a cached page. (No guarantee, of how long that link will be available)
Seriously people, you're gonna have to hit those links to follow all this.
Where was I? Oh yeah.
So, after Ty Tribble speculates on the traffic; his blog gets a comment assumingly from one of the Pink Truth authors about how he must be unaware of their new website address; to which he replies "Huh?"
A day later, Ty amends his entry explaining he was threatened with legal action to remove some material. (See, that's why I didn't copy any of the original article)
He removes it; but more comments follow from his readers about The Pink Truth blog; plus I get a pretty good spike in traffic, 'cause he mentioned my article about The Pink Truth blog.
Well, I think I figured out what the problem was. If the legal "hoo-ha" was about the number of disputed visitors to Pink Truth, it must have been due to the URL change that the Pink Truth commenter mentioned.
Maybe, their press release reported site traffic with the old URL address, and Ty's figure was about the NEW URL site address. Needless to say, if that was the reason; I think that a legal threat was unnecessary. Ty says a lot of bad things about Quixtar, (some true, some opinion) but I never felt the need to sue him.
Alrightie then, this is getting to be a long entry...read the links...form some opinions and I'll come back with more from the scene at Pink Truth.
I want to be a successful stand-up comic. I want to be a successful network marketer.
Those two professions don't seem to go hand-in-hand and I thought at one time, maybe I might be the only one with that desire. But, over the years I've met a few people in Comedy, that also have dabbled in MLM. Of course, I still think I may be the only one that wants to do both concurrently, but I thought you might be interested in an interview with comic, Andy Kindler and his experience with selling door-to-door, including MLM products.
You've probably seen Andy on Comedy Central, Everybody Loves Raymond, and his funny remote segments he's done for Dave Letterman.
Horrible. I hated the job. I got one joke for stand up for it, which is, "I sold door-to-door for two years and I learned a valuable lesson: people don’t like to be disturbed at home." People always hated to open the door, so I always hated to go out and do it, so I'd do it at little as possible. Sometimes, I'd do it for an hour and a half to two hours and if looked like it would rain at all or was even somewhat cloudy, I wouldn't do it for the day. I was unsuccessful and miserable.
How similar, at the time, was your life to Glengarry Glen Ross?
Door-to-door wasn't, but Time Life Books was like a lighter version of Glengarry Glen Ross. They had a board up, people had nicknames, and if you sold subscriptions there'd be a lot of noise and fake cheering, but that's as close as it got.
Have you ever had an experience with Amway?
I feel like you've done a This is Your Life background search on me. I did not sell Amway, but I sold Shaklee, which was an Amway type product sold through multi-level marketing. They said all of their products were all natural. I used to do a joke about that too because everyone in my family wouldn't come to the phone during those two months. "No, Andy, your uncle doesn't want to hear about it." The whole idea of those products is, "Hey, do you normally buy detergent at a store. Well, you know what? You need a middleman. Let me get it. I'll ship the detergent to you." Shaklee was just all regular stuff you could buy at the store, except it was Shaklee brand.
Back when Richard Pryor passed away, I caught some flack because I used a variation of one of Pryor's album titles as the title to my blog entry. Yeah, I used the dreaded "N" word. But, I didn't use it with hate; I used it with what I perceived as admiration for the comic. And while that word is used innocuously by members of the African-American community in jest, camaraderie, and friendship; it still evokes feelings of hatred, abuse, and oppression when it is used by any other ethnic race.
I don't use the word, but sometimes I wish that I could. Not because I want to berate or insult someone, but because it's a word. A word like any other word in the English language and useful within certain context. As a writer, performer, and a schooled student of Journalism; I'm censored from the use of the word for fear of offending someone. But as a comic, I'm free to say any other vile, disgusting word I want, provided it's funny to my audience. Nothing is off-limits; from describing noxious gases emanating from the human body, to describing body parts in sexual positions with animals.
So, you've probably seen actor, Michael Richards' on-stage meltdown as he goes into a racial tirade against two African-American audience members watching his stand-up comedy routine. And you've probably seen his apology as it aired on Late Show with David Letterman. Michael lost it. His rant was hateful and unmerciful and most of all it was NOT FUNNY in context.
Many other comics termed "insult comics", have used worse language, with more stereotypical racial slurs than Michael did; and they are invited to comedy clubs every night of the year. They play to mixed audiences, and they insult and berate EVERYONE; and no one leaves offended or makes allegations of racism. Why?
Because the audience knows the joke and knows the act. And the comics, in question, are Funny and their "anger" is the act. They do not step outside the act to display real anger.
Michael was a great character as "Kramer" on the Seinfeld show; and he probably has a great stand-up Comedy act. His fatal flaw is he stepped out of the character and into unbridled anger.
Joe Gandelman is a performing ventriloquist/comedian. Joe also writes a great political pundit blog called The Moderate Voice. Joe recently wrote about the Michael Richards episode and gives a thought-provoking perspective of the event and includes some historical video clips to make his points. I encourage you to go read it.
I admit that I tend to arrive late for parties and appointments; as well as fashion trends, new technology, and new hairstyles; but I like to think I have been on the cusp of anything "Internetty", including all the social networking niche sites, as well as the blogosphere.
At age 44, I can still out 4-finger type any teenager online.
The one thing I have ignored, however, is My Space. No matter how much I longed to have "Tom" as a friend, I just couldn't commit to the relationship. (In case you aren't up on "all things Internetty"; Tom is the founder of MySpace and becomes your first MySpace Friend when you sign up.)
Now, as a wannabe comedian, I have heard all the stories about comedian, Dane Cook, and how MySpace friends rocketed him to stardom. But, I thought, if I entered into the My Space world now, I would once again be arriving late to the party. There's just no way I could sign up.
So,
I signed up last week.
And, lo and behold, Tom was immediately my friend. I was a lucky, lucky guy even if I did arrive late to the party.
Unfortunately, I immediately suffered from buyer's remorse because I didn't sign up under the Comedy section.
But, thanks to Steve The Nuclear Guy, (a friend of mine at Comedy Soapbox)I received some advice and closed my newly signed up MySpace account and waited two days and signed up under the Comedians' MySpace.
I'm still building my profile and plan to include all my interests, hobbies, occupations, fetishes, vices, and vital secrets about my undergarment preferences.
What I won't be doing is--messing with the background. I looked at a bunch of profiles, and the ones where people added a photo as their background are really hard to read. Words disappear, or appear to float really weird in front of me...maybe it messes with my depth of field perception or maybe it triggers some unknown seizure disorder from part of my past I can't remember, but anyway I have trouble reading them.
So, out of respect for others like me, I'm keeping a bland, generic background for now.
I was really glad that "Tom" wasn't mad at me for canceling my initial account. I know he wasn't mad, cause he immediately signed on, AGAIN, as my first friend. Thank goodness for that. And because he still liked me, other comedians have consented to be my friend, also.
Anyway, if you feel like joining Tom and my other new MySpace friends, (and you have a MySpace account of your own) I'd be happy to approve you as one of my friends, too.
But, even if you don't have a MySpace account, you can still explore the MySpace universe starting with the outer edge where my profile lies...
To be presented from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as part of the second annual edition of The Comedy Festival, the special will be hosted by Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, who also hosted the first eight "Comic Relief" events on HBO.
They will be joined by Bob Zmuda, and the telecast will include a live remote from Harrah's Fulton Street in New Orleans and showcase the work of New Orleans filmmaker Kenny Morrison. New Orleans brass-funk group Bonerama will serve as the house band.
With Comic Relief's mission to unite the comedy community behind some of society's most relevant causes and pressing needs, the COMIC RELIEF 2006 concert will help families affected by Hurricane Katrina in the rebirth of New Orleans, raising funds to help them rebuild their homes and tangibly address causes that kept people from escaping.
While the focus will be on New Orleans, Comic Relief will look for ways to assist the recovery efforts in other areas of the region where possible. Donations are already being accepted at the toll-free number 1-800-528-1000, or at Comic Relief’s website, comicrelief.org.
Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. According to cnn.com, the storm flooded 80% of the city and destroyed the lives of thousands of people throughout the Gulf Coast.
Today, the population of New Orleans is estimated to be just half its pre-storm total of 465,000. Beyond the flood damage, surveys reveal that a major factor among those who died was that they chose not to leave their homes because they did not want to abandon their pets.
Funds raised will go to Katrina-related charities that help both humans and pets. The executive producers of COMIC RELIEF 2006 are John Moffitt, Pat Tourk Lee, Bob Zmuda and Bob Crestani; director, Walter C. Miller.
For 20 years, COMIC RELIEF has been one of the major homes of activism among the comedy community. The Comic Relief organization has produced more than 80 shows, including the first eight major "Comic Relief" events seen on HBO from 1986 to 1998, which raised more than $50 million for programs aiding the homeless throughout the U.S.
In 1992, Comic Relief mounted the first major benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Andrew, which raised $2 million in one night.
Mary Kay Ash started her cosmetics company in 1963. Since then, Mary Kay,Inc has grown to a 2.2 Billion dollar company in sales with 1.6 million Independent Beauty Consultants.
Mary Kay tapped into the emotion and sense of sisterhood with American women wanting a business of their own, and Mary Kay became a household name. Mary Kay holds a distinct identity in American culture, (What are you thinking about right now?) That's right; a pink Cadillac. It's hard not to think Mary Kay and NOT think about their famous incentive award to their top salespeople.
My only experiences with Mary Kay and its distributor force are few.
1) I had a friend in college who joined Mary Kay and was cajoled into getting a $500 bank loan to purchase inventory. Even at that time, I thought that was excessive and the tactics her sponsor used to convince her was borderline abusive.
2) My wife tried and used Mary Kay Cosmetics and hated them. "Thick and clown-like" was her opinion; and way too pink.
And before you think I'm going to say that Artistry cosmetics is her preference instead; calm down, she prefers Estee'Lauder.
But, my experiences pale in comparison to the more vocal critics of Mary Kay, Inc. I just came across PINKTRUTH.com and it makes some Quixtar-critical websites look like an endorsement for the company.
PinkCadillac--The godmother of anti-Mary Kay blogging. PC bravely started the first blog dedicated to revealing information about Mary Kay. When she decided to close her blog, she donated her archives to us, and we occasionally resurrect some of her best posts.
MK Nightmare--Her 16-month Mary Kay journey started with a Cadillac-driving director and a Starbucks latte, and ended with a cheap red blazer and over $10,000 in credit card debt. She’s happy to have a career that doesn't involve hunting down "anyone with skin" and does involve a 401(k) and paid vacation. MK Nightmare lives in Washington State and is glad she doesn't have to wear skirts and nylons in the rain anymore.
SoLostInWI--On the path...probably in the wrong direction. SoLost once loved Mary Kay and all it stood for. Now she realizes the truth about Pink. SoLost remains anonymous here because she remains anonymous on her personal blog. It’s her "comfort zone."
PinkAllergy--She’s a former consultant who left Mary Kay in 2005 after only a few months. PinkAllergy saw and heard a lot in her short time that bothered her. That experience made PinkAllergy want to help spread the word in hopes of keeping others from getting burned.
Leslie--A recently divorced SuperMom of four children, Leslie is trying to figure out her next career direction. She’s a former Mary Kay sales director who quickly became disenchanted with the opportunity.
Whiz--Like so many other readers, Whiz was approached by a top director and was told she could not afford to pass up this opportunity. Having seen it destroy a young girl's health and self esteem through her mother’s involvement, she knew immediately it was a hoax and steered clear. Some say Mary Kay works miracles. Whiz says it works people over.
The site includes 10 Reasons Not To Do Mary Kay, and critical resources regarding Mary Kay. And like most blogs that criticize Multi-level Marketing companies, Pink Truth is visited by proponents of the Mary Kay company trying to defend their company and its tactics. The results are not without debate or ridicule.
Take for instance, and most recent, today's response to some reader mail at PinkTruth.
The following story is taken from The Star Press out of Muncie, Indiana. I'm reprinting it in its entirety with full credit and the appropriate link to the story. I say this because since it is from an online edition of the newspaper, it's possible that the link will be invalid in a few months, and the article unsearchable.
Now, on to the story.
Christmas is coming. Time to start making those wish lists. Time to begin shopping.
And...
Time to make some sales.
Many Direct Sellers and MLMers find great opportunities to make sales by participating in Product Fairs, Bazaars, and Trade Shows. Read about these Direct Sellers and their upcoming experience with a Christmas Open House.
MUNCIE -- Nikki Hautala looks a lot like what she is: A full-time Ivy Tech Community College student who works as a bartender at her father's bar.
But at 21, Hautala is ambitious and businesslike beyond her years. She balances school and job with another career, as marketing director for an aviation company at the Anderson Municipal Airport.
She also sells Silpada Designs Jewelry, and its that last job that prompted her to organize -- in cooperation with other direct sales people from the area -- an open house of direct sales companies.
The Christmas Open House will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at the Horizon Convention Center.
In addition to Hautala's Silpada Designs Jewelry, the open house will offer purses, cosmetics, candles, children's clothing, baskets, cookware and more.
"It's sort of like a bazaar," Hautala said. "We have nine booths and each booth has two tables. We've gone from nine vendors to 11 vendors. I've had people call from Indianapolis about booth space. I wish I had a bigger room."
Hautala and other organizers of the open house -- many of whom know each other from the home party sales circuit -- decided they could expand their customer base by reaching out to each other's customers.
"We decided to get everybody together, bring in everybody's clientele," Hautala said. "If you find a girl that likes candles, she probably likes jewelry and makeup too."
Leaving time for family
Direct sales is a multi-billion dollar industry most familiar for product lines including Avon cosmetics and Amway household products. Amway -- now owned by Michigan-based Alticor -- was founded in 1959 and reported $6.4 billion in sales in 2005.
While men and women try their hand at direct sales, the new breed of direct sales companies appeal to women, particularly stay-at-home moms like Trina Knight, who will represent the Kelly's Kids clothing line at the Christmas Open House.
"I've been with Kelly's Kids for about three months now," Knight said. "Before that, I sold Home Interiors, and I still do, but Kelly's Kids was intriguing in that I only had to do parties for two weeks at two times of the year."
Pamela Rheaume -- who will represent the Pampered Chef line of kitchen products at the open house -- said direct sales worked well for her life and family.
"It lets me work but still spend time with my kids," said Rheaume, who has four children, two of whom are medically fragile.
Knight said the trick in finding a direct sales product to market was finding one that didn't already have many area representatives.
"Kelly's Kids is not really known in Indiana," Knight said. "The company's been in business for 20 years and there are about 900 sales reps nationwide, but many of them are in the south."
Much of the direct sales business builds on word of mouth, and so did the organization of the open house.
"I met Nikki a few weeks ago," Knight said. "She stopped by a kids consignment sale I coordinate twice a year. She had met Pam, of Pampered Chef, and Pam had told Nikki about me."
Knight laughed after recounting the connection.
"I like the networking," Knight said. "I'm a people person. I like being able to talk with a larger variety of people."
Selling product, booking parties
Just like the variations among direct sales representatives, their plans for the open house vary.
Some, like Holly Hautala -- Nikki Hautala's stepmother, who sells Gold Canyon Candles -- will be selling product as well as booking upcoming in-home parties. Rheaume will take orders for products and make connections for future demonstrations.
Knight will be concentrating on scheduling upcoming in-home parties.
"I'm hoping that we'll have lots of people," Knight said. "My goal is to book shows for my spring and summer season."
Holly Hautala praised her stepdaughter's efforts in organizing the open house.
"Nikki had the idea and she and I set it up together," she said. "She got hold of the other people and it's gone from there. It's quite a bit larger than we expected. She's got vendors calling her and there's no room.
"Nikki does a really good job," she added. "When it comes to marketing, that girl is good."
Nikki Hautala smiled when asked about how she juggled school, two jobs, her direct sales work and organizing the Nov. 19 open house.
For a Multi-level Marketer, nothing could be more exciting than to be in that elite group of performers that achieve the highest echelon of rank in their respective companies.
For a comedian, nothing thrills like being asked to appear on The Tonight Show.
But, for a ventriloquist, an honor of such magnitude, can not be matched than to be in a small number of ventriloquists who are asked to "retire" their partners to be viewed by the American public at The Smithsonian Institute.
Jay Johnson, actor, ventriloquist, comedian was just granted this honor.
Jay will be sending his original "Bob"(you may remember Jay and Bob from the TV series SOAP) to The Smithsonian in Washington, DC to stand with fellow dummies, Charlie McCarthy, Howdy Doody, and some of the Jim Henson gang.
Jay Johnson is currently performing on Broadway in "The Two and Only" at The Helen Hayes Theatre.
"The acquisition committee of the Smithsonian Institution has voted unanimously to collect (the original) Bob for its permanent collection - per Jay Johnson’s specifications."
I just heard this news tonight. The original Bob will now sit along side Charlie McCarthy, Howdy Doody and Kermit the Frog as a permanent member of American History in the Smithsonian Institute of Washington, DC.
This is a process that has been going on for several months. A committee evaluates a donation for its value and significance to American History. Not every donation is accepted; in fact they decline more donations than they accept. I am thrilled they consider the work Bob and I did and the contribution we made to the arts worthy to be so honored. There will be a ceremony that will likely take place here in New York during the run of my show and those details have to be worked out. But wow!
Steve "the Nuclear Guy" Natarelli is a comic hailing from Rochester, NY. As far as I know, he has no experience with Multi-level Marketing; but he recently penned an article that feels right at home in the MLM world, all you need to do is replace his "comedy" terms with MLM, Network Marketing, or your particular company.
Heck, for that matter, any career suffering from procrastination or fear could take a lesson from Steve.
Here's Steve's article reprinted in its entirety with permission.
Sitting in the audience of a comedy show, many years ago, I remember thinking, wouldn't it be great to do this?
I always thought I could do stand up, BUT I just never got up to do it. Then one day I finally said goddamn it! I'm going to quit thinking about it, quit talking about it and just go do it!!!
Recently relating this story to someone started me thinking. (Fasten your seat belt ladies and gentlemen, that could be dangerous) Thinking about how much my life has changed, because I finally stepped out of a comfort zone. A comfort zone of my own making, as most of our comfort zones are, BUT no less a comfort zone.
When we think we can do something, yet find reasons not to, we may protect ourselves, BUT we rob ourselves at the same time. We rob ourselves of all the rewards that come with at least trying something. I call it finding the BUTS, so to speak.
So today I'm here to say, GET YOUR BUTS OUT OF THE WAY!!!
How much has my life changed, because I finally got my buts out of the way?
Well, today's world is an instant gratification world. Standing on stage and hearing laughter because of something I said, is about as instant as things can get. Maybe not as instant as, Just add water, but I don't do slap stick.
So now that I've addressed the immediate, what about the lasting and long term?
I have met some of the nicest and most interesting people. People who would have remained anonymous strangers, had I not taken that step up onto the stage, have become people I am very happy to call friends. Always encouraging, it's a brother and sisterhood, as each knows the butterflies the other is feeling. It's a family I wouldn't have belonged to, if I had stayed on the sidelines instead of getting in the game.
GET YOUR BUTS OUT OF THE WAY!!!!
Don't want to do stand up? What about writing? I think most of the regular readers here know the stories that go with my literary forays. It brought Eileen into my life, at a time that I thought I had built the walls about as high as they needed to be, at a time that the KEEP OUT signs were flashing about as red as they could. Not just because of what I wrote, but because of what she wrote also.
I remember thinking, how did she get inside my soul, despite all the high walls I've built around it?
Many writers who share this site have reached me deeply and I hope I have managed to do the same (at least occasionally). Everyday people, many who have never tried anything like this before, have stepped out of their comfort zones and found a path to express things from deep inside themselves.
BY GETTING OUR BUTS OUT OF THE WAY!!! We have found many new and lasting friendships, again with people who would have remained anonymous strangers otherwise. Interesting, funny, diverse, BUT no longer strangers, together and individually we stepped out of our comfort zones to share what is inside us, to pursue a dream or just to be heard.
Thursday night was another of those defining moments. An eclectic band of people gathered together for a poetry and prose reading at The Daily Perks Coffee House, in Rochester, NY. Individuals, all with feelings inside and stories to tell came together to tell them.
Would I have imagined myself here just a few years ago? Ha! What the hell would I want to go there for? Would have been my answer to the invite.
BUT there I was. Arriving early and unaware that the evening would start with a featured reader, I was disappointed not to get the opportunity and time to speak with others in the crowd before the start. An early start Friday morning cancelled the chance to stay late. Listening to the speakers only furthered my desire to return next week, to arrive early AND stay late.
A gathering I never would have attended, if I hadn't stepped out of some comfort zones of my own, just a short time ago. I'm amazed at how much larger my "comfort zones" have become, while at the same time realizing that I need to keep them growing.
GET YOUR BUTS OUT OF THE WAY!!!
We all have things to say and everyone has things for the rest of us to hear. It doesn't matter if the grammar is right or all the spelling correct, if we just shut up long enough to listen, we just may find more in common with each other than we ever could have imagined.
NuSkin Enterprises, the Utah-based multilevel marketing company was the second MLM company to be granted access to conduct business in China. The Far East has been a source of great expectations for many MLM companies as they explore opening into this untapped market of billions.
Unfortunately for NuSkin; currency fluctuations and decreased revenue has forced the company to report 3rd Quarter losses for 2006.
"Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. posted a 25 percent drop in third quarter net profits because of weak sales in Asia and unfavorable foreign currency fluctuations.
The Provo direct seller of nutritional supplements and personal care products said net income for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 fell to $13.2 million, or 19 cents a share, from $17.7 million, or 25 cents a share a year ago. Total revenue for the third quarter dipped to $276.3 million from $290.8 million for the prior-year period.
Shares of Nu Skin dipped 2.23 percent or 42 cents to close Thursday's trading session at $18.45.
Hurting the company's third-quarter earnings were slower sales in China and Japan, both of which account for more than 50 percent of Nu Skin's revenues,(emphasis Mine) as well as unfavorable foreign currency fluctuations.
Revenues in China dropped 12 percent to $51 million for the third quarter from $58 million a year ago, while revenues in North Asia as a whole fell to $147.8 million in the third quarter, from $160.4 million a year ago."
He brought the subject up as a prelude to a short film that was suppose to introduce us to stressful situations on the highway that might provoke "road rage".
The movie takes place on The 405, the busiest interstate in the country.
405: The Movie is a funny 3-minute piece of filmmaking.
I Love Election Day! I love to vote. Granted, Election Day is not as fun as Christmas, and it doesn't come around as often, but I get giddy when I vote.
I spend the day asking everyone, "Didja, vote?" "Have you voted yet?" "Are you going to go vote?" I'm obnoxious.
Which is why I can't understand why anyone would choose NOT to vote.
I think I work with some intelligent people. People that handle Medicare and Medical Insurance billing, salesmen to physicians, pharmacists, pharmacist's techs, and wealthy business owners.
So, who votes at my office?
My wife, myself, one delivery driver, and one repair guy. (but, he only votes during Presidential elections)
That's right folks, I took an informal poll today at work and found out that there is one woman that not only does not vote, but has NEVER even registered to vote. She's 45 years old!
When I asked another employee who he was voting for in the Alabama Governor's race, he asked, "Who is our Governor, anyway?"
Most of the employees' attitude was the tired excuse that, "My vote doesn't really count."
C'mon people! It counts.
Votes For, Votes Against: they all get counted, analyzed, researched. Margins of lost, and margins of win determine a candidate's or elected official's strategy, platform, and message to the masses.
Even if you decide to NOT mark an unopposed candidate's box, tells the candidate the ratio of actual voters to his number of votes. Something I'm sure he takes notice of for his next re-election bid. It tells the opposing party whether they may need to mount an opponent the next time.
Yeah, I know, it seems like the guy with all the money always wins. Why? Because he has more supporters. If you vote against him, you narrow the lines, you decrease the money he may receive next time. And...and...if you donate to his opponent AND vote for said opponent; guess what? The opponent wins. Your Vote Counts!
So, I voted today. It Counted.
I did not vote straight party lines.
But, I did change one long-standing trait of being a Southern voter. The trait is really not indicative of the South, but it's strong in the region.
It's the habit of voting for long-term incumbents in the Legislature, in order to have a more powerful state representation on Senate and Congressessional committees. Long-term incumbents tend to provide extra "pork" to their home state, that helps the state overall. But this practice does not always help the country overall.
This election, I bucked that tradition in favor of voting for a representative that I identify with on issues nationally, rather than what he may solely provide locally.
I have no dreams that the incumbent will be defeated, but again, my vote may show support for a more viable candidate in the future. Yep, my vote will still count.
So, didja vote today?
"Getting Political" is a semi-regular feature of "On The Road With Dave". While Dave is no political pundit by any stretch of the imagination; "Getting Political" allows him to stretch that imagination.
Here's Two For The Price Of One. Vote Tuesday, November 7, 2006
"An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry."
--T.S. Eliot
"Every two years the American politics industry fills the airwaves with the most virulent, scurrilous, wall-to-wall character assassination of nearly every political practitioner in the country - and then declares itself puzzled that America has lost trust in its politicians."
I know that I'm a big-time A-list blogger and all,(cough,cough) but I'm still basically technologically inept.
I have to carry this cell phone around with me for work, (That's the only time, I carry a cell phone) and I pretty much hate using it. Yesterday, I had to program a person's name into the Call Contact menu, and it took me about a half hour to figure it out.
All of which reminded me of the following link I saved a month or two ago.
This can be your diversion for Saturday. But, a word of warning; explicit adult language.
I received an email from "Mikey" Broderick at MLM Informer.
MLM Informer is switching blog services and is down temporarily for the next few days. I encourage all of Mikey's readers to have patience; the blog will return, so keep checking in.
Mikey has NOT stopped blogging, he will be back; repeat: he will be back.
And as Mikey would say, "That's all my time, thank you for yours!"
