A Book for This Season

As we all know, the current economic and employment scene is dismal.  So, when I was told about a book entitled,  "Job Interview Body Language," I thought it was worthwhile to review.

Authors Michael J. Willson and Karen Kelly wrote a straightforward, easy to read set of guidelines. These tips take the interviewee from start to finish during a job search.  The reader becomes aware of not only the impression the prospective employee makes and how to refine it, but also the body language cues the interviewer might be relaying.

This book is divided into short chapters, with a summary at the end of each.  There are also samples of situations and ideas highlighted throughout the paperback.

"Job Interview Body Language" is well worth the read, and a good reference, even for those networking.  I gave it four stars on Amazon, where it can be ordered.

WORDS

Unfortunately, I am delayed in reading the book I promised to review this time: "Job Interview

Body Language."

Instead, I am devoting this post to words...

Steve Wetlesen, local poetic artist, coined a new word in his line offered to the poet laureate for Nils Peterson's mass poem.  ( Look back at my past blog for more info on the county call for a line as an entry.)

The word is "skywhale" and Wetlesen's line was referring to a blimp he saw over Moffett Field.

The line is: "Moffett tarmac-white blimp, the floating skywhales return!" He notes that the new word might also refer to balloons.

Another time recently where the wonder of words hit me was after seeing the performance, "Wicked."  Unexpectedly, there are some turns in words in the dialogue that are very amusing and entertaining.  I am not going to give any examples so as not to spoil the effect.  It is my hope that "Wicked" will be transformed into a movie, complete with all the sets, costumes, singing, etc. like both "Rent" and "Mama Mia" were recently.

Words may also be used to remember a loved pet. Our dog Copper died last week and I am submitting a poem in his honor to the Poodle Rescue Society's newsletter.

The King of the High Wire & More

This past Sunday, working in my journalist role, I got the privilege of covering a unique story.  Nik Wallenda, of the famous Wallenda family, walked on a wire above the Great America Theme Park here.

He is a descendant of Karl Wallenda, who started The Flying Wallendas, and who also is credited with the origin of the seven man pyramid.  Nik is the holder of two Guinness Records: one is for the EIGHT man pyramid, and the other is for riding a bicycle 131/2 stories above the ground. 

The story I wrote is published in the Santa Clara Weekly. I have been writing for the paper for over two years.  See www.santaclaraweekly.com for more information.

Wallenda is scheduled to honor his ancestor Karl by walking over the Grand Canyon before the year is over.

It is nice to be able to go behind the scenes at events like this due to holding a press pass.  Nik Wallenda appears to be quite a stable, good role model for his family and he and his wife seem quite close.  She blew him a kiss when he was at the point of walking on the high wire at 100 feet above the ground.  He watches what he says in front of his children and the children sat well-behaved until the show was over.

Regarding my book, I decided to write about my personal journey over the next two years because a lot is happening in my life that might be helpful and relevant to others.  The journal I won in a raffle at eWomen ( a leadership group) is perfect for the daily entries.  Stay tuned...

And speaking of books, I expect to be finished with one entitled "Job Interview Body Language" by Michael J. Willson and Karen Kelly so I intend to post my comments next week.

Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

Wow, was this morning's e-mail exciting! I was informed the one line I submitted to the Santa Clara County's Poet Laureate's call for a mass poem is included! ( I did write this on Monday, but wanted to make sure that it was okay to include the below in my blog first. Now it is public knowledge.) There were about 500 entries according to the media, and 100 were chosen.

The reading is to be Wednesday June 24 at as the invocation for the Board of Supervisors in the lobby at 70 West Hedding Street at 9:30 a.m.  There is also a news conference at 11:30 a.m. where the poem is to be unveiled on Tuesday June 23.

Nils Peterson, who is the first Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, is reciting the 100 line poem which is composed of lines from Santa Clara County residents.

The requirements were to write a line every morning with 9 to 13 syllables and then submit a favorite at the end of the month. About those offered, Nils Peterson is quoted as saying (from an e-mail from the County Office of Public Affairs): "...there were many good lines that had to be left out.  Some were very close in subject matter and I had to choose one over another.  Others just didn't seem to find a comfortable place as the album grew.  We all have boxes of pictures that never got put in the book that are as good as the ones that did. Some lines had a syllable or more too many.  I hasten to add, there will be more chances to speak about this place and our time in it."  

Nils Peterson, according to his biography web page at www.pcsj.org/biographies/nilspeterson.html was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2005.

He is well known in the Silicon Valley as being a premiere poet and taught for over 30 years at San Jose State.  He also serves as a poetry consultant and editor, and is a key figure at Poetry Center San Jose.

See

www.sccgov.org/poetlaureate 

An aside: Re last post: Regarding press releases, it may be indeed that in order to be legal, an initial one has to be published in a local paper per my friend, editor Sara Aurich.

3 Tips/Learning for Free

Today is a random day, since I am at Starbucks writing this due to no DSL.  I intend to add my favorite blogs soon to this page.  And the server I am using is free also, by the way.

The first tip I have is that in response to a friend's friend asking me the question, press releases are best sent via a service by e-mail.  Newspapers are no longer the best way to go. This info was learned in a free teleconference offered by The San Francisco Writers Conference.

The second tip I gained by going to a free seminar from an eWomen associate and involves Linked In.  It appears that if you are looking for employment through Linked In, the more endorsements you have there, the better.

And, finally, regarding my search for a book topic, an associate from South Bay California Writers Club offered the suggestion that I read non-fiction books to see what speaks to me and incorporate the subject that resonates even in a fiction book.

If you have any questions you would like me to address, please don't hesitate to comment.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank's 80 th birthday would have been June 12.  I have been a member of  The International Women's Writing Guild and just received an e-mail that the organization has teamed up with the Anne Frank Center of New York to honor Anne Frank.  The opening night ceremony for the 32nd annual "Remember the Magic" Summer Conference of the IWWG will be free and include  Part 1 of the Anne Frank Birthday Tribute with Maureen McNeil, the Director of Education at the Anne Frank Center.  The location for this event is the Gannett Auditorium at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.  The conference schedule is from June 12-19. For more information, see www.iwwg.org

According to the email I received from Hannelore Hahn, Founder of the IWWG, Anne Frank received her diary on her thirteenth birthday.  Anne Frank wrote about her family in hiding during World War II.  She was captured and her diary was found in her family's hiding place after her death in a concentration camp.  According to the information at www.annefrank.org, Anne wanted her diary to be published and started rewriting it with that in mind.  Her father followed through and made that happen.

The blog regarding press releases will come at another time. Stay tuned...

The Key(board) to Success

Writing for businesses and about the business of writing is my specialty. I have experience with journalism, web text, and a newsletter column. I also have assisted clients with marketing ideas.

Having been diagnosed with arthritis in my hands, back and neck, I have been looking for ways to ease the stress on my body while writing on the computer. Below I summarize some research.

Laura Moser wrote a column regarding this topic in the St. Petersburg, FL. Times on May 21.
She conducted tests on 6 different ergonomic keyboards with regard to relief of pain for those suffering from ills which compromise comfort when typing for long periods of time. Moser also looked into ease of use and also if any extras are included.

The four keyboards that met her standards ( the price range for all six was $57 to $299) are:

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000, Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave,Kinesis Freestyle VIP, and Kinesis Advantage Ergonomic Keyboard.

The two keyboards that did not do well in the survey are Adresso Tru-Form Pro Contoured Ergonomic Keyboard, and Goldtouch Ergonomic Keyboard.

Voice recognition software is also a tool for those with physical limitations. I broke down and bought MacSpeech Dictate but just recently fixed my faulty computer so I haven't learned it fully. Seems there is an upgrade now called MacSpeech Dictate 1.5

Of course, taking breaks -for which you may choose to set a timer- is one of the best medicines for a sore body.

Next week, I plan to address press releases since I had someone ask me about this.