Knee Deep Blog

Things That Bug Me: Different Rates for Oprah Magazines

The mail system...let the not very important mail and bills pile up for a couple weeks and then sit down once or twice a month and work your way through the pile.  Within my pile was a "happy anniversary" card from Oprah Magazine and Hearst Publishing announcing my "preferred subscriber continuous service anniversary" that got my attention. Well actually what got my attention was the rate.

Guess what I got for being a preferred subscriber a 41% increase in the easily found and obtainable online rate...a whopping $12.35 more.   And I have to admit that this isn't the first time I've noticed that being a "current customer" or "preferred subscriber" I'm being treated as if I'm the fat and lazy cash cow.  I simply want what others have available to them.

Being a home based business that watches the bottom line and internet mom one of the many things I do very well is track down information.  Or perhaps this is my way of procrastination when it comes to going through that big pile.  A few clicks into my search I found I could get Oprah for $19.99 from magazines.com or  for $18.00 directly from the Oprah website. Now it comes to value = is Oprah Magazine worth $18 to me annually or $30.35?   

I found myself a bit annoyed and instead of throwing the card away and waiting for my subscription to lapse so I could reorder as a new subscriber at the lower rate I called the 1800 number.

Loving Seattle - Rain, More Rain & Then Toss In Some Snow

As we head into the final days of November, we've broken the 50 year record with it being the second wettest month in the Seattle's recorded history. At 15.26 inches of rain we are mere moments away with  from breaking the No. 1 wettest month that was recorded in December 1933 with 15.33 inches.

What I love the most is the reporting of our obvious state of weather...."People in water-logged Washington now have official confirmation of something they’ve been suspecting: It’s been raining a lot"...yeah get me another coffee and tell me some thing I don't know.

Of course the last few days have added a twist to this very long, gray and wet month - snow and ice (here's the scoop).  The first snow fall landed Sunday late afternoon, thankfully, the day after we returned from our Portland Oregon Thanksgiving trip - which allowed us to skip home in a mere 3 ish hours versus the dreaded close to 8 hours it took last year.

Back to the snow.  Being a born and bred Buffalo New York gal I delighted in the fluffy snow that covered  every thing.  By 6 pm  4 families on our street were enjoying a neighborhood snowball fest.  I delighted even more in watching the  3, 4 and 5 year olds  slip, slid and launch their best snowballs with  ear to ear grins and fierce determination to hit  each of the parents.  Seattle snow is a 1 to 3 time per season adventure which we took full advantage.  Plus I loved knowing I wasn't sitting on a highway wishing I was home!

Unfortunately last night on the way home from a client downtown I made the mistake of choosing to do an errand just north of the city.  My 20 minute ride turned into a 4 hour adventure.  As soon as I got

Getting The Scoop on The Technorati State of The Blogs

Ever Since Technorati I spotted my first "Technorati: state of the blogs" updates I've been hooked.  Perhaps it's because I entered the world of "mass" blogging when it was still in it's earlier stages or perhaps because it serves to acknowledge the hundreds of hours I have spend surfing, reading, and writing blogs over the almost two years I've been addicted to blogging.

Any hoot...whether you're new to blogging  or you're a seasoned pro take a gander and enjoy the newest State of the Blogs.

Have a great one

Regards,

Michele Corey, Advanced Approach, Knee Deep:  A dose of insight from your not always average home based business and internet mom aka entrepreneur and the WordStreamz Blog:  simple real estate blog marketing

 

Halloween Ghouls in Seattle

We had a delightful multiple day Halloween celebration in our neighborhood. Last night we closed out with a parade that had around 100 people from our neighborhood banging pans and making noise and music with any available implement, followed by trick or treating a for a couple blocks.

Eli attended a couple events as a pirate (didn't every one else?) after we discovered that his Eeyore costume was to hot too wear inside for more than 10 minutes.  By the time the trick or treating happened he refused to wear the head altogether even though it was cold outside.  He became a two headed Eeyore with one side wearing his favorite dragon hat and the other side hanging off to one side.

One of the highlights for me was to see Eli bring his friend Eli up to our own door to trick or treat. Dad came out in his clown hair and treated him no differently than any other kid knocking and saying trick or treat both letting him pick a piece of candy as well as pick out a scull ring...it just cracked me up.

Since we ended early, I mean how much candy does a 3 year old really need?...we switched rolls and greeted other trick or treaters at the door with dad. I loved hearing that our pumpkins were "cool" especially the cat one and our house was "way scary" as declared by a few youngsters when they saw my makeup and the candle lit entrance. Since one little girl wouldn't uncover her eyes or come up the stairs Eli bravely took the candy down the stairs and told her I was just his mom, he then continued to explain how the candy would stick in her teeth right there and she could do this with her finger to get it out.  I smiled and stayed quiet.

Eli and I negotiated as he chowed into two pieces of candy and the rest were put away until I'm sure more negotiating is done later tonight.

Have a great one

Regards,

Michele Corey, Advanced Approach, Knee Deep:  A dose of insight from your not always average home based business and internet mom aka entrepreneur and the WordStreamz Blog:  simple real estate blog marketing