Ro's Colored Glasses

Tulsa to Amarillo

2011-04-13T18:20:00.001-04:00

The journey continues today through Oklahoma and into the state of Texas ... With the ultimate goal of reaching Amarillo by the end of the day.

In Oklahoma we've seen real long horns. Cattle with huge horns grazing on the plains.

Random toll booths in the middle of the highways with giant signs that the tolls are coming, but there is no sign telling you what the cost of the tolls are... That is until you get within 5 feet of the toll booth ... Then you just scramble to find the right amount of money. Is it $2 bucks or $8 bucks ... Very different when you are searching in your stash for just the right bills.

We came upon Walking Stick Ranch .. A great name for a ranch. And for real!

It was sort of boring and quiet and we pondered some of the realities of the world such as: If Michigan City is in Indiana and Kansas City is in Missouri, why is Oklahoma City in Oklahoma?

We traveled through The Kickapoo Nation ... But we didn't see any signs selling Kickapoo juice. I think that may be folklore.

On a more serious note, as we neared Oklahoma City, we were reminded of how one of our own leveled the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building On April 19th, 1995.

All in all, it was uneventful. Sort of ... Without Tom's skillful negotiation of the road, and the space between our car and the UPS truck, smashable might have had a new meaning for us. Kudos to The Director of Transportation.

We were finally in Texas. Lots of flat, nondescript land but that allows for a breathtaking 360 degree horizon. Sometimes it's the unremarkable things that make the remarkable possible.

Apparently in Texas, anything is possible. We saw billboards all the way to Amarillo, announcing a Free 72 oz steak. Seriously? I hope they serve it with a crash cart and a few Lipitor.

One of the exits on I 40 claimed a business district, but all we saw were more cows although I might have seen one or two in a suit.

There is a Cleveland, Oklahoma ... Who knew?

But this might be the best of the entire trip:

The Jesus Christ is Lord. Not a swear word Travel Center. I promise you this was plastered all over the place on this rest stop and gas station.

We also went past The Happy Tracks Horse Motel ... Only in Texas. And The
Stuff It Taxidermy Shop. No comment.

As we got closer to Amarillo with only about 280 miles to Albuquerque, we decide to gut it out ... Bypass Amarillo, which, from what I understand means we didn't miss much .... and get to the 505 today!!!

So now we look forward to much better scenery in an hour or two. We were curious to see how the landscape would change from Texas to New Mexico. Unfortunately it stayed the same until about 15 miles from the border and then ... all of a sudden ... it started to look familiar ... like home!

We arrived about 6:00 p.m. Ready to find new opportunities!!

Stay tuned as the adventure continues.

The Open Road or the Friendly Skies?

2011-04-12T12:31:00.001-04:00

We started out this morning in Vandalia, Illinois and drove through the very bustling hub of St. Louis, Missouri. For the record the Arch is spectacular! As we wove through downtown St Louis construction zones (thank goodness it was Sunday morning) I snapped photos of the Arch and the Mighty Mississippi, and Tom suggested we stop a moment at Cardinal Stadium to pay homage to Albert Pujols.

We cut diagonally across the state headed southwest toward Tulsa where we finally 'bunked' (you say that in Oklahoma) for the night. At the start of the day, we were pretty convinced that Missouri was Native American for boring, but once again, we discovered that there are many stories and interesting tidbits in our U.S. Of A.

Apparently there is a feral hog problem in parts of Missouri (pronounced Missourah ... for those of you who don't know), and it appears to be around the cities of Bourbon (no joke) and Sleeper (also no joke). We don't know if there really is bourbon in Bourbon, but we do know we didn't see any hotels or motels in Sleeper.

Branson Park has a radio station devoted to getting the best deals at the park and if you are so inclined, you can visit the (supposedly) largest gift shop in the world somewhere around there.

As we continue on I-44 west into Oklahoma, we see the land is flat, in fact it looks a lot like Ohio but with more cows and no housing developments ... and maybe a little greener than neighboring Missouri, but there is no shortage of things that continually make the journey an interesting and educational one.

There is a Miami, Oklahoma but there is no beach there. This Miami has the restored Coleman Vaudeville Theatre, but as far as we can see not much else.

The sign at Grove, Oklahoma says you can get "girls and beer" at a place called The Body Shop'... I have no comment on this one ...

You can get gas here on the plains, but the name of the gas station is The Wood Shed.. To this I do say WTF???

Oil and water does mix, but we think it's only in Tulsa where both those industries have co-existed for years.

You may have noticed that each place provides it's own surprises and Tulsa was no exception. We were shocked that the hotel's recommendation to try the Italian Restaurant, Tiamo's, located in a shopping center ... would turn out to be one of the best meals we've had on the road. Beautiful decor, genuine Northern Italian food, a great wine list and complimentary bruschetta with drinks.

We will tell you, these are not things you experience when you step on a plane and arrive two hours later at your destination. We've heard it said that it's the journey, not the destination that matters and we are going to graciously acquiesce to that fact after two days on the road.

After all, we don't usually have this much fun on a plane. That is unless of course we are drinking. That may be the only argument for taking to the skies.

Tomorrow's destination is Amarillo, Texas. Stay tuned.

If You're Ever in Vandalia, Illinois, Get the Ribs.

2011-04-11T13:50:00.004-04:00

As many of you know, we are headed to Albuquerque,NM to open a regional office of BTZ.

Our trip started about 9 am on Saturday morning, as we began driving west, on what turns out to be unbelievably only four interstate highways: I 77 south to I 70 west to I 44 west to I 40 west. Today we were on two of those four. Stopped to get gas in Ashland Ohio and drove rather uneventfully to the west side of Columbus where we ran into a torrential downpour for about 100 miles. Flat land, gray skies and nothing to "write home about". Really? Could this part of the US be that boring?

As we entered Indiana, we surprisingly changed our tune. Hoosier Passion. Let us explain. It turns out that Saturday, April 9th 2011 an Indiana Fireman was bringing to Indiana from the World Trade Center destruction, I beam parts to build a memorial in downtown Indy to commemorate his fallen comrades, our country and its resilience.

As we entered Indiana in a driving rainstorm, the very first overpass we encountered, was filled with Fireman in uniform, fire trucks, American flags, families and police officers in what seemed to be the entire population of Richmond,Indiana. Proudly standing in as an honor guard waiting to welcome the flat bed truck with the I-beams to the their state. But even more heartening was that the entire trip from the Indiana border to Indianapolis at every overpass and at every fence line and every farm, people stood and waited, flags waving, country proud. In the pouring rain.

It was a great moment for us and a sight to behold. Americans boring ... Never. There is always something to be proud of in our country and this was a great example of it!

After that experience, the balance of the trip from the west side of Indy to Vandalia, Illinois was sunny and uneventful. And the ribs? Gallatin Street Grill. Make sure Courtney serves you and ask to meet Ken, the owner and the chef. But a word of warning .. Ken likes his cayenne and when you order medium, your head will sweat and you may have wished for mild.

Tomorrow. Tulsa here we come.

Branding or Brand Development ... You Choose

2010-05-14T15:55:00.006-04:00

As one of the managing partners of The Brand Establishment, an organization who trains and certifies principals of Marketing, PR and Design firms as Brand Strategists, I'd like to clear up a long standing argument: Branding is NOT the same as Brand Development.

There is a HUGE difference between Brand Development and Branding:

1. A brand is: “A unique and deliverable claim of distinction supported by evidence of performance.”

2. Brand development, is the discovery of a brand’s claim of distinction, and branding is the tactical application of the brand’s distinction to communication vehicles.

3. Brand development is an organizational initiative, not just a marketing initiative — a unique brand distinction can only come from within and must be driven from the top. Once discovered and validated, it can then be handed off to marketing for effectively and dramatically communicating that differentiation.

So when you choose a company to help you develop your brand, make certain you are choosing a Brand Development firm, not just a branding company. Because practically every marketing firm and ad agency will tell you they can do ‘branding’ and they probably can. But unless you know who you are and what your company can promise … and deliver, any branding or tactics they are providing will be based on guesswork … yours and theirs.

Crazy Ones

2010-03-30T12:14:00.003-04:00

Here is one of my favorite quotes. In this day and age, somehow this doesn't seem like such a 'crazy' notion.

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The trouble-makers.
The round heads in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them.
But the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,
are the ones who do.
Jack Kerouac
American Novelist, Poet and Artist

Branding and PR: Question

2009-02-26T11:36:00.006-05:00

The following post is an answer to a question on Linkedin: "As you are all Branding experts, I would really like to find out what your view is on the effectiveness of Public Relations in the branding process. I look forward to your answers!"

A strong brand is built by delivering on the brand promise every time the brand has the opportunity to interact with it's audiences ... both internal and external.

PR is a tactic or vehicle ... just like any other tactic that carries the communication of the promise. So, of course, PR plays a very important role in the process. But every tactic is important in communicating the promise, PR is just more visible to most of us.

As a Certified Brand Strategist, I can say from experience ... the most difficult piece of Brand Development is not how a company communicates its promise. It is identifying what that promise is. And that can only be unearthed in a process that focuses the C Suite on what their brand stands for, what differentiates their brand from their competitors and who is interested in what their company has to offer.

If a company doesn't lay that foundation first, everything that follows ... including and maybe especially PR, is wasted.

Are You Kidding Me?

2009-02-15T15:01:00.003-05:00

"GOP senators say Obama off to bad start ..."

I just sat down to the computer and up comes the CNN Home Page with the above headline.

Bad start ... Bad start ... Are you kidding me? McCain said "the (bail out) bill is out of step with the vow of bipartisanship both men made after Obama beat out the Republican presidential nominee for the White House in November". Yet, in fact, Obama did go to Capitol Hill with the express purpose of meeting with the Republicans on their turf. Yet they complain. The Republicans sound like a bunch of teenage girls fighting over whose turn it is to drive to the mall.

He said they should have sat in a room and negotiated.... but also admitted: "Republicans were guilty of this kind of behavior. I'm not saying that we did things different. But Americans want us to do things differently, and they want us to work together."

Work together? Are you kidding me? ... This momentus "Bail-Out" party started because we were saddled with a president who did pretty much nothing to defend the middle class and gave too much leeway to big business ... for too long a time. And now, Obama is trying to reach across the aisle to fix it. Bipartisanship is a two-way street. McCain ... do you understand this at all?

None of us want to pay for the follies of Wall Street and the laizze faire attitude of the banks that we are bailing out. But we have to start somewhere and Obama has taken the first step. We should follow ...

It's time to play nice and support the one person who has taken it upon his shoulders to give the Americans back their dignity.

After this ... "I got nuthin ..."

2009-01-25T09:15:00.010-05:00

I haven't written anything much about the election, the inauguration, or Aretha's hat ... and after watching this ... I feel like I don't have to:

American Prayer - Dave Stewart (Barack Obama Music Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVi4rUzf-0Q

I Love This ...

2009-01-10T15:01:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite poems. For me, it represents hope, freedom, independence and the knowing that
sometimes ... no matter what others say ... you have to follow your heart.

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Dream Work)

Mary Oliver was born on September 10, 1935 in Maple Heights, Ohio. As a teenager, she lived briefly in the home of Edna St. Vincent Millay, where she helped Millay's family sort through the papers the poet left behind. "She is a poet of wisdom and generosity whose vision allows us to look intimately at a world not of our making", said a reviewer for the Harvard Review.Her honors include an American Academy of Arts & Letters Award, a Lannan Literary Award, the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Memorial Prize and Alice Fay di Castagnola Award, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Oliver held the Catharine Osgood Foster Chair for Distinguished Teaching at Bennington College until 2001. She currently lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Goodbye ... Old Friend

2009-01-02T16:29:00.004-05:00

The cottage at Atwood is sold! All the numbers have been agreed on ... the paperwork done ... the inspections passed ... the dates set. Now comes the hard part ... one last visit to get our "stuff".

We sold it furnished ... but there were a few things in our little cocoon that we wanted ... mostly family items handed down through the years, that we couldn't relinquish to a stranger ... besides who would understand the value of the marble ashtray with the scottie dog my parents bought in New York ... on their honeymoon; Or the travel cribbage game Tom's grandfather once held dear. There were also the cross-stitched hand towels Kelly ( my daughter) made for me one year for Christmas that say "Welcome Friends". What could be better than to have displayed those towels at a place where we did, in fact, welcome many, many friends, and created some never-to-be-forgotten memories.

So, today as we gathered our treasures and packed the car, we said goodbye to a place, that for the past seven years gave us the warmth and support of a long-time friend. It was always there for us when we needed it most. We would go there to be alone together, to be together with friends, to get away from the world or just to visit our 'friend' ... and it always felt like home.

We leave good Karma there for the next owner. I hope they will treat our friend well.

The best present of all ...

2008-12-26T15:49:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago ... I got the best present of all ...

this quite stylish and fashionable Teddy Bear pin from our oldest grandson, Nick ...

He had bought it at school that day and gave it to his mom to
give to me ...

He bought three presents that day ... a heart necklace for his Mom ... a tape measure pen for his Dad ... and this beautiful pin ... for me, Grammy Gram ...

You see, he's old enough to read ... and I feel honored that he thinks I'm special.

I think he is too ...

This gift made my day and possibly my Christmas this year.

I Miss Stephie

2008-12-11T20:50:00.004-05:00

As the holidays approach, I'm having a hard time ... it just won't be the same ... where are the squeals of joy, where are the talent shows with the boas and the beads ... where are the cartwheels ... where is the reading of the christmas book while nonchalantly commanding the hoola hoop ... where is it all ... and how will we get along without it?

Right now, I just don't know. What I do know is that I will miss it all ... our family will never be the same ... even though we will put up a good front ... of course, for each other ... we will always miss her ... forever.

Someday, I'm sure it will be just a way of life ... and because we have no choice we will accept it as a 'new normal' ... but in our hearts ... we will still won't like it ... and we will always be aware that while life does go on ... something in ours will be missing.

Journal Page

2008-12-07T15:14:00.001-05:00

If I were a layer cake, this is what I would look like ...
very colorful, but with a good strong base of honesty,
authenticity, integrity and humor. All of my layers are
bright and very stable .. each one stands for a different
virtue ... yellow is happpy and fun, green is progressive...
always ready to take a step forward ... even when it's tough.
Purple is for passion and black is there ... because... of
course ... there always has to be black ... a woman is
never caught without something black to make her feel
powerful and strong! And on top of it all is ... heart -- for
what is life without that.

Where's Our T.A.R.P.?

2008-10-31T14:42:00.001-04:00

As the Federal Government doles out billions of dollars to Wall Street under the Troubled Asset Recovery Program (TARP) those of us who own businesses ... not large enough to be considered BIG business ... are left to fend for ourselves.

But why wouldn't we. We've had practice doing this over the years ... we're tough. We are the people who've had the courage and self-confidence to take the risk to start these businesses in the first place. Collectively, small business has provided 21.9 million jobs over the past 15 years, while large business has created only 1.8 million jobs.* 99.7% of all employers are considered 'small' business and provide paychecks to staffs who collectively total a greater percentage** of the US workforce than the corporate giants who are now suckling at the tit of the government.

They're staying fat ... and happy ... and we're making sacrifices so we can keep our operations going ... and our employees paid. So, in effect, we are paying twice ... it's so unfair.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m in favor of this bail out. I just wish the dollars would be distributed down through the business ranks.

Why not take just one billion of the 700+ billion and re-direct it to the small businesses. We don't need that much. But it would be nice to at least be acknowledged for what we've contributed over the years. With a little financial cushion from the gov. maybe we can assure our staff that they will be not be victims of this financial cluster-fuck.

We are the fuel of the economic engine. The economy needs us ... the small business and its workforce. If the majority of this workforce can keep their jobs, pay their bills and have a little left over to go to a movie ... we may have a chance to help this market bounce back.

It's raining out there ... Where's our TARP?

* National Small Business Association

** NSBA - 50.4% overall in the U.S. 66% in Rural Areas and 80% in Inner cities

Another Change ...

2008-06-08T12:51:00.001-04:00

We've decided to sell the house/cottage we've had at Atwood Lake for the past 6 years. It's really a great place with a second floor screened-in porch that makes you feel like you're in a tree-house. But with everything that's on our plate right now ... we have used it less and less each year. What a shame...

I've spent many a Saturday and Sunday morning on that porch ... listening to the tree squirrels and woodpeckers have what sounds like interesting yet seemingly disjointed conversations. I've read, journaled, doodled ... but most of all, I've just sat there and thought about life ...

I remember many times, when it was just too cold to be on the porch, I'd dig out the sweats and socks, and wrap my hands around my steaming cup of coffee ... just so I could listen to the sounds outside ... and the silence it brought to my own head.

That porch has seen many memories in such a short time. Mostly, unforgettable weekends with friends ... playing cards and silly games ... eating way too much (bad) food ... and drinking way too much liquor. And ... Tom and I have had some very fun and personal times there ... we've solved the problems of the world ... we vied for season champ in cribbage and in just about every card game imaginable, and just sat there with each other ... just feeling grateful to have a place like this.

Today ... the first "For Sale" ad ran in our newspaper ... it felt like I was looking at an obituary.

Looking For The Bad Guys

2008-05-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

Last week a terrible tragedy happened to our family. We lost our beautiful and precious 7 year old granddaughter to a rare blood disease. It happened so fast that no one had time to prepare for such a thing ... that is if you COULD ever prepare for such a thing.

During this profoundly sad time of long days at the hospital and navigating our way through the maze of funeral and cemetery arrangements, we all went through the motions expected of us. We held each other, we supported each other and we felt helpless together. We talked each other into acceptance ... and out of fear and anger. We were all so strong ... at least that's what everyone said. And we were that way because we had each other. And I do know that's true.

But now ... when the intense activity has subsided ... and I am back to the reality of my "real life" ... my sadness weighs heavy ... and now I start to have questions ... and I NEED to have answers. I think I would feel better if I could just blame someone for this horrible thing. But

I don't know who to blame.

In the movies and on TV ... the 'bad guys' always make themselves known ... and they usually always get caught ... and they have to pay for what they've done. That's how it works. That's how it's supposed to work ... but in real life ... I keep looking for the 'bad guys' and I can't find them. I feel like I need someone to pay for this .. But I have no one to blame ... I'm just hoping I can make peace with this fact.

What Happened?

2008-03-09T12:07:00.000-04:00

How could it be March already. Funny I really don't remember February. Probably because between traveling and sneezing, I was a little preoccupied.

We were in San Diego and Ft. Lauderdale on business early in February. From sea to shining sea, I guess. Actually, I was so sick with some strain of the flu that my flu shot soldiers did not recognize so while the beautiful Pacific Ocean was lurking outside our deck, I was curled up on the couch with a hotel blanket watching Animal Planet.

Did you ever fly with a head full of snot? I did for all six legs of this coast to coast odyssey. That pressure in the cabin ... nothing compared to the pressure in your head ... the kind of pressure that feels like someone is trying to knit inside your head ... with giant pointy needles.

I guess that whole story is my excuse for not writing on a more regular basis. But that's no logic, because then what happened in January. I really can't remember, but I'm sure there

is a really good excuse and if I thought long enough, I'm I could come up with several.

But you see, this is o.k. 'cause I knew this would happen. And besides if I wrote every day, this might not be imperfect. And that's what this space is for. Being imperfect and being o.k. with it all ... every bit of it.

I'm thinking this feels a lot like therapy. Just saying shit because you feel like it and knowing it's fine.

What am I doing here?

2008-01-13T11:46:00.000-05:00

Seems like it's time for it ... everyone, it seems has one except me, well almost everyone. I guess I don't think I have much to say ... although others would disagree with that.

Well, it's the beginning of yet another year. Everyone is still talking about New Years resolutions... and everyone is either on a 'diet' or 'working out'. For me ... that's all old news. I've been doing both for years. So this year, I'm taking a different perspective on the whole thing.

This year, I'm embracing Wabi Sabi, the Japanese tradition of celebrating the beauty in what's flawed or worn.

Here's the provenance: wabi means perfect imperfection and sabi, the beauty that comes with age.

So while I will continue to 'eat right' and 'work out' ... I will also try to remember that no matter how much of all that I do ... I can never eat portions small enough and I can never work out long enough to bring back my vision of 'who I should be'. Instead I'm going to focus on who I've become ... someone who finally had enough 'guts' to start a blog ... and hopefully keep it up all the while celebrating that my blog could be flawed ... and not perfect ... and that would be as ok as that extra 10 pounds I carry around.