FuchsiaWoman

A Bad Business Model – Killing Your Customers

Toni Dockter — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:37:33 +0000

I’m not a foodie. Not a gourmet. Not a gourmand. OK, occasionally a glutton. (Been known to stuff myself at El Polo Loco. Frankie loves grilled chicken legs!) I don’t like to cook. (Too time consuming and messy.) Don’t watch cooking shows on TV. Don’t buy cookbooks or cooking magazines. Consequently I’ve never paid much [...]

Help Wanted in America: Leaders – Not Politicians

Toni Dockter — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:44:54 +0000

The GOP primary in North Carolina yesterday surprised me. Not who won or lost—or who was elated with a fourth-place finish. But out of all the millions of registered Republicans, that’s the best crop of candidates they could come up with? Not just a lackluster and uninspiring group, but overall a poor quality menagerie that [...]

Afghanistan – Hell on Earth

Toni Dockter — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:08:10 +0000

Want to experience a massive dose of cognitive dissonance? Try writing about the abuse and torture of girls and women in Afghanistan at the same time you’re watching the Golden Globes out of the corner of your eye and trying to figure out who’s wearing what—and at the same time you’re cooking dinner. Yeeezzz. Sunday [...]

Debunking and Deboarding da Twitter Twain – A 2012 New Year’s Resolution

Toni Dockter — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:40:34 +0000

[Part 1 of a 2-part series on my love-hate relationship with Twitter] Twitter was the topic on NPR’s Here and Now show last week. Host Robin Young said “Twitter changed the world in 2011.” She was referring to the Arab Spring uprisings (how the use of Twitter helped topple tyrannical governments) and Occupy Wall Street [...]

Protect Your Health: You Are What You Eat

Toni Dockter — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:10:26 +0000

I must have read too much Dear Abby in my youth because I find myself channeling her when I get the gist of (what I perceive to be) other people’s problems. The difference between Dear Abby (or Ann Landers or Amy Dickinson) and me is that people seek out their advice. Even if no one [...]

How to Write a Good Christmas Letter: Harder than You Think

Toni Dockter — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:59:05 +0000

Here’s the problem with Christmas form letters: they’re difficult to write. But it is possible to write a good one that people enjoy reading. My friend Diane received one this year. Years ago (mid-90s?) I, too, received one—from an old friend from elementary/junior high/high school (back then she was G.G. from G.G.). I remember after [...]

Christmas Form Letters and eMails are Poor Form

Toni Dockter — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:25 +0000

Yesterday I received a Christmas card from a longtime “friend.” The card wasn’t signed. But tucked inside it was a double-sided computer printed Christmas letter. It closed with the holiday message: “Friend me on FaceBook.” Can I get a “Bah Humbug!” I had previously told this person that I don’t do FB. I had also [...]

Do You Know the Way to San Jose? Good Idea for Protesters and/or Students

Toni Dockter — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:48:59 +0000

On Thanksgiving I had planned to deliver food to some of my favorite people: Occupy Wall Street protesters. I read on-line that a branch of the activists—Occupy San Jose—had organized a pot luck at 3:00 PM at City Hall. I didn’t make it. It was raining. I know—wimpy. But have you ever driven Highway 17 [...]

An Untraditional Thanksgiving Day Tradition

Toni Dockter — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:37:35 +0000

During the past several years I’ve implemented a Thanksgiving Day tradition that is so simple yet rewarding I wish I had done it years earlier. It’s called “Hiding Out”—a no-fuss/no-muss way to celebrate any holiday Here’s how it works: * You don’t go anywhere. * You don’t have company over. Hiding Out has many advantages, [...]

More Thoughts on Aging — You Know You’re Old When…

Toni Dockter — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:36:32 +0000

A couple weeks ago—headed home from work and driving down Highway 101—the Beatles’ song “Back in the U.S.S.R.” blasted from the oldies station on the radio. Love that song—a kick-ass homage to Chuck Berry (“Back in the U.S.A.”) and the Beach Boys (“California Girls”). I was instantly transported to another time—my youthful, carefree days when [...]