October 2010 | Kate's Point of View

Month: October 2010 Page 1 of 3

Checking Out MOTR

On October 27, 2010

In an effort to support new business in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, I invited some friends and neighbors to a happy hour at a new bar called MOTR. (Supporting new business has thus far meant eating, drinking and shopping at cool stores. All easy and awesome.)

The bar is in a fabulous location. The building has doors that reach to the heavens and transoms larger than I’ve ever seen. With lots of dark wood trim and high tables and chairs, the place feels cozy, despite the fact that’s that it’s pretty huge.

Kudos have to be given to the owners of MOTR because the bar recycles, which is basically unheard of in Cincinnati. They also compost. Compost! I’m used to seeing that in granola, hippie towns but not in here.

Their website touts a great menu but it looked like it was being reworked when we were there because our menu was written on a piece of paper from a mini legal pad. And there was only one copy for everyone to share. I think the food needs some work, but I expect that to come in time. And they have liquid cheese so I know they have good ideas.

I had a fun time with folks and got to know some a little better. MOTR is definitely on my list of places to go to again and I’d say you should, too. Keep an eye out for concerts coming there – the owners of the bar have been booking shows in the city for years and you can bet that MOTR will have a great schedule of music.

{UN} Sure Clip

By Kate

On October 25, 2010

In reviews

In my ongoing reviews of As Seen on TV gifts I have received, I decided to tackle the Sure Clip™. As in the past, I will be rating this item based on inventiveness, practicality and, most importantly, does it work.

For people not in the know, the Sure Clip™ is a toenail clipper that is decked out with added features. When you open the Sure Clip™, it actually does look impressive. But I think it might prove to be a little too large to handle (that’s what she said) for the people in the target population for the product — mostly older folks who need assistance with clipping their nail.

The Sure Clip™ features include a magnifying glass so you can get a good look at the nail in question. There is a light so that even in the dark the magnifying glass will come in handy. Finally, there is a mechanism so that as you clip nails, the clipped pieces are caught inside a compartment for disposal later.

I’m not going to show you shots of this item in action — that seems cruel to you. But I need to show that I really did try it out. My foot needed work! (You can ignore the pitiful nail polish. That’s just laziness.)

So I clipped some nails. The magnifying class was useless. The light was cool and funny but added nothing. Maybe if I clipped my nails in the dark? No clippings were caught in any special compartment. The only way I could see this items being useful was if you were clipping someone else’s nails, which is pretty much gross except in the case of caring for sick and old people or your kids. In those instances, though, I would think you’d seek out something a little more delicate rather than this unwieldy contraption.

So how did the Sure Clip™ rate?

Inventiveness? Yes
Practicality? Not unless you are assisting older or ailing people or kids
Does it work? Nope

Um, Did You Not Know That Its 2010?

By Kate

On October 21, 2010

In uncategorized

Don’t get me wrong. I know it’s hard to always be up to date with the latest and greatest. And at some point you have to throw in the towel on some things and be content with where you are. With other things, you need to accept reality and catch up.

Checks. Did you know they make these little plastic cards that you can use in place of writing checks? Instead of cash even! And it’s so much quicker to use one than to write a check. It’s also takes up much less spaces in your handbag or wallet. Occasionally there is a use for a check, like when you need to pay a bill. But if you have the option of online bill payment, then the check shouldn’t be used. It’s quicker, easier and greener to pay online. And if the company doesn’t have online bill payment, there is a good chance that they too need to catch up to 2010. (That’s a message to my insurance and mortgage companies, by the way.) Here’s my real issues with checks. When I am in a grocery store behind you and you pay for your bill with a check, a check that takes you forever to fill out, I am silently cursing you. Yep, for those agonizing moments, I hate you.
Answering machines. Like the ones with a cassette tape. I don’t know when I got my first phone with voicemail, but it was around 2000. And my parents had one long before that. (I think my phone in college cost $3 and I didn’t care about features.) Voicemail enables you to call in to get messages and / or just hear them at home. Such flexibility! Voicemail also enables you to hear your messages with much more clarity of sound and you can save them longer without running out of tape. Primarily though, when I call you and hear the gentle whirring of the answering machine tape before the beep indicates I should leave a message, I think you are a dinosaur.
Saying OMG for real and not sarcastically or ironically. I feel bad about this one because it’s almost wholly directed at people who are really too old to be saying OMG anyway and I don’t want to make them feel too bad. But it’s just not cool. “The Weather! O.M.G.” Stop it. Seriously. It’s a pet peeve.

I have more, I am certain, because in my head I am a little sarcastic and mean. Thankfully I keep most of my thoughts to myself. Most of them…

My Personal Brand, And No, I don’t Mean My Brand of Stink

By Kate

On October 20, 2010

In work

I went to school to study journalism. I had no interest in reporting on hard news. I like fluffy news the way I like the soft sciences. I’d rather write a movie review or do an interview with a local hero over investigative journalism.

There’s discussion now around the question “Is going to journalism school a waste of money?” I may not be nearly as successful as the woman featured in the NPR article, or still in the field of journalism, but I still look back on my college career as some of the most formative years of my life. I learned so much socially, developed a sense of self and learned about many more topics than journalism!

After school I landed into Marketing and Communications. One of the facts I learned in school turned out to be true: marketing can pay more than journalism. But I’ve always found ways to write the kind of pieces I want to write and in the style I like. Sometimes I even get paid for it. I’ve never truly embraced the label of “marketer.” I keep up the industry trends and best practices because I am too Type A not to do so.

What I hear over and over from true marketing professionals is how I need to know that everything you have online is your online brand. So is my brand indifference? I prefer to think of it as general awesomeness, but I am not sure everyone would agree.

For my, what I do outside of work is for the personal me and not the professional me. What I keep hearing from professional peers and media is that I need to get on board with the fact that I am simply wrong. I don’t think I have to accept that, though.

I have had this blog online for a little more than 7 years now and over that time I have made it available and unavailable to the public at various times. I reveal no one’s actual name on the blog. I have changed the URL when Stalker Psycho Boy was getting a little too close. This was all done to protect my privacy. If what I post online truly is my brand, then I think I will brand myself as “F-Off” and just have to make this space for members only.

Guided By Voices, the Classic Lineup

By Kate

On October 18, 2010

In rock

The craggy cough you hear in my house and the awful smell emanating from my hair are the only remnants from the Guided by Voices Concert Friday night, aside from a poster and T-shirt that Wonder Boy had to have. This was my first time seeing the band, although I did see Bob Pollard play a few years back.

Wonder Boy and his band of misfits love GBV. The self-proclaimed leader of their group of friends is self-proclaimed GBV Super Fan #1. They’re all from Dayton and over the years I have heard countless times about how good GBV is, how they used to play with GBV, how some member of GBV was spotted in the local Waffle House. Obsessed.

After the show last night I can definitively say that Wonder Boy’s friend is not Super Fan #1. I saw that guy and frankly, he looked a little mentally deranged and, as he tried to grab the feet of every person on stage, I think the band thought so too.

The boys were excited to watch me watch GBV for the first time. (The Bob Pollard show had been an abysmal experiment since I found him to be a sad, sad drunk and was barely able to last through the show.) I had the history of GBV explained to me by several folks and the significance of the Classic Lineup was made very clear. It was made even more obvious when the band took the stage.

Someone said that GBV plays anthem rock. That’s a new phrase for me but I understand it perfectly now. To each song GBV played, there were several hundred people singing along with their fists pumping in the air. Every GBV song is super short so the band was able to play something like 40 songs during the concert and I think the crowd knew the words to every song.

In my very unbiased opinion, as someone who has not been exposed to GBV for their entire life and doesn’t feel a hometown connection to them (on that point GBV, I think you insulted a lot of Daytonians at the concert when you kept saying that Cincinnati and Columbus are your hometowns), I thought GBV was great. I think Bob Pollard is an excellent songwriter and his band is great, especially the guitarist and bass player. I am not certain the Bob’s voice is that great but he is an entertainer to the nth degree. (He’s about as a much an entertainer as he is an alcoholic…)

To anyone who has not seen them play, do so. It doesn’t matter if you know their music or not. The experience is worth it.

Note: Kentucky, I know you will be one of the last states to do it, but please go smoke-free. Concerts in your state leave me feeling like an old dishrag — dirty and used up.

Kate's Point of View

The Product of Creative Frustration

Month: October 2010 Page 1 of 3

Checking Out MOTR

{UN} Sure Clip

Um, Did You Not Know That Its 2010?

My Personal Brand, And No, I don’t Mean My Brand of Stink

Guided By Voices, the Classic Lineup

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