Aromatherapy isn’t just for women. Did you know that men are naturally drawn to certain scents?

See what reactions these aromas elicit from your guy: ylang-ylang, clove, cinnamon, mandarin, peppermint, black pepper, eucalyptus, rose geranium, cedarwood, and curry.
What was your guy’s favorite?

In a recent conversation with my son (who left the nest a few months ago and is dating ‘Adorable Girlfriend’), he revealed that he and A.G. have a weekly date night. When I asked what he had planned he commented that money is tight since he’d just paid bills and was in between paychecks, so he was going to suggest they take advantage of the fresh rains and enjoy an evening of puddle jumping followed by hot chocolate.

His realizations impressed me:

1. Take care of important things first when it comes to budgeting your money
2. Let the lack of funds spur creativity
3. Important relationships deserve the investment of time

That conversation inspired this list of gifts designed to foster meaningful relationships for the newly independent adults that are juggling school, part-time jobs, and dating.

• A cool picnic back pack loaded with everything necessary for an outing: Map or tour guide featuring the local hiking trails, sunscreen, trail mix, granola bars, salami, cheese, crackers, and sport’s drinks…exploring all the trails in the tour guide will promote good health and provide activity for future dates at a relatively low cost over time
• Gift card to the movie theater
• “Movie Madness’ gift box that’s stocked with popcorn, candy bars, nutty snack mix, soft drinks, and a gift card to the local video store (Or, why not purchase a plan where you can have 3 movies out at a time and give him carte blanche to use one of the three at all times?)
• A plant to grow & nurture, as does the relationship, with a Tree-in-a-Bag or a windowsill garden
• Gift cards to the local coffee shop or smoothie joint (In support of local businesses, I like to choose the ‘mom & pop’ joints over the big chains, which as an extra perk, often have free wi-fi & live evening music or art exhibitions making for a cool date)
• Gift card to the grocery store so they can shop together and then cook dinner together
• Gift card to a restaurant that can be used for a date (I’ve done this in the past for him. He told me they found a way to make it last by ordering from the appetizer menu that was 1/2 price during happy hour rather than ordering entrees.)
• Passes to the local miniature golf/amusement park

What’s your suggestion for these ‘newly independent daters’?

It’s important for employers to be observant when it comes to the office climate.
Here are signs that the thermostat needs adjusting:

*There is a degree of irritability, defensiveness, anger, depression, and sluggishness

*Staff are making more mistakes and are having trouble concentrating

*Absenteeism and requests for sick leave are up, complaints of headaches

Simple ways to tweak the temp:

1. Be generous with praise – FYI: the number one complaint is lack of recognition
2. Treat your employees like they are your customer; you can be sure that if they feel treated well they will do likewise with your customers
3. Bring in a special treat such as pizza, coffee, or smoothies weekly or monthly
4. Recognize employees on birthdays, have a monthly staff celebration
5. Create an employee of the month program
6. Each month, let employees nominate a peer that they felt supported them

Remember, little changes can go a long way.

I have to agree with BuzzBop, MacWorld was disappointing. Other than the extremely thin notebook, there wasn’t much that caught my attention. And about the MacBook Air, sure it’s tiny and light, but as BuzzBop points out, how much durability has been sacrificed? I would expect, given its conveniently transportable size, I would want to take it everywhere…that’d make for an awful lot of abuse, don’t you think? Could it withstand it all?

I tried to question Quickbooks about whether or not they will be introducing a Mac version of Quickbooks Premier…they were unable to tell me much except that they aren’t able to talk about new products being worked on…or not being worked on…thanks for nothing.

What did catch my eye:

1. Vertus Fluid Mask 3, photo imaging software, makes cutting and blending images quick and easy; can be used as a plug-in or stand alone (this would make En Wrapture’s graphic design guru’s work much easier)
2. DataPilot software that allows you to backup and sync contacts, calender, music, photos, etc. between your computer, cell phone (not just for the iPhone), and iPod
3. iVolta Wireless Charging System which allows you to charge multiple devices at the same time on a charger plate without the usual tangled mess of wires
4. Hybrid Solar Charger - soon to be featured on the En Wrapture website as an option for an eco-friendly gift, this is the perfect gadget for travelers and the environmentally conscious and is able to power a GPS, mobile phone, mp3 player, PDA, digital camera, game console, etc. with the adapter tip system cable and USB tip
5. EcoSmart computer gear by Targus - line is priced from $50-130 and includes laptop slipcase, computer bag, messenger bag, and backpack, and are made of 100% recycled polyester, contains no PVC, metal hardware is nickel-free, plastic hardware is recyclable, and a portion of every sale is donated to the Conservation Fund to replant trees in Southern California in areas that have been destroyed by fires

Tip: If you aren’t going to hear the Keynote speaker, skip the first day and avoid the lines and crowds because you can get the skinny online and the following days are much more pleasant and more productive.

As I was sitting in the ‘Blogger’s Lounge’ at MacWorld in San Francisco, I had someone walk up behind me and enthusiastically ask, “Are you Dad Gone Mad?” I tried not to be completely offended…’Dad’ is Danny Evans…Hello? Is it not obvious? A male, I am not! And, I don’t look anything at all like Danny, not from the front, behind, or as he towered over me. pfft.

I suppose because I happened to be reading the Dad Gone Mad blog at that moment, he assumed I was updating, which I guess is what I should have been doing to my own blog in the ‘Blogger’s Lounge.” Anyway, Danny at Dad Gone Mad, you should know that I bumped into an ardent fan of yours who experienced great disappointment that he did not get to meet you. Seems I wasn’t the only suffering withdrawals from your blog.

I just have to air about something that really gets to me when I travel: Waking up in a hotel that charges $175 for the night, the last thing I expect to find when I prepare for my shower is that there is no conditioner. They can’t spring the .25 for conditioner? Don’t they know that conditioning shampoo is not a comparable substitute? Now I’ll have tangly, frizzy hair for the day and have to remember to stop off at a drugstore on my way back to the room. Grrrr.

On the other hand, one of my favorite things when traveling is to find an exceptionally nice line of amenities, the kind you want to smuggle home…Now those hotels and B&Bs get a gold star - they are well remembered and worthy of another stay.

Who do you think has the best room amenities?

Last year was the first time I attended, in search of the newest techno gadgets for En Wrapture’s corporate clients.

And no, I’m not a Mac user, much to my significant other’s chagrin, as it is he who handles the many malfunctions of my PC. My frustrations quickly become his. As we surf side by side, he loves nothing more than to throw the inadequacies of my PC in my face, which occurs often and easily since I am usually bemoaning that I can’t connect to the internet or my wireless printer, have been knocked off, or am crawling at a snail’s pace, all the while he happily surfs uninterruptedly.

So, why am I not a Mac user? I have long been sold on the advantages to owning a Mac by S.O., how I can easily do everything I currently do in Microsoft Office etc. That’s not the problem. The problem is that we use Quickbooks Premier for our bookkeeping. Although Quickbooks has Mac versions of several of their programs such as Pro, Premier is not one of them…otherwise, after the year I’ve had with HP and Microsoft and how the time lost due to problems has wreaked havoc on inputting our financial data and keeping inventory current - we are way behind (and here it is the end of the year – Yikes!) so, I’d be there.

Back to MacWorld…rumors abound regarding what’s in store: MacBook Tablet, next generation iphone…if you want to follow what’s up with Apple check out www.mac-sage.com for a wealth of information.

Aromatherapy is an age old alternative medicine, and in recent years has become all the rage as a natural way to feel better physically and psychologically. The inhalation of certain essential oils (oils that are extracted from plant parts through distillation) stimulates the brain, causing reactions that affect our mood and overall well-being. In additon to their mood enhancing capabilities, they also provide pharmacological benefits, with antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties to name a few.

There are over 90 essential oils, each with their own benefits, and often combined with others for a particular effect. My favorite is lavender oil since it has a plethora of benefits worthy of a post all by itself (I say this while I slip around on my keyboard after just applying a liberal dose of lavender hand cream to help me relax).

Here’s a list of some of the benefits of the more common oils:

• Stress Relief & Calming: lavender, chamomile, sage, bergamont, rosemary, peppermint, frankincense, myrrh
• Insomnia & Restlessness: hops flower, valerian, chamomile, lavender, sandalwood, marjoram
• Depression: lemongrass, mandarin, rosemary, basil, clary sage, jasmine
• Revitalize: grapefruit, cinnamon, rosemary, juniper, vanilla, geranium
• Memory Aid: sage, jasmine, peppermint
• Headache & Migraine: rosemary, tea tree, peppermint, eucalyptus, sandalwood, lavender
• Cold & Flu: eucalyptus, lemongrass, thyme, chamomile, peppermint
• Antiseptic: tea tree, bergamont, juniper, sage, clove, lavender
• Anti-Inflammatory: chamomile, peppermint, juniper, bergamont, sassafras
• Insect Repellant: citronella, cedar, lemongrass, peppermint

Keep in mind, essential oils tend to be highly concentrated and some should not be applied directly to the skin without first being diluted, while others are unsafe for people with certain conditions, like high blood pressure or pregnancy. Please read up before you begin experimenting with a new oil so you can do so safely.
Tip: Check out our portable aromatherapy for when you or someone you know needs a little boost.

What’s your favorite aromatherapy remedy?

I just got off the phone with a dear old friend and traveling companion, BJ (or Beej as we’d fondly call her), from what I call ‘my old life’, referring to my time spent overseas. I’m reminded of a song we used to sing at Camp Fire Girls get-togethers:

Make new friends

But keep the old

One is silver and the other’s gold

Since moving back to the states in December of 2000 I’ve had to start all over and make new friends, create a new network. While wonderful people have come into this ‘new life’, there is no replacing those friendships I made overseas in Saudi Arabia, some beginning at the onset in 1993. Many of us very different and perhaps not someone we would have ventured to get to know had we been in the comfort zone of home, yet always with one particular common thread: we were expatriates, away from family, friends, and home, searching for something familiar, someone with whom to discover the richness & mystery of the new culture and city. We could share the trials and tribulations of the loss of freedom our gender forced upon us in this exotic place and at the same time celebrate this new found gift - the gift of time.

Many of us had previously worked full-time while trying to raise our children in a society that required 2 incomes to support even a modest lifestyle, and this respite from careers afforded us the luxury of pursuing other interests, new hobbies, the ability to fully participate in our children’s lives, volunteering at school, performing community service, becoming advocates for worthy causes…and traveling. In between our stateside vacations, we would venture off on side trips to visit other wonders of the world - the pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal in India, Ephesus in Turkey and Hadrian’s Gate, the souks that were like a rabbit’s warren in Marrakesh…

Then circumstances would change and someone would move away, relocating somewhere else in the world. Now that these ‘golden’ friends and I are spread out all over the globe, I look forward to the phone calls and emails that help to close the distance and allow us to dream of the possibility of reuniting for our next adventure.

This moving story had the audience sniffling all the way through. Although the film condensed parts of the book, it remained true and contained the most poignant dialogue. The acting was superb and genuine, but I found the casting to be somewhat different from what I imagined. Nevertheless, it was an outstanding film and I didn’t feel the disappointment that usually occurs when a novel is transformed into a movie.

What did you think of the ‘Kite Runner?’