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September 30, 2008
happy anniversary to us
Hi friends and family - sorry I have been a bit absent from this blog lately. I have been busy with adjusting to work and helping Brian out with his Rainbow things and trying to get to bed on time and writing has slipped my mind, unfortunately.
But I wanted to let you know that today was our official one-year anniversary and we celebrated by going to the bank so I could open an account with my FIRST PAYCHECK YEAAAHHH and waiting at the bank until we nearly starved to death, then going to a Mongolian BBQ place up in Vancouver.
Mongolian BBQ is a make-your-own-meal kind of thing, where you start with a bowl and pack it full of thinly sliced frozen meats (chicken, pork, beef, lamb, turkey, fish, shrimp!!), raw veggies (broccoli, chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, onions, etc), and noodles, then add your own sauces and then they stir-fry it for you on a huge flat-top grill. If it sounds like some novelty restaurant you've been to before, that novelty restaurant most likely stole it from Mongolian BBQ.
Anyway, it was delicious and we had a lovely time. Now we are home and about to exchange gifts!!
I will leave you with a little story:
Date: September 30, 2007
Time: around 8:00pm
Place: sitting on the rocks at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Karel: So... did you really mean it when you told the tow truck guy that I was your girlfriend?
Brian: I don't know...
Karel: Do you want to mean it?
Brian: embarrassed Yes...
Karel: light-headed in disbelief Really?
Brian: I am very sure that I don't want to date anybody else at the moment.
Karel: blinks
Brian: So... will you be my girlfriend?
Karel: Yes, I would like that.
Brian: ....
Karel: What?
Brian: Well, aren't you going to ask me?
Karel: goofy voice Do you want to be my boyfriend?
Brian: No, ask it seriously!!
Karel: Oh. Do you want to be my boyfriend?
Brian: Ok.
And then we realized that we were 24 and 25, not 14 and 15. And then we went to Bubby's and had a huge meal of yummy comfort food and pie.
THE END!
posted by karel at 10:12 PM
September 25, 2008
sorry for the slightly bad news
So this morning at 7:30 I got a call from the lady last night who purchased the Rainbow.
I don't need to elaborate in any way so the short version is this. After work today I went over to their house and reclaimed the Rainbow, there is a 4 day cancellation period in which it can be given back. There is still an upside here, I am one more demonstration closer to having mine for free! There will be more and I am not upset about losing the sale right now because my current goal is to get mine for free, any sales in between are a bonus. I do however feel bad for the young ones since they will not have the clean home they deserve; I really wanted the couple to have the Rainbow for the kids!
It has been quite cloudy here the last couple days and unfortunately I haven't had good chances to take pictures of stuff. I do however have a video that I will put on youtube of Vaux's Swifts funneling into a huge chimney stack at a local school. They sleep there during their migration from Alaska every year for about a month. It was sweet! Karel will help me link it from here so there isn't a problem.
Now I am going to clean out my work van with my awesome Rainbow! there are some chip crumbs and dirt I want to get rid of! for now that is all.
-brian-
posted by brian at 5:52 PM
September 24, 2008
!!!
hello viewers.
Yesterday (Tuesday) I went across the street to my neighbors and asked if I could practice my demonstration with them. They were very accepting and said I could come by tonight (Wednesday) at 8. It is now 11:20 and I am home. Karel came with me for assistance and also to converse with our neighbors. They were so impressed with what the rainbow could do and what was left in their home by their old vacuum they knew it was for them. They have 2 children who are quite cute indeed.
So yes I made another sale! This makes 2 in a row and I am so excited as well as Karel. In my 8 hours of work between the 2 demonstrations (which is much longer than the 2 hours normal by experienced dealers) I have earned more money than I make in a normal 40 hour week with my HVAC job. I also stayed a lot cleaner and had way more fun doing it!
Karel has been fantastic at helping me with my demonstration and with how I should approach certain obstacles I may encounter. Above the rest my greatest one is how to handle objections. It is very difficult for me to stay sharp when the customer says "I really love it but......." I need to be able to answer in a way that shows I still want them to get a rainbow but that I really do care about them, and not just the sale, which is true because I do care about the people and I wouldn't feel comfortable by selling something they couldn't truly afford to own. Karel has also shown me ways to get my point across more effectively and in a better order than shown in the "script" which I don't like much anyway. I have used the script mostly to get an order and not the actual words because they're extremely robotic and cheesy.
Fortunately I have a company behind me that is quite flexible and giving in terms of financing. If options weren't available I couldn't have sold either so far and certainly would be the case for many others trying to sell.
So here is my concluding statement. Karel and myself are super happy I have this opportunity to earn lots of extra money in some spare time.My demonstration will only get better the more I do it. I personally have been worried about paying off my loan since now I have much more to pay for than I did before I moved out here. As long as I keep up with showing people and getting lots of references from them and working at this like I have so far I will have plenty to cover my expenses and debt and feel much more comfortable. Also a little statistical fact about Rainbow. Since 1936 when it began the selling average has always been 1 in 3 sales. So far I am 2 for 5! See you all later!
-brian-
posted by brian at 11:28 PM
September 22, 2008
i have a secret (to some people)
So now I feel good about telling everybody that I have been training to be a Rainbow dealer. Check out the Rainbow at rainbowsystem.com if you would like, or you could just ask me! I made my first sale so now I can say I am an official dealer.
I made my first sale Saturday night after spending 5 hours in the home. I got the referral from Karel. It was for a woman she shares a big office with at the school where she works. This sale was extra special. The woman told Karel to let me know they "weren't going to buy one" and Karel wanted to make sure I knew so that I wouldn't be disappointed if they really liked it but turned it down. Karel and I purchased ours after I swore repeatedly I wasn't going to buy anything the sales guy (Charles) was going to bring over. Now we are new friends! The point is we all weren't going to get one and after we saw just what it was and what it could do we knew it was necessary to own in order to have a truly clean home.
The husband loved it so much because they vacuumed their house 3 times that week before I arrived, thinking they got all the dirt and my rainbow wouldn't find any dirt left behind. They were amazed at the large volume of junk i effortlessly got out of their carpets and couches proving their Dyson was junk.
The part that won him over above the rest was how easily i removed a gross, and long set stain they had in one of their rooms. I asked the woman if they had any stains, she said "yes, but it's in the carpet and it's old." I replied with "so?". The rainbow is incredible! All that is needed is to pour cold water over the stain no matter how old, rub it out with the upholstery tool, and then suck up the remains. I left them a glowing white circle in their dirty carpet and both their jaws dropped.
The husband uses (ha ha used!) a bissel to shampoo his carpet every month and after i showed how useless his machine is and that the rainbow could do that and much more he wanted it, even though they both agreed to not buy one.
Selling the rainbow part time is going to be incredibly profitable! I start at a base minimum for each one I sell. If I bring in someone who then graduates from training and does their first demonstration i get a $100 raise per sale. I can also get a raise for 5 sales. So 5 sales or 1 graduate gets me a $100 raise per sale. I got someone to come in and he finished training last week so now after he completes his first demonstration of the rainbow, whether or not he sells one I get a $100 raise!
Also every rainbow he sells I get to profit off of too because he is directly below me. So the more people I get to come in and start showing rainbows, the more $ I can make more easily.
Whats great with getting referrals is that we get them from the customers we are already seeing so a bunch of annoying phone calls to strangers don't have to happen. We get the customer to call their friends and ask if we can do the demonstration. They never have to buy anything and get a free gift just for letting us do it. Also by helping us get into other peoples homes the customer who is giving all the referrals get free stuff too! It makes them so much more cooperative with getting us into other homes.
This is me with my first successful vacuum kill! also if the customer trades in their vacuum they get the carpet tool called the "power nozzle" normally $489 for free. the company ends up using the vacuums for training and then donates them to salvation army or similar.
I enjoy this because I own a rainbow and it's not a scam at all. This thing actually cleans better than anything on the market as far as vacuums but the rainbows isn't even classified as a vacuum because it uses a tub of water instead of a bag to filter the nasty stuff. The tub of water doesn't block up like bags do because water doesn't have holes to block up, therefore allowing the rainbow to always have 100% airflow. The machine really sells itself, I just need to refine my demonstration so that I can better show people they really need one, and they do! You reading this need one too if you actually want your house clean!
Ok I am going to bed now but feel free to comment, and I don't have a problem with answering any questions about this if you have them! bye
-brian-
posted by brian at 10:20 PM
September 16, 2008
oh yeah and
Christmas is overrated. Why someone has to pay upwards of $700-$800 just to see their family for FOUR DAYS is beyond my rational comprehension. And if you stay longer, you pay less? What happens to people who need to work?
New Hampshire folk - we're working on finding the cheapest flight possible so Brian can be with you around Christmas time, if not on Christmas Day. What a headache!!
posted by karel at 2:21 PM
September 15, 2008
we have a new pet and he is very patient
He waited all day on top of my computer to wait for me to come home so I could find him with this note:
It made me smile as I peeled off each layer of clothing after my sweaty afternoon bike ride home.
And now, a message from the other man in my life - the one without a beak:
Hello, I am Brian and this is my contribution.
I just got back inside from the outside with the telescope I got from my Grandpa. Thanks grandpa! I used it to look at the moon tonight (Monday) and it was fantastic.
It took up the entire field of view in the scope and I had Karel take a look at it.
She then said "It looks like a stone. What is the moon made of?" My response was "The moon is made of rock." And that was our educational experience for the day.
Here is the picture I took with my nifty camera!
happy moon viewing.
good day!
posted by karel at 11:06 PM
September 10, 2008
why my job is great
So, I have been here for about two weeks now, and am settling in all right. I have my own desk in the main office behind the secretary, and finally have my ID badge, keys, and school lanyard. I am very official. :)
Oh, and yesterday I cleaned out my desk and organized it and made it my very own. I even took a picture of my supply drawer with my phone for you all to see!
Isn't it lovely? I think so too.
Anyway, I won't lie - I've had a bit of a hard time adjusting to being new at yet another job, and learning the ropes around here. This is a very different environment from my last job as a corporate office chick, and it's hard to make friends because I'm stuck in an office all day while everyone else is teaching in their own classrooms. I've been taking lunch by myself, usually in the park next to the school, when I'm used to at least heading out with a friend to the local deli, or splurging at the diner when we had a lighter workload. Here, I'm on my own. I comfort myself with the idea that I can get back into reading by having lunch alone, so I think that much will be okay.
To clear up any confusion, I don't work directly with any children. My job is very much an administrative one, as I'm stationed in the office and my interaction with children is limited to bus duty in the mornings and afternoons, and when they come to the office with any concerns. I like it better this way - although I enjoyed teaching kids at SCORE! back in New Jersey, my ultimate goal is to have a broader reach by working with the bigger picture rather than being in the classrooms.
However, my favorite parts of each day are in fact those interactions with the children. For example, last week there was a little boy in the office who was wearing Spongebob Squarepants cologne. When I asked him if I could smell him, he promptly walked over to me and lifted his shirt so I could sniff his belly. The next day he came back and was ready to be sniffed again!
Just today, another little boy - one of my Kindergarteners - came in while I was alone in the office. "Excuse me," he said. "I accidentally peed in my pants."
"Oh!" I said. I'd observed the school nurse handling the same situation with another child last week and knew what to do. "Come with me." I went into the nurse's office and found a large pile of spare clothing kept for such instances, and rummaged around for a pair of sweatpants that would fit him.
"Are these other people's clothes?" he wanted to know.
"No, we keep these here if kids get their clothes dirty," I explained, impressed that he didn't seem at all embarrassed that he had peed himself on the third day of school.
I found a pair of red sweatpants, then hunted for a plastic bag for him to keep his dirty shorts in. Then I handed them to him and told him to change in the bathroom, put his shorts in the bag, and wash his hands. I turned the bathroom light on for him, then headed back to my desk. After a few minutes, I realized that he hadn't closed the door to the bathroom and was now changing in full view of anyone who might happen to walk into the office!!
The best part, though, was that he was talking and singing to himself as he changed. "Okay," he told himself, "now take off the pants and put them in the bag. Hm, hm hm!" he sang. "Now put the sweatpants on!"
After a few more minutes of him singing and me stifling giggles at my desk, he emerged. I reminded him to wash his hands, and then sent him on his way with his soiled shorts in a plastic bag.
In about fifteen minutes I get to go on afternoon bus duty - I'll be picking up two Kindergarteners from their classrooms. The highlight of my day! :)
posted by karel at 1:24 PM
September 07, 2008
Sorry, I easily forget
I apologize to everyone who has been checking daily for another post by me and found nothing. This is still new to me and I easily forget things that I haven't made a habit of. At least I remembered on my own this time and didn't need to be told which is an accomplishment.
I had a nice weekend out in the great sunny skies. Karel and myself went on a bike ride Saturday afternoon and it was nice. We ended up riding a bike path that follows Interstate 205 and eventually ends up at the Columbia River. Although we didn't make it to the river this time because of the distance we still enjoyed ourselves riding. Karel has made great improvement in her biking ability and confidence in a short time. All should be proud of her.
Today (Sunday) I made another trip out to Post Canyon in Hood River which is about 55 miles away and about 1 hour drive time. I went with a new friend I met recently in Mt. Tabor park which is a few minutes north of our house. We had an incredible time riding there and we got an extensive workout. It took us 2 whole hours riding uphill to the point where we were able to connect with a different trail that lead back to my truck. The ride down took about an hour and a half! There was a LOT of riding and I'm happy!
I get Monday off because the guy (Mike) I am riding with at work has a usual shift of Tuesday - Saturday and I'll have nothing to do tomorrow. I will have to be busy so that I don't waste the extra day off I have.
Unfortunately I haven't had any recent success with getting photos of any new birds but I have seen a couple. They were too quick and shy to come out for me and let me get a picture. Oh well, I need to dedicate a whole day on the weekend for that and hopefully come up with some nice shots.
Enough for now, I am tired and sleep is needed to rest my exhausted legs. I will try harder to comment here more often than once a week, I promise.
-brian-
posted by brian at 11:18 PM
September 04, 2008
another poll
Some of you may have received this in an email but I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw it up here as well...
I'm having trouble deciding on a name for my up and coming jewelry business. Will you vote on a name? :)
1. Lavender Tree Design
2. Wild Orchid Design
3. Starfruit Design
Here are a couple pictures of my jewelry so you can look at the style and feel.
Now go ahead and vote!!
posted by karel at 2:33 PM
September 02, 2008
our BIG weekend!
Okay, so... the fair was amazing. I've never been to a state fair and I was prepared for all sorts of campy over-the-top-ness, but I still could not have possibly expected the amount of fun and craziness (and food prices! Ugh) we saw. Here is a Picasa slideshow, provided it works:
A note about the hypnotist: we saw the show Saturday night, and I encouraged Brian to volunteer but he was hesitant and wanted to watch the show first. It was hilarious - at one point he gathered all the onstage men and had them behave as if they were pregnant, giving birth, and nursing. It was ridiculous! He also had a group of guys 'perform' as *NSYNC, as well as the Lady Marmalade women from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. You can imagine how much I'd wished Brian had gone onstage!!
The next day Brian decided that he would give it a whirl, and as you can see from the photos he did make it onstage and past the first round (some people just don't relax enough for the show and are sent back to their seats), but soon after that it was clear that he wasn't fully hypnotized and was asked to leave the stage as well. Oh well. Maybe next time!
Some FYI: I've been hypnotized onstage before, roughly 8 years ago during freshman orientation in college. It's probably somewhat different from therapeutic hypnosis, but at no point are you completely unaware of what you're doing. The point is to get you so relaxed and compliant that you don't care how big of a fool you are making of yourself, and you'll let the hypnotist guide your actions because you've relented control of your inhibitions and your mind is loose and pliable. My guess as to why Brian didn't go completely hypnotized is because - you guessed it! - he is unfailingly stubborn and will not let anyone control him no matter what or who they are. He may beg to differ but I know the truth!! Haha.
Our Labor Day was quite nice as well; we slept in and did some housework, then headed out to a nearby nature park to pick blackberries. Oh, they are prickly! I didn't realize how thorny they were, but we came out with two and a half pickle jars (thanks Wendy! hehe) full of blackberries and many little red scratches on our arms and legs from the thorns. It was a great time, though, and very rewarding as last night I baked about a third of them into a pie:
And tonight I made a blackberry glaze to pour over some pan-seared pork chops:
Yummy! They were both extremely delicious.
Well, I've written enough here, I think. Tomorrow is the first day of school! I haven't written about work yet, but that will come later after I've had time to digest it all. Hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend!
(P.S. A year ago tonight was the fateful night that Brian's friend Dennis shoved him into me on the dance floor at Keith and Theresa's wedding. I think we should have a dance in honor of that. You think he'll let me? Hahaha...)
posted by karel at 10:14 PM
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