Allocation of Time

It has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged. Have I been too busy? Has business at Star Treatment been on fire? Am I recovering from a summer cold? Have I been out of town? No, no, no…I just have not allocated the time to blog.

The Week

Michael Phelps just won his eighth Gold Metal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. (As of today, he is listed 141,000,000 times on Google, and it is rumored he eats 12,000 calories a day) This week’s revelation…Julia Child, the French Chef, was a spy for the OSS during WWII. In case you are too young to remember Julia, a movie about her life will be on the big screen soon. The Russians have invaded the Republic of Georgia, saying they are leaving, but they have not…Condi Rice is in France reprimanding the invasion. Tropic Thunder is in movie theatres and I plan to ignore Timothy P. Shriver, Special Olympics, chairman’s call for a boycott by seeing the movie. 

Laguna

Wednesday I spent an afternoon and evening visiting with friends in Laguna Beach, it was perfect. Living in Southern California can be a joy.

More Solios

This week Star Treatment delivered more Solios and more noise canceling headphones. These are two great gifts that our clients are enjoying giving.

This is an Endorsement

Where are they? Every time I turned on the water in the garden, ants used the hose as a super highway to reach my hands, arms and back, battalions marched to the rim of the Jacuzzi for refuse when there was water nearby; daily, my daughter Marnie had unwelcome guests on her kitchen counter. My friend who sells Avon told me an amazing story about Skin So Soft getting rid of ants. I bought four bottles, one for myself and gave the others to people that were having ant issues. Two weeks ago I used a drop of Avon’s Skin So Soft on the hose and on the Jacuzzi rim. Marnie wiped her counter with a little bit. The ants are M.I.A.! Not dead, just somewhere else. It’s a miracle! We all know to pack Skin So Soft when traveling to the tropics or at home when the mosquitoes are biting. But…it appears ants are repelled by the sweet fragrance and disappear instantly (and so far have not returned). It is non toxic, inexpensive and EFFECTIVE. I’ll post Sue, my Avon lady’s, phone number next week.

He Loves Us

Jack, one of the couriers we use, loves us because we are good customers…but there are times when delivering for Star Treatment is hard work. Last year Jack delivered eighteen large, heavy wooden toy chests filled with toys, electronics and more to the Step Brothers production office. First, getting them in a vehicle was a task, once there, they were heavy to carry, and then he had to come back to our office and do it over again a few more times.

UPS – FEDEX – DHL…

Many films are shot out of the country, arranging to get twenty or thirty large packages delivered on a certain day is usually accomplished with ease. But there are exceptions…1999, The Mummy – start of production – Morocco. As I recall we sent great gifts, including, linen shirts, Tilley hats, a Rand McNally book about Moroccan customs and Kiehl’s products. The Moroccan government took possession of the gifts and refused to release them. We found somebody who knew somebody in the government and they finally consented to releasing the gifts. There are a few countries that make shipping a nightmare.

Good-Bye Beth

I saw Beth last summer, she looked great.  She arrived at our friend Erika’s house in San Francisco for lunch with the “Entre Nous” (our high school club). Because of health problems Beth missed a lot of our infrequent get togethers. Years ago, she had a heart transplant and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. She fought a very long really hard battle…she died on the 23^rd of July. She’ll be missed.

An observation

There was an article in the July 20 Los Angeles Times Business section about a 58 year old divorcee “taking control” of her finances. She currently has approximately $422,000 in savings, $96,000 in yearly income, and a $92,000 mortgage on a home valued at $400,000 and she is pinching pennies riding Metro Link to save gas money so she can think about retiring at seventy. She currently has liquid assets in saving and CD’s at the prevailing low rate of 3%. The advice given and taken according to the article; get out of her cash position and invest to earn “bigger gains”. The recommendation is; 40% in large stocks, 30% in small US company stocks and the remainder in money market funds and bonds. The idea of diversification is not new, yet paying attention to the current drop and instability of the stock market makes one wonder how sound is this advice? Whatever I have invested in the market is down and had I gone for the “safe” money market option I would have more money today than I have. …And does every unfortunate 58 year old have these financial woes and need to be concerned that they will make it through retirement? Just an observation.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Star Treatment has delivered gifts to and from The Tonight Show for years. While online, today I saw: a Yahoo! TV article - titled “NBC Sets Jay Leno’s Endgame.”
With a snippy first line…”Whether he likes it or or not, Jay Leno’s got a date for his final Tonight: May 29, 2009.” Thanks for the memories Jay. Jay Leno’s, Conan O’Brian’s and Jimmy Fallon’s Time Horizon seems to be set in stone unlike George W’s Time Horizon in Iraq. “Time Horizon”… another gem from the White House!

Burberry for the Holidays

Our Burberry rep was in from New York last week and brought wonderful samples that we will photograph and put on our web-site. The Burberry line is classic, stylish and oh yes, expensive. As Bonnie was showing the bags, umbrellas and cashmere scarves, I was putting together my personal Christmas list.

The Devil’s Hand

Forget celery stalks, Charles Triple Chocolate Hazelnuts are a perfect companion in the late afternoon. Read the label (not the calories) you are enjoying hazelnuts, 65% bittersweet chocolate, pure cane sugar, cacao beans and cacao butter… ingredients we can relate to, not fructose, sucrose and glucose. If you are looking for a sweet gourmet high…call Star Treatment.

Click comment to comment.

Happy Birthday!

Cancer (The Crab) June 22 – July 22 are sensitive, mysterious, nurturing, loving and sometimes crabby. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_%28astrology%29 for more detail. My daughter, Marnie was born on the 4^th, my son’s wife, Olivia on the 5^th… and our border collie, Mickey turned 14 on the 1^st. 

More Birthdays

To Nashville, Nice and back to Los Angeles - baby Sunday Rose, Knox Leon, Vivienne Marcheline and Levi Alves received Star Treatment baby gifts this week.

Another Solio Order

Of late, the hybrid solar charger is the gift of choice. Honorable mention for the Solio because; a full Solio H1000 will charge a typical mobile phone once or give 10 hours of MP3 music – Plug into the Sun and charge Solio through its solar panel – it’s free, easy and green. Just one hour of sunshine = 15 minutes talk time or 40 minutes MP3 music.

John Hancock

On June 29, 2007 Star Treatment delivered gifts for the first day of production of John Hancock, originally titled Tonight He Comes. Everyone on the gift list got a pair of Nike shoes, a Sony camcorder and Samsonite luggage. This is a very funny movie shot in Los Angeles; go to www.sonypictures.com/movies/hancock .

‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

Not My Genre, but the Critics give it Kudos.

As I did not love Pan’s Labyrinth, it makes sense this would not be my favorite film, though I must admit the visuals and action sequences are exceptional. In addition, Red, though not the typical movie hero does have a nice toothy smile.

Go to the Movies

Anything is better than keeping track of Fanny and Freddy. There is so much misinformation coming from the government, it’s reminiscent of trying to get a straight story from a teenager who is creatively inventing a tale to avoid accountability. Not knowing what to believe, which banking institution is solvent, or maybe not… is nerve racking! When millions of dollars are being withdrawn from leading institutions and taken home for peace of mind how much peace of mind do we really have?

We Are Going to be OK!

Let’s be positive… yes we are!

.

Oh to be young again…

forget about looking younger and feeling healthier.

I would be a troubleshooter and never need to ask for help when…

Trying to get the cable channels - I am paying for! - to appear on the TiVo channel line-up… Filling in an Excel spreadsheet… I cannot get on-line at home…The new DVD player I just bought will not work with any television in my house…The Canon Zoom Browser I installed today made my office computer come to a grinding halt…

This Blue Tooth car phone thing is my project for the evening.

As one gets older, time gets shorter and who wants to waste valuable time fooling around trying to understand how gadgets work and installing new devices? Not me! I want to think about the positive…the Law of Attraction.

$1000 A-Barrel Crude

However, today as I am sitting at my desk grumbling I get a fax from a friend. A Friend? In my compromised state of mind (Tivo, computer, DVD all in one day) I hardly need to read an article by Stanley Bing in the June 23, 2008 edition of Fortune about $1000-A-Barrel Crude. While this is a satirical piece, there are too many truths to bring a smile to my face. We currently live with the prospect that oil could cost $200 a barrel, why not $1000 a barrel. This article has a strong closing message. What are we doing to insure our future? Check out more of Stanley’s Bingstuff on his website www.stanleybing.com.

Have a great weekend!

Law of Attraction

When I come in at night, I join my husband, Anderson Cooper and Larry King for dinner. When Anderson and Larry start becoming repetitive I move on. Everything else on TV I view through my TiVo Season Pass. Most times I catch up on Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert while I ride my recumbent bike. Oprah is recorded daily, but I only watch when the show description peaks my interest. On my last biking journey Oprah’s show was about the Law of Attraction. I loved the show, because it reminded me that putting positive thoughts and energy out into the Universe is the way to live one’s life.It is not a new concept, but one that can easily be misplaced when dealing with day to day life.

Oprah had three Life Coaches on the show: Louis Hay, You Can Heal Your Life, Martha Beck, giving advice on de-stressing life, Cheryl Richardson, Stand Up for Your Life. All of the women spoke about using Vision Boards as a life changing tool. I am going to look into it. www.visionboardsite.com and www.christinekane.com/blog/how-to-make-a-vision-board/ are two sites that seem to offer the most information. Will positive thought improve life? Will eating Oatmeal lower cholesterol? Who knows, but it can’t hurt.

That Being Said

The economy is not bad, it’s getting better. SAG will negotiate a new contract and will not go on strike. All of the businesses in Los Angeles (including gift services) will see an improvement in business. George W. will only be in office for a few more months.

Happy 4^th of July

Enjoy the holiday and think positive thoughts for you, your family and the world.

Good Advice

Do not read the newspaper, watch the news, listen to the radio, check stock portfolios, inquire about the current value of your home or plan on living off interest payments…instead pack a suitcase and head to Las Vegas. The hotels, casinos, theatres, restaurants and streets of Vegas are teaming with people spending money. Sin City, as it’s called doesn’t seem to have a clue that the economy is tanking. On the Strip, buildings are being imploded to make way for the new, palm trees are perfectly manicured and traffic is bumper to bumper. While in Vegas morph into a state of bliss, it can’t be that bad out in the real world…enjoy.

Back to Work

I just spent three amazing days in Las Vegas with a group of journalists being entertained by the Las Vegas Tourist Board. We visited with chefs, dined at the best restaurants, visited a gold mine, pet dolphins, enjoyed the panoramaic view from the top of the Rio hotel, danced at Jet, bowled at Lucky Strike, saw Mystere, attended a concert at Hard Rock, interviewed a fighter, swam at Wet Republic and now…I’m back at my desk…exhausted.

It’s all How You See It

A client who works at one of the major networks just emailed me that she has to get gifts for 4 shows…Ugh. She says ugh and I’m thinking Yea! Business!

Delicious

One of our Italian food vendors, Bella Cucina just emailed us a Press Release. We regularly carry their crackers, Tapinade and cookies, but they are introducing a few new products that sound yummy…Mint & Pistachio Pesto, Artichoke Spinach Bruschetta Spread and Pomodoro Pizza Sauce and Pizza and Foccacia dough mix.

Click on comments to comment

More Junk

When I open Word Press dashboard, either to write or edit my blog I also have the option of deleting, editing or posting the comments that have come to the blog. I delete all the ones that are spam…and there are a lot of them. Daily, do we spend too much of our time sifting through junk emails and answering calls from unsolicited sources? I’m afraid so…and now I’ve added disposal of junk blog comments.

It’s Green

The 70 Solio Hybrid chargers that we ordered arrived today and have been sent off to our printer. The Solio is cool…they say, “plug into the Sun and charge Solio through its solar panel.” It can be used to charge all the essential electronic gadgets we rely on in our travels.

Seems Like a Nice Guy

We have a warehouse filled with messenger bags that are being gift wrapped and will be sent to Warner Bros. on Wednesday. We have a client who always sees to it that cast and crew are shown they are appreciated with a wrap gift.

A Sign of the Times

Two fruit baskets, one flower arrangement, three baby baskets and a couple of gourmet baskets were the only other projects for the day. It’s hard to imagine our Christmas season is just around the corner.

Too Hot

To my regret, my weekend walks have been put on hold… it’s too hot… and I’m not ambitious enough to get out before the morning sun. My son Mitch and his wife Liv are much more dedicated and continue on their walks. I’ll join them in the fall.

Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day… a day late. Men are so laid back… they will appreciate the sentiment whenever they receive it. Yesterday my husband didn’t receive a gift, but was told there would be gifts coming…I doubt it. You don’t tell mom she’ll get something soon, you come with gift in hand. It’s not that we are hard to please, we just know our value. Give dad a hug and he feels like a king.

A Very Large Box

We sent a baby gift to Australia, not a little one that could fit into a small box and would not cost a fortune to ship, but rather a really large gift in a humongous box which would cost a small fortune to deliver. This gift being sent to a charmed little boy was packed in a little rocking chair that would suit his fancy when he’s a little older. We passed up our FedEx and UPS pickup and took the box to the USPS to save our client a lot of money.

Less Than Twenty Dollars

Last week I wanted to send Norma Taylor from the Jamaican Tourist Board copies of a newspaper with the article about Jamaica and a big bag of Coaches Oats as a thank you for being such a gracious hostess. The FedEx charge of over a hundred dollars seemed absurd for a bag of Oatmeal while the post office did it for less than twenty dollars.

USPS as an Option

We are so used to the convenience and acceptability UPS and FedEx affords us, we rarely think about heading to the post office to send packages. Normally it doesn’t make sense, but when shipping a single package to the Caribbean or Asia the savings are considerable and should be considered.

Saving Money

Not sending things at the last minute can save a lot of money.

Overnight delivery service by FedEx or UPS is an amazing service that we take for granted, and one we should expect to pay dearly for considering the logistics; pickup in L.A. by 5 pm deliver in Manhattan by 8:30 am. Fantastic when there are no other options.

Click on comment to comment

Jamaica

I recently had the opportunity to visit Jamaica; traveling with a representative of the Jamaican Tourist Board and a handful of U.S. press. We were invited to see some of the world class hotels and inns that dot the island, enjoy the food, get a feel for the country and write articles about the trip for various newspapers and magazines. Jamaica rocks…beautiful beaches, killer jerk chicken, unique boutique hotels and a host of activities, including the usual suspects: golf, tennis, plus all of the water sports…kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, boating, and swimming in friendly waters protected by the reef that surrounds the island. If you like the ambiance of an island in warm tropical waters, Jamaica is a perfect vacation destination. In particular I liked the absence of high rise building stacked together as they are in Miami, Honolulu and Cancun. Round Hill, Half Moon, Rockhouse, and Jake’s are a few of the jewels to be found on the island. www.roundhillhotel.com , www.halfmoon.com , www.rockhousehotel.com , www.jakeshotel.com . Check out these sites, than plan a trip.

Inner Peace

Just before I left for Jamaica I drove 50 miles to Lakewood to pick up 17 indoor bonsai trees for a client. The miniature tree and a collection of meditation CD’s were the gifts that were given for the start of a new film. I regret that I didn’t pick up a few extra bonsai’s, they were quite lovely. The tranquility of selecting bonsai trees in Lakewood was marred by a ticket an officer gave me while I pulled over to the curb to call a client. I didn’t see the street cleaning signs. Sweet officer, but he had already started to write, so I got the ticket.

A Few Projects

Friday we are sending 200 messenger bags out to be embroidered. The bags are going to be given to cast and crew of a film that will be wrapping in early June. Barefoot Dreams robes for another film are being gift wrapped for Monday delivery. Tomorrow morning one of the studios will be sending over nine flat screen televisions that need to be gift wrapped and picked up in the afternoon.

June Gifts

Don’t forget dads, grads and weddings. If  wedding favors or gifts for the bridesmaids or groomsmen are needed…Star Treatment would love to help.

Click on comment to comment, thanks…