Author Archives: rachelauthorbarnard

Socializing Sundays: Little Gifts To Show You Care

by in Dating, Socializing Sundays
Flowers, Chocolates, and Teddy Bears
 
These three items have been a standard in stereotypical gifts for a loved one to show that you care. How is it exactly that there is a ‘standard’ for the one unique person you care about? Surely all recipients are not the same? 
 
As a gift giver you need to show that you care about the person and not the consumer holiday. What does the person like (and it could very well be flowers, chocolates, and teddy bears) and how can you show them that you care about them in particular? 
 

I like chocolates but I despise boxed fancy chocolates because I am finicky about what I like and they always contain flavors I do not like. My chocolate favorites include confections like kit kats, twix, and haagen daz ice cream. 

 

 
I do not even like flowers, unless they are edible. If you are going to give me a living (once living) plant then it very well be edible. I have yet to receive any but I would most appreciate a tomato plant or a bouquet of tomatoes than a bouquet of something ‘pretty.’ 
 
 
 
 

I used to like teddy bears but I do not appreciate them any longer, now that I’m an adult. I think – gasp – they are useless and a waste of space. If I wanted a waste of space I would get a trophy. 

 
 
 
 
Great gift ideas come from knowing the other person more intimately, knowing what would surprise and please them. Don’t be generic, because the thanks you get will also be generic. Be original because your gift recipient is unique. 

Foodie Fridays: Case Study of Paprika

by in Foodie Fridays

Brown rice, fish, green beans, dill, black pepper, paprika

To me herbs have kind of been a mystery. I grew up with the standard basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, dill, and black pepper. Of all the many others I am not familiar. It is time I learned about them. Starting with paprika. Paprika is a wonderful herb because it is a bright and distinctive powdery red. It tasted decent on my fish. It comes in many varieties since it is made by crushing dried peppers. To my understanding it is high in Vitamin C. To note it is a wonderful word to pronounce. 

Author Thursdays: Email Signoff

by in Author Thursdays

In the book Get Known Before the Book Deal by Kristina Katz details many little tidbits to follow to get known before the book deal. One such suggestions is to include a signature in your email. Katz points out that the average person sends out many many emails and by including a little tidbit (as an author, about your new book, about your blog, etc) you can garner more attention for yourself or your writings. She suggests changing up this signature every couple of months to re-bolster attention.

Email signature should contain:
-name
-contact
-tagline
-link to blog/website/web presence
-what you want the reader to do… (follow your blog, check out something, etc)


Sample signature, i.e. mine:

Rachel Barnard

Author, Poet & Dreamer

rachel-barnard.com

T: 425-273-1195

Putting the moonwalk in my resume since 2012

Ever wanted someone to write about how awesome you are? How you are so cool you can lick your own elbow? How, when you were five you could recite the alphabet backwards while standing on one foot? The 100th follower on my blog, rachel-barnard.blogspot.com will get a special blog post dedicated to them as well as a signed copy of the novel Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams.

Miscellaneous Mondays: Privacy is a Privilege

by in Miscellaneous Mondays and tagged
Is Privacy our Right or Our Privilege?
 
 
I do not have the privilege of keeping my personal information private. Granted, I gave away some of that information willingly when I joined the internet social media phenomenon. However, nowadays I am not privileged to make those choices. Did I join facebook and provide email address and personal information to the site? Do I provide personal information to other users on my page? Yes. Nowadays, however, I do not have a choice. How can this be, you ask? Simple. 
 
Scenario:
 
Girl walks into a bar. 
 
“Are you hiring?” The girl asks.
 
“Of course. If you go online to our website and click on the employment tab you will find the link to our application process and once you fill that out and send it in, our hiring manager will review it.” The employee responds.
 
“Can I give you a resume now? Can I speak to the manager in person?” The girl asks.
 
“Um. No. You can only fill it out online. That’s the way the process works.” The employee answers.
 
“Okay. Thank you.” The girl responds.
 
 
Okay, so this may not happen at a bar, per se, but it does and did happen to me quite a few times. Doesn’t it show how industrious I am that I WALK INTO THE ESTABLISHMENT to apply? I mean, wouldn’t you weed out some applicants if you simply had a policy that each and every applicant had to walk in the door to apply? I blame regulation….
 
So, back to my privacy issue. I go online to fill out the application  Short of my social security number (and some applications want even that for “background checks” I am giving out any and all information regarding who I am, who I was, and who I will be. Information on the internet is always there somewhere. They may claim that my privacy is retained and that they won’t use this information in any other way except in the application process but there is still the possibility of information leaks… Never heard of them? Yeah, that’s what I thought. 
 
Identity theft is an issue but I’m not privileged enough to be able to guard my personal information like I guard my valuables. 
 
Not only are there the direct website job applications that ask – and require- personal information but also websites such as Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Linkedin.com etc that you WILLINGLY and PUBLICLY proclaim certain personal information tidbits. Who’s invisible now? 
 
But it’s all worth it, right? To get that job? Figure me this, I have applied to hundreds of jobs (mostly online) and some in person. My information is floating all over the internet like plastic in the ocean. No matter how much I try to clean it up, the ocean is so vast and the particles so small it is an impossible task. The plastic is there FOREVER! What do I have to show for all this eternal lack of privacy? I have several lengthy excel sheets detailing all my efforts trying to find a job. I’ll tell you what I don’t have: a job.