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Comment by Phoebe Macon on June 23, 2010 at 2:41am

Photos of the Home of the Week | In West L.A. (The four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bathroom house at 3044 Greenfield Ave. is listed at $1,895,000).

Rebuilt
(Ralf Seeburger)

The Westside home, formerly a single-level tract house, was transformed into a two-story with a focus on energy efficiency, natural light and recycled and experimental materials.

Eco-conscious
(Vladan Elakovic)

Chemicals, paint, carpet, tiles and air conditioning were shunned during the extensive remodel.

Kitchen
(Vladan Elakovic)

The cabinets and chair backs are clad with recycled tires.

Blue staircase
(Vladan Elakovic)

The stairs are made of flat steel supports covered in rubber dip, a material used to make tool handles.

Master bathroom
(Vladan Elakovic)

The double-headed shower is completely open, the water pouring directly onto a heated concrete floor covered in wood slats.

Roof
(Ralf Seeburger)

Glass double doors open to a covered roof terrace for taking in city views or outdoor sleeping.

Geometric
(Vladan Elakovic)

Concrete outer walls are made in part with recycled material.

Comment by Phoebe Macon on June 23, 2010 at 1:00am

10 Most Common Home Decorating Don'ts

By Kimberly Fusaro

Sure, your rooms look OK at first glance: You finally got rid of that lumpy sofa and own a set of kitchen chairs that don’t fold up. But what would an interior decorator have to say about the state of your home? If you suspect your attempts at “mix and match” just look messy or your furniture arrangements are a little too fussy, read on to see if you’re committing our experts’ top decorating faux pas—and learn what you can do to fix them.


Faux Pas #1: Ignoring Scale

Every piece of furniture looks great in the store—but chances are your rooms aren’t showroom size. “Measure your space and decorate accordingly,” suggests Kenneth Brown, a Los Angeles–based interior designer who sells home decor pieces through QVC. For smaller rooms, ignore your instinct to use a series of diminutive pieces; fewer large-scale pieces will make it seem less busy. On a similar note, consider filling a wall with a single large painting, rather than a group of smaller frames. “It will act as an additional window and draw the eye beyond the room,” says Brown.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Faux Pas #2: Relying on Recessed Lighting

“I’m so tired of recessed lighting,” says Brown. “It makes a room look like a football field.” If you have recessed lights, use them, but layer your lighting by incorporating additional lighting features. Consider table lamps and floor lamps, and highlight artwork with picture lights. “Your room—and everyone in it—will look beautiful,” says Brown.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Faux Pas #3: Buying the Entire Matching Set

Just because a store showcases a sofa, loveseat, chair, table and ottoman as a set doesn’t mean you have to buy every piece. The first piece Brown recommends leaving behind? The loveseat. In its place choose two chairs, which will allow you to mix and match colors and patterns. Another way to mix things up: Choose a traditional sofa in an unexpected, modern color.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Faux Pas #4: Picking Paint Colors in the Store

“Stores have terrible lighting,” warns Brown. If you choose a color based on what you see in the store, chances are you’ll hate what winds up on your walls. Before you have an employee mix a few gallons of paint, first consider the colors in natural light, and then again in your home. For the best perspective, Brown suggests poking a hole in a piece of white paper, holding the paint swatch behind it, then looking at the color through the hole. This will give you an unadulterated view of the color.

Photo by Comstock Images.

Faux Pas #5: Letting an Accent Overtake a Room

Too much of one thing, like an animal print, can look overdone. “You don’t want to live in a theme park,” says Brown. It’s fine to introduce an accent piece—a few pillows, a throw or this animal print bench. Just remember that a little bit of pizzazz goes a long way.

Photo courtesy of QVC.com.

Faux Pas #6: Having Knickknacks Scattered Around

“Nothing’s worse than a bunch of tchotchkes placed randomly around a room,” says Susie Coelho, HGTV host, author and designer for Grandin Road. The most frequent offenders: angel statues, children’s pottery and mismatched candlesticks. Edit your collection as much as possible—consider showcasing just a few pieces and rotating the display seasonally—then put everything in a curio cabinet or on a corner table. By grouping like items, you make insubstantial pieces more significant.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Faux Pas #7: Displaying Greenery in Itty-Bitty Pots

"Plants should make a statement,” says Coelho. “Otherwise they should be left outdoors!” Yes, small planters were en vogue in the ’70s, but that decade has passed. The modern way to do it is to use one large tree in a pot. A series of small indoor plants is just going to make your space seem cluttered—and dated.

Photo by iStockphoto.

Faux Pas #8: Getting Overzealous with Wall Color

Walls covered in too many colors are distracting and create visual tension. “You want your guests to feel stimulated, but you also want them to feel relaxed, says Coelho. A yellow room followed by a turquoise room followed by an orange room looks tacky and badly planned. To ensure a soothing flow from room to room, focus on a subtle variety of colors or tones, such as coordinating shades of green or earth tones.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Faux Pas #9: Not Knowing When to Quit

People are inclined to add more furniture and more artwork and more stuff until they can’t move around in a room without knocking over a decorative table. “You may have some stunning pieces,” says Coelho. “But who can tell when they’re surrounded by average ones?” The current trend is toward simplicity. To make a statement, clear out clutter and let your rooms breathe.

Photo by Jupiterimages.

Faux Pas #10: Selecting Busy Textiles

When you’re choosing window coverings, tablecloths and upholstery fabrics, steer clear of anything with heavy gathering, ruffles or too much fringe. “Cleaner lines are better,” says Coelho, “and they’ll collect less dust.” If you favor prints, keep them subtle so you can switch things up periodically. If you opt for a loud print, you’re forced to use that piece as the room’s focus until you get rid of it.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Comment by Phoebe Macon on June 22, 2010 at 11:20pm

Khloe Kardashian's Extravagant Victory Gift to Husband Lamar Odom

Photo of Lamar Odom and his Wife Khloe Kardashian-Odom in his "NEW ROLLS ROYCE: Phantom"




Photo of a 2010 "ROLLS ROYCE: Phantom"




Helping his team win the NBA championship title should be a gift in and of itself for Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom, but his wife must have thought the big win needed more celebration than a ticker tape parade.

E! News reports that Khloe Kardashian, Lamar's wife of nearly nine months, bought him a Rolls-Royce.

The car is said to retail at $443,000, and Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner, calling it "fabulous," told E! News a few details about the gift.

"It's a brand-new 2010 Rolls-Royce," Jenner said. "Drop-top coupe, white on white."

Jenner was most likely describing the 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, which Car and Driver magazine calls "pretty much everything you'd expect from a convertible that costs half a million dollars."

The review of the Rolls, written by satirist and pundit, P.J. O'Rourke, also referred to the car as "faster than the stink of how rich you'd have to get to buy one."

Some of the Phantom's features are classic: a teak wood deck ("the same kind of wood used in a really nice yacht," Car and Driver notes); a Rolls-Royce logo that remains upright on the wheel-heads even when they're in motion. But some are downright futuristic, like doors that close with the push of a button. It even has a mechanism to keep its iconic hood ornament safe: If someone messes with it, it drops into the car, and there's even a button on the dashboard that the owner can push to make the ornament disappear into the hood.

And for those who were speculating that Khloe bought the fancy ride with her hubby's money, Mrs. Odom has some choice words:

"People r so pathetic," Kardashian Tweeted after news of the purchase spread through the chatter-sphere. "Y would I give some1 a gift w/ their money? That's lame. I actually make my own money. Shocking I know. Stop hating!"

The couple seems to be wasting no time breaking in the new car: Khloe and Lamar were spotted rolling up to a fancy Father's Day dinner for Bruce Jenner at BOA in West Hollywood for Father's Day. Perhaps they're getting in as much joy-riding time as possible before traveling south -- the couple are reportedly going to Mexico soon for a much-deserved (at least for Lamar) vacation.

Comment by Edmund Stevens on June 21, 2010 at 3:18am

Thanks,
Very good articles Phoebe!
Love, Ed

Comment by Phoebe Macon on June 21, 2010 at 1:07am

21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew

by Alison Green
Saturday, June 19, 2010
provided by U.S. News and World Report

01-We actually want you to be honest.

I see too many job applicants who approach the interview as if their only goal is to win a job offer, losing sight of the fact that this can land them in the wrong job. Think of it like dating. This means being honest about your strengths and weaknesses and giving the hiring manager a glimpse of the real you, so he or she can make an informed decision about how well you'd do in the job.

02-We pay attention to the small stuff.

Frequently, I see candidates act as if only “official” contacts—like interviews and formal writing samples—count during the hiring process. They'll send flawless cover letters and then check up on their applications with sloppily written E-mails with spelling errors. Or they'll be charming and polite to me but rude to an assistant. I pay attention to how quickly a candidate responds to requests for writing samples and references, and even how fast he or she returns phone calls.

03-We want you to ask questions.

I encounter many candidates who don't have many—or even any—questions when I ask what I can answer for them. Your interviewer wants to know that you're interested in the details of the job, the department, your prospective supervisor's management style, and the culture of the organization. Otherwise, you risk signaling that you're either not that interested or just haven't thought very much about it.

04-We'd like a thank-you note right away.

E-mail is fine for this and has the advantage of arriving faster, but handwritten notes are still appreciated (and are increasingly unusual so will stand out). And if there are multiple interviews, send a thank-you note each time.

05-We're hoping for some enthusiasm.

Commonly, job seekers are too worried about looking desperate. It doesn't look desperate to express your interest in the job or check in to ask about the hiring timeline. However, enthusiasm does cross the line if you are calling more than once a week, calling earlier than the date they said they'd get back to you, sounding like you're eager to take any job as opposed to this one in particular, or appearing as if this is the only option you have.

06-We need to know your real weaknesses.

Claiming that your biggest weakness is perfectionism and you work too hard is disingenuous. It looks like you're avoiding the question. Candidates who can't or won't come up with a realistic assessment of areas where they could improve make me think they're lacking in insight and self-awareness—or, at a minimum, just making it impossible to have a real discussion of their potential fitness for the job. I want to know about your weaknesses not because I'm trying to trip you up, but because I genuinely care about making sure you're a good fit for the job.

07-You should address being overqualified in your cover letter.

If you don't acknowledge it, we're afraid that you'll be bored, that you don't understand the position, that the salary will be too low for you. We need to hear things like: “At this stage in my career, having a job I enjoy is more important to me than salary. I have no problem earning less than I have in the past.” Or, “I want to move into this field, and I know that I need to start at a lower level in order to do that.” Or, “I wouldn't take a job I'm not excited about.”

08-Your resume objective usually hurts you.

Your resume gets tossed when it lists an objective totally unrelated to the position I have open. Really, just get rid of the objective altogether. It rarely helps, often hurts, and always takes up valuable real estate that could be better used to showcase your accomplishments. If you want to talk about your career objective and how this position fits it, use the cover letter for that.

09-The phone interview is not a casual chat.

While the interviewer wants to get a sense of your personality, a phone interview is still an interview, not an informal phone call with a friend. Don't sound stiff, but don't use the same tone you'd use to talk about your date last night. I've phone-interviewed candidates who I'm pretty sure were lounging on the couch, watching the game with the sound down, and snacking while we talked.

10-You shouldn't count on our job offer.

Whatever you do, don't let up on your job search, no matter how confident you are that an offer is coming. Things change; other candidates come along; plans for the position evolve or even get canceled. Until you have a firm offer in hand, you have to proceed as if you don't, since ultimately you can control only your side of the process—so keep setting up those other interviews.

11-We may check references beyond your list.

Simply not listing that person as a reference isn't enough; Reference-checkers can call anyone you've worked for or who might know you, even if they aren't on the list you provide. In fact, smart reference-checkers will make a point of calling people not on your list, because presumably you've only listed the people most likely to present you in the best light.

12-We don't like being stalked.

When you're searching for a job, enthusiasm is a good thing. But some job applicants cross the line from enthusiastic and proactive to obnoxiously aggressive—and, in doing so, kill their chances at a job offer. You have crossed the line if you are doing any of the following: Checking on the status of your application daily; calling and hanging up when you get voice mail, over and over; cold-calling numerous employees in the same company.

13-Some of us actually care about candidates.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from job seekers who write to me at Ask a Manager is about companies that don't respond to job applicants: no rejection, nothing. Personally, I think it's inexcusable—throughout the hiring process, but particularly after a company has engaged with an applicant in some way, like a phone interview or an in-person interview. It's callous and dismissive and lacks any appreciation for the fact that the candidate is anxiously waiting to hear an answer—any answer—and keeps waiting and waiting, long after a decision has been made.

14-You can gain an edge with your cover letter.

Individualize. Yes, it takes a lot longer than sending out the same form letter over and over, but a well-written cover letter that's obviously individualized to a specific opening is going to open doors when your resume alone might not have. These account for such a tiny fraction of applications that you'll stand out and immediately go to the top of my pile. And I'll give you an extra look, even if your resume isn't stellar.

15-You can be too early to the interview.

Many interviewers are annoyed when candidates show up more than five or ten minutes early, since they may feel obligated to interrupt what they're doing and go out to greet the person, and some (like me) feel vaguely guilty leaving someone sitting in their reception area that long. Aim to walk in five minutes early, but no more than that.

16-You can leave the subjective descriptions off the resume.

Your resume is for experience and accomplishments only. It's not the place for subjective traits, like “great leadership skills” or “creative innovator.” I ignore anything subjective that an applicant writes about herself, because so many people's self-assessments are wildly inaccurate and I don't yet know enough about the candidate to have any idea if hers is reliable or not.

17-Your resume should answer one key question.

The vast majority of resumes I see read like a series of job descriptions, listing duties and responsibilities at each position the job applicant has held. But resumes that stand out do something very different. For each position, they answer the question: What did you accomplish in this job that someone else wouldn't have?

18-New grads need work experience.

I receive all too many resumes from recent grads who have literally no work experience: nothing, not internships, not temp jobs, nothing at all. Find a way to get actual work experience before you leave school. Do internships every semester you are able, so that you have experience on your resume. Paid, unpaid, whatever it takes. If a part-time job of a few hours a week is all you have time for outside of your classes, that's fine. Do that. No one will hire you? Find work experience as a volunteer—that counts too.

19-We think a lot about your personality.

You might not get hired because your working style would clash with the people you'd be working with. Often, one personality type will simply fit better into a department than another will, and that's the kind of thing that's very difficult (if not impossible) for a candidate to know. Remember, it's not just a question of whether you have the skills to do the job, it's also a question of fit for this particular position, with this particular boss, in this particular culture, in this particular company.

20-We want you to talk in interviews, but be concise.

There's always at least one otherwise-qualified candidate in any hiring round who kills their chances by being too long-winded. You might think, “Well, some people are long-winded, but it doesn't mean he wouldn't do a good job.” The problem is that, at a minimum, it signals that you're not good at picking up on conversational cues, and raises doubts about your ability to organize your thoughts and convey needed information quickly.

21-Be honest in interviews, but don't spill about a bad boss.

You're far better off explaining that you're looking for new challenges, excited about this particular opportunity, taking the time to find something right, and so forth. I'm not crazy about advising someone to be anything less than forthright, and I don't normally recommend it, but in this area, the potential for giving an employer an bad impression is just too great to do it safely.

Copyrighted, U.S.News & World Report, L.P. All rights reserved.

Comment by Laura Sanford on June 20, 2010 at 7:06pm

I enjoyed reading both of today's posts Phoebe!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO OUR CENTENNIAL HIGH FATHER'S!

HOPE YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING YOUR DAY TODAY & GOD BLESS!

Luv, Laura

Comment by Phoebe Macon on June 20, 2010 at 6:27pm

Father's Day Turns 100. How Did Father's Day Start Anyway?


Father's Day was started 100 years ago in an effort to improve the image of Dads everywhere.

By Nicholas K. Geranios, AP / June 20, 2010

Spokane, Wash.


Father's Day was started a century ago because inventor Sonora Smart Dodd was upset by widespread mocking of fathers in popular culture as lazy, sleazy and drunk.


This June 20 marks the 100th anniversary of Father's Day, and while today's fathers have come a long way, some would say they could once again use an image boost thanks to the much-mocked antics of the likes of Tiger Woods and Jon Gosselin.

While it is easy to take shots at dads who mess up, it's important to focus on the important role of men, said Michael Gurian, an author who specializes in the struggles of men in the modern world.

"Making fun of guys to get them to perform and prove themselves, that's always going to exist," Gurian said. "But we have to equally celebrate them and empower them."

For Sonora Dodd, the last straw was a church sermon in 1908, when her priest rambled on about the newly created Mother's Day and the importance of mothers.

"I liked everything you said about motherhood," Sonora Dodd recalled telling the priest in a 1972 interview. "However, don't you think fathers deserve a place in the sun too?"

Her father, William Smart, survived the Civil War and then moved West to seek his fortune. His wife died in the winter of 1898, while giving birth of their sixth child.

But Smart, with the help of Sonora, the eldest child and only girl, held the family together. Sonora became convinced of the importance of fathers, at a time when they were not considered that relevant to the family.

While William Smart's sacrifice might have been somewhat unique in its time, these days 15 percent of single parents are men, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition, there were 158,000 stay-at-home dads in 2009 who raised the kids while their wives worked, the Census Bureau said.

And 71 percent of 6-year-olds ate breakfast and dinner with their fathers every day in 2006, the agency said. Fathers are also good about reading to their children, praising them at least three times a day and taking them on outings, various reports compiled by the Census Bureau said.

At the other extreme, Gurian said 90 percent of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. Also, 71 percent of high school dropouts and 63 percent of young people who commit suicide are from fatherless homes.

"Without fathers you would have no civilization," Gurian said.

He acknowledged that men tend to take more risks, fool around more (see Edwards, John) and suffer more crippling addictions (see Sheen, Charlie) than women. They also seem slower to mature these days, often living at home into their 20s.

"Father's Day is hopefully a time when the culture says 'this is our moment to look at who our men and boys are," he said. "If we don't protect fathering, we are going to really be messed up."

Sonora Dodd certainly did her part. She pushed for the first Father's Day celebration, which was held in June 1910, in Spokane. Fathers in church were given red roses, and people whose fathers were deceased wore white roses.

Some also credit the invention of the holiday to Grace Golden Clayton of Fairmount, W.Va., who is said to have suggested to the pastor of her church in 1908 that he hold a service in honor of fathers.

But it was Dodd who campaigned nationally for the holiday.

Mother's Day was quickly accepted as a national holiday, with Congress in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May. Father's Day had a much longer road, perhaps reflecting the societal split involving mothers and fathers. It was not until 1966 that President Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers and set the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. In 1972, President Nixon signed the law that made it permanent, to the delight of necktie and golf club makers everywhere.

Sonora Dodd died in 1978 at age 96 and is buried in Spokane.

"She was a businesswoman and knew how to get things done," said Barbara Hillerman, Sonora Dodd's only grandchild.

Hillerman, 75, a college professor in Vienna, Austria, will be making her first trip to Spokane in decades for anniversary festivities. Her father was Sonora Dodd's only child, John Bruce Dodd, Jr.

She did not know her grandmother well, in part because her family moved back and forth across the country as her father rose in the Forest Service.

"My relationship to her was as grandchild and grandmother," Hillerman said in a telephone interview from Vienna. "One of my failures is we didn't talk about Father's Day."

But "I sent my grandmother a Father's Day card every year," Hillerman said.

Comment by Andrea Williams on June 20, 2010 at 4:59am

GREAT GROUP PHOEBE!!

A HAPPY FATHER'S DAY SHOUT OUT TO ALL BIG TEN FATHER'S!!

Love Andrea

Comment by Phoebe Macon on June 20, 2010 at 4:18am

(Saturday, June 19, 2010) : In Photos: Swedish Royal Wedding

The future Queen of Sweden and her Commoner Fiancé wed Saturday in Stockholm in a lavish wedding that attracted royalty dignitaries from around the world.

The ceremony for Crown Princess Victoria, 32, and her former personal trainer Daniel Westling, 36, is the first royal wedding in Europe since 2008, according to The Associated Press. The Royal Court told the AP that 950 guests were set to attend the event, which is reported to cost $2.6 million.

Some royals from Norway and Denmark arrived by yacht, reported the AP. Also present for the weekend’s festivities were Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Sofia of Spain, Britain's Prince Edward and Sophie and golfer Tiger Woods' mother-in-law, Barbro Holmberg.

The wedding of Victoria, the oldest of three siblings and first in line to the Swedish throne, and Westling took place exactly 34 years after the marriage of her parents, Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf, according to Agence France-Presse.

Major international news organizations, including AP, AFP and Reuters, decided not to cover the event because of a dispute over local restrictions on the release of live television images. They did, however, provide details prior to the wedding. And luckily for those dying for a peek, Getty Images provided photo coverage of the day's private and public proceedings (see below).

FATHER AND THE BRIDE: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is led into the church by her father the king Carl Gustaf of Sweden prior to the wedding ceremony between Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling at Stockholm Cathedral. (Photo by Torsten Laursen/Getty Images)

MEETING AT THE ALTAR: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, are seen during their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Torsten Laursen/Getty Images)

CATCHING THE TRAIN: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, are seen during their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Torsten Laursen/Getty Images)

NEWLY WED: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, are seen during their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Torsten Laursen/Getty Images)

ROYAL PAGEANTRY: People wait for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, to pass after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

PUBLIC PRIDE: People wait for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

WEDDING CARRIAGE: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, wave to gathered spectators after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

GREETING THE WORLD: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, are seen after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

A ROYAL KISS: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, meet the general public as they appear on the Lejonbacken Terrace after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

ALL SMILES: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, meet King Carl Gustaf and the general public as they appear on the Lejonbacken Terrace after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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