My traveling days are over for the month and I'm back in the beautiful (and comparatively warm) PNW. I had some wonderful times, but I'm glad to be home now.

Kate

The woman at the coffee shop I frequent has a slight moustache. She's a young, pretty, pleasant woman. I wondered why she didn't do something about the hair on her face. When I noticed her underarms sporting long brown tufts of hair, I figured it out. For the most part, anyway. I wonder if she thinks it looks good or if she's making a statement? I want to ask, but that would be inappropriate. It doesn't bother me though I think she should wear longer sleeves on her tops if she is handling food. Men aren't allowed to wear tank tops in food service due to armpit hair, the same rule should apply to women.

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I was out shopping after a haircut yesterday afternoon. In the shoe department the women in the next aisle was receiving a call on her cell. The ring tone was Hinder's Lips of an Angel which is about adultry. Knowing the lyrics, I wondered if she was someone's mistress or if she had a boyfriend, or two (or more). It could be she simply likes the song and has no clue that each person hearing her cell phone ring is wondering what type of trouble she's participating in.

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My neighbors may have "More Sex" as number one on their list of New Years Resolutions. Good for them . . . Bad for me. Luckily, they are on dayshift schedules so it doesn't affect my sleep. Nonetheless, I feel like I shouldn't be listening but I can't help it -- it's very quiet in my neighborhood at night. Sometimes when I see them in the hall I want to ask them if they are trying to fix their relationship, if they've just become engaged (I'm not sure of their marital status) or if they are trying for a baby. Really, it's none of my business but I feel like I should be in the know being that I'm a wall and about ten feet from their "efforts".

Message boards. They serve a purpose and can be interesting, informative and entertaining. For some, they can be addictive or at least overly time consuming. For every message board, from toddlers to taboo sex fetishes, there are similar personalities talking about different subjects.

Doing a search, I came upon (www.semoball.com) the following definitions which reminded me of high school (long ago, by the way):

The Trolls. These are the troublemakers forever finding fault with anything anyone says. Their negative comments are often designed just to provoke other posters and get their blood boiling. Think of a bully patrolling the halls of the high school always on the lookout for his next wedgie victim.

The Gnats. These are people sort of like the trolls with much less bark or bite. They're pesky but ultimately harmless. They're not well received in message board land because their comments at times are just bizarre or out of scope. They're like your nerdish friend in high school who could give a five-minute answer to a yes-no question. "There was this one time…at band camp…."

The Chamber of Commerce Crowd. These are the cheerleaders for the local teams. They tend to object to any criticism of any kind. They're the 'anti-trolls." In their personal correspondence, these people use a lot of smiley faces and exclamation points and while out to dinner, think it's fun to sing along with the Applebee's workers as they serenade a stranger with Happy Birthday.

The Beautiful People. These are the most popular and most respected posters on the message boards. They may not post as frequently as some others but when they do people always respond and almost always positively. Even the trolls tend to stay away from the cool crowd and look for easier prey elsewhere.

The Norm and Cliff Crowd. Like the characters from the TV show Cheers, these people are always present. I really wonder how they do it. I'm convinced they're genetic mutants. That or they still live at home with their parents and don't have a job. I picture them with three arms typing away on multiple computer keyboards as fast they can. Their appetite is unquenchable. They either have an opinion, knowledge or question. Their total number of posts on these boards is well into the thousands.

Compartments, a smart blog writer with a sharp tongue and quick wit who can be brutally honest, has written about message boards in her new post, Bored With The Boards, from her point of view and it's more accurate than I think anyone else would ever admit. I have been reading her blog since it's beginning and ironically I believe her recent posting has to do with a link to her blog being posted on the local message board.

Kate

I dropped my phone into the bathtub this evening. I'm able to check messages remotely (it takes them awhile to arrive, apparently), otherwise, the phone is a goner. It's not your typical cell phone situation so I'm not sure if I will be able to have it replaced or if I will just go ahead and get a local number. All of this to say, for those of you with my number, leave a message and email if you can. I will contact you with my new number if I take that route.

First, an update:

- I've purchased the green tea, haven't had a sip yet. I'll do that tonight, since I'm thinking about it.
- I'm reading, but the book, "I Am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe is not that great in my opinion even though reviews were positive. I'm about halfway through and am hoping that someone is going to get murdered pretty soon.
- Getting up earlier is not happening and I think it's because I am not a gym member. When I moved to Seattle I exercised outside while I looked into the different gyms. Then, something came up and exercising became infrequent so an outside run every other day or so was enough. Now, I'm ready to get back into my regular exercise schedule (inside) and that may help with my sleeping schedule also.

It's supposed to snow this evening which is a huge deal in Washington. In November an inch of snow caused five-hour traffic delays for evening commuters and people abandoned their vehicles on the freeways. On the east coast, a Nor'easter with three feet of snow doesn't even cause that much trouble. The biggest inconvenience is usually the parking bans, the shoveling and the salt that ruins your shoes. In any case, the city is supposed to be more organized this time around so with any luck an inch of snow won't cause mass chaos.

My schedule over the next four weeks is filling up fast. I'm excited to see some friends I haven't been able to meet with since my move and am flattered to be flown across the country to see them. This is the best time of year to be busy. Regardless of what you're doing, being busy makes the time go by faster and as far as I'm concerned, now that the holidays are over, Spring can't get here fast enough.

Kate

Happy New Year!

I'm not big into New Years Resolutions. I maintain my health regardless, I don't smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol to excess and I always thrive for improvement professionally and otherwise, it's an endless journey. Of course, I have goals and they change as other goals take precidence or life brings us changes.

I've thought about it and have come up with a few resolutions for myself.

1. Drink green tea every day.
2. Get back to reading more. Somehow my two book per month habit has waned.
3. Get up earlier every morning (this is as common to me as "stop smoking" is to smokers.)

It's uninteresting, I know. But on the other hand, I don't have bad habits to rid of or health concerns to improve, so that's something.

My New Year didn't exactly ring in the way I'd hoped. I wonder if that means bad luck for 2007? I hope not . . .

Kate

With a background in marketing I'm always interested in industry trends. I research most anything I do and anything substantial I purchase. How I love the Internet! The funny thing about this business is that no matter how you want to go about your business plan, there is an intimate and individual nature to the business that one must take into consideration. It's not like selling a product. At least not for me.

After my move to Seattle from New York I began researching the local market and noticed some real differences. My first month was discouraging. I went from a schedule I could hardly manage, practically needing to hire a secretary, to nada. Plus, I was different than a lot of girls in the area and an out-of-towner, to boot. Seattle folks aren't all that welcoming, both in and out of the industry, and within the industry people are naturally skeptical.

Instead of waiting it out I made changes. The new photos and website were something planned regardless of my location. I decreased my rates, added a one hour option and decided to host on a regular basis. Sure, I received several inquiries after I made these changes, but the majority were not people I would choose to see. Potential clients would not allow me to screen them properly but wanted to be allowed in my home (what?). I received emails IN ALL CAPS and from "kids": r u 4 real? heres my pic r u open?. Most of the inquiries I received were from men who didn't care to read my website or my blog, they really had no interest in me as a human being. That wasn't what I wanted.

Being a companionship provider was not a role I acquired because I had to. I wanted to. Fortunately, I am still in that position. I do it because I enjoy it. The income is icing on the cake and allows me many opportunities. Because of this, I don't see suitors who do not appeal to me because of their lack of manners, bad hygeine, indiscretions, disrespect for my safety and seeing me as nothing more than a commodity. Besides safety and discretion, I look for chemistry and long-term potential. I guess patience is not my strong suit and I should know it takes time to establish yourself and gain quality people in your life.

I've decided to drop my incall option. It was an ill-considered decision and I find the incall situation less than discreet in my case. Seeing one gentleman per day, at most, the risk/reward ratio wasn't in my corner. I know there are gentlemen hoping to take advantage of that option and I apologize for the last minute decision. Hopefully it is understood. My one hour local rate and fees in general will stay the same . . . for now.

Kate