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The Fallacy of Facebook

As everyone knows, I’ve been trying to restart Drink & Draw for the last several months. It’s been pretty much a fruitless effort. I knew starting up over the holidays was probably not the best time, but we decided to run with it anyway.

It’s been hard to find cosplayers that have not been spoiled by the previous Drink & Draw. Mellow Mushroom paid them $75 + full meal/drink comps, which is a bit much, in my opinion. I’ve run into many of the alumni from MM who won’t even talk to me unless I offer them the same deal. Well, guess what? NO. We are starting up, we don’t have that kind of budget. It’s been annoying for me and I would be lying if I didn’t say I have a list of all the cosplayers who’ve refused. I do. And they’ll never hear from me again. I’d also be lying if I said “sorry” for that. I’m not sorry! I don’t have time to deal with people who are not even trying to be supportive.

On the other hand, I’ve found some really awesome cosplayers who are more than happy to pose for a giftcard and tips. I’ve been picking up their tab, which is fine with me. I truly appreciate these fine people who understand what we’re trying to do and are willing to throw in some time for a giftcard. These are the people that I will contact again if The Imperial gig continues or when I open my own place. The lesson in this is BE SUPPORTIVE if you possibly can. It will go further than being all about the benjamins.

So, my original reason for this post is to debunk some Facebook (FB for short) bullshit for you. Especially if you have a business or group on FB and think that it’s helping you.

It is not.

I’ve been running FIVE FB pages for the last few years. Two are restaurants, two are our businesses and one is for the Drink & Draw group. I can tell you with certainty that these pages do absolutely nothing to promote anything. FB will tell you that “Likes” matter and content matters. It does not. People like things all day long without ever coming back to the page. FB will not show anyone your page unless you pay them. It is a fact.

I can also tell you that when you have a group page and then have events, it does not matter how many people say they are attending. Odds are that none of them will actually show up.

It’s the FB effect: like or say YES but then never think about it again.

The Drink & Draw page is the perfect example. I say we’re canceling and get a surge of Likes and people saying they will attend, but when the event happens, it’s the same FOUR people as always. FB is absolutely useless. FB will make you think you’re doing great, but when the rubber hits the road, it’s all as empty as a repost of a kitten video. I cross post to FB from the site(s), but that’s it. I don’t spend time posting to FB and I don’t advise clients to do that, either. It’s a waste of time.

As far as social media goes, Twitter is a far better use of your time. All my clients have twitter feeds (I run FIVE of those, as well!) that are automagically fed from wordpress. I also post things to the feeds periodically. Just crosspost from wordpress to cover your bases. Automation is your friend. :)

Don’t skip having a website! FB is NOT the same thing and it will NOT give you as much exposure as a simple website will. Trust me on this one. If you are a small business, you absolutely need a decent website. Don’t let the fallacy of Facebook fool you into thinking that it will do the job just as well as a real site for the low low cost of FREE. You get what you pay for and FB proves that. Buy your domain and get a site set up. Use wordpress.com – it’s free and it’s easy to use. AND it’s Google friendly. It’s just a cost of doing business to have a site. DO IT.

And a final note: if you are a restaurant or bar, go claim your Yelp profile and any others that are out there: Foursquare, Urban Spoon, etc. By claiming the profile, you take control of what is posted and you can get really solid feedback from customers. It is a tool that is very underutilized by the service industry. USE IT, IT IS FREE!

I could make money consulting with restaurants about this, I’m sure. But instead, I’ve put it here for all to use! I hope this helps out just ONE entrepreneur. That would make me VERY happy. Go forth and CROSS POST! :D

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Haikus

Cow cat sits staring
Jedi mind tricks for dinner
Feed me now you will

Grey and foggy rain
Drizzle so light and soggy
Makes me a housecat

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Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me

There might be some Peeves in here – I do have a herd of them after all – but I’ll try to keep the list to my oddities rather than Peeves. I bitch about my peeves PLENTY! LOL Ok, here goes, no particular order:

– I was reading at almost high school levels when I was six.
– New Math (of the early 70s variety) messed with my ability to learn math, although I am quite good at the basics and can figure percentage in my head.
– As a kid, I had trouble learning to tie my shoes and ride a bike. I’m still quite clumsy.
– For you youngsters: back in the olden days (1970s) we ALL got chicken pox and mumps and we all had our tonsils out. It was just normal procedure. Now there are vax for the pox/mumps and no one gets their tonsils out. Which skeeves me out, man. Tonsils and adenoids are the most disgusting things EVAR. Look it up. I don’t want those in ME. EWWWW!
– I had a show horse in my early teens. The trainers my parents chose wouldn’t let me ride it. Then they stole it. REALLY.
– I’ve had a checking account since I was 14.
– I had 3 horses (not the show one) and a goat in my teens. We also had tons of cats but only one dog.
– Speaking of dogs, my parents had a female German Shepherd before we kids came along. That dog was old when we were small and it bit me once. It was a minor bite, but my parents did not console me and I had nightmares about dog attacks for years. I don’t dislike dogs, but you’ll never see me have one or be very friendly with one. I don’t trust them AT ALL.
– I have a very good memory in general. However, it’s fading as I age. I’ve never remembered names well, tho. But you can bet that I’ll remember if you are nice or mean to me.
– I am a human GPS. I regularly drive across the country without maps or GPS. I rarely have to use a map even in new places. Once I take a look at the road layout online or in an atlas, I’m good. I’ve given directions to people in towns I don’t even live in. Once I’ve been somewhere, I will remember it. I can give you directions for anything in Tucson, AZ, for instance.
– I can find four-, five-, six- leaf clovers easily.
– I am an avid birdwatcher. I can identify numerous birds by sight and/or song.
– I am not a germaphobe, but the thought of putting on someone else’s worn clothing without washing first makes me absolutely FREAK OUT. I am also freaky about towels; particularly hand towels. I won’t use one in someone else’s house.
– Speaking of someone else’s house, I strongly dislike sleeping over. I’m always a greasy headed mess in the mornings and I guess I’m just too vain. ? It doesn’t feel like vanity as much as the fact that I HATE showering, etc. at someone else’s house. I’m fine at a hotel.
– I don’t mind at all having people stay at MY house. We used to have wild parties with sleepovers quite often. Now that we’re older and the partying is minimal, we don’t have guests as often, but I don’t mind it.
– Although I have tattoos, I will pass out at any sort of needle. It’s worse for medical needles than a tattoo machine, but the end result is the same. The sound of a tatt machine excites me and I don’t find it horribly painful, but I’ll feel woozy and have to have a break to fight the fainting. Once I’ve done that, I’m fine.
– I am terrified of the dentist. Thank the gods I have good teeth. My parents took us to an Army dentist when we were kids and he would drill our teeth w/out novocaine. CHILDREN. My brother also has dental anxiety. Thanks Mom & Dad. >:(
– I cannot STAND an open toilet. Can. Not. Stand. It. To me, there is nothing more offensive. Close that fucker up and put a fuzzy cover on it for chrissakes! What is wrong with people?
– I have trouble driving automatic vehicles. I’ve always (and WILL ALWAYS) had manuals and my feet get confused when there’s nothing to do. I also forget to put it in P when I park. I always want to use the parking brake, too, since that’s proper procedure for all manual vehicles. Put it in First and pull the brake. Bam.

That’s all for now. I’m a weird girl. Here’s your proof! LOL

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2014 Wrap Up

As we near the end of another trek around the sun, I always feel the need to make a post of highlights (or lowlights) of the year. A semi-list in no particular order:

– We started 2014 at a party at someone’s house in Dacula. It became a Hillbilly Hoedown, complete with screaming, fist fights and drunk driving. NOT an auspicious beginning for sure. Out of that came our current rule of NEVER staying at anyone’s house overnight unless absolutely necessary. Why risk it?

– We lost DJ in April. He was old and sickly. He waited for me to get back from my trip and he died two days later. He had a seizure right in front of us on a Saturday. It sucked.

– We finally walked away from the Maplehurst house in June. It was hard to let it go, but we had to. Despite Wells Fargo’s insistence that it was not discharged three years ago in the bankruptcy, it WAS and we were NOT obligated to pay for it. It will be auctioned next month and become rental once again. Nick left notes in the closets to whomever lives in it next.

– On the heels of the move, I get the call that my brother’s best friend died suddenly. He was doing some electrical work at an office and was electrocuted. It was horrible. It rocked me to my roots, I can tell you. The thought that one day a husband says goodbye to his wife and goes to work, never to return. It could happen to ME. It was very upsetting. On top of that, now my brother has no one. He’s all alone with elderly, sick parents and a woman-child with a new baby. I feel SO BAD for him and for Aron’s widow. Ugh. I cry just thinking about it.

– The move to the ‘burbs was relatively painless thanks to a great moving company that sent us TWO crews for the price of one. (Big League Movers if you need a referral.) We are now in a lovely ranch w/ full basement that is crammed full of our stuff. We have a lot of stuff. Other people’s stuff is shit, but our shit is stuff. (George Carlin. Kids, ask your parents.) Anyhow, I’m not a fan of the ‘burbs – too many white people and nothing to do. And white people are NOISY fuckers! Every single day I hear leaf blowers/yard equipment. EVERY. DAY. One day, the asshole neighbors behind us had TWO going from 8am-noon. Continuously. WTF, white people? OTOH, no gunfire, even on holidays and Nick is 10 minutes from work. Tradeoffs.

– Although I get ridiculed by my friends, I’m sticking to my No New Pets rule. Once Missy goes, I’m not getting any more cats. I’ve got a damn good reason: if we get this pub going, I’ll never be home. Why have pets if you’re not home to enjoy them? If the pub doesn’t happen, we may move. We’ve been talking about it and we’d rather take our money and move with it than sit here and piss it away on rent. It could be a BIG move. Like to Europe big. We don’t want to be in the US when we grow old. Healthcare here sucks. We’re getting passports, but that’s as far as that plan goes right now. We are keeping our options open. When Nick’s job ends, we have to make decisions. [HA!! This didn’t work! Shasti was living in the backyard and I brought her in. Missy was not impressed. I was happy to have her after Missy died. It’s now 2022 and Shasti is a sweet, good catte! -A 1.11.22]

2014 has lived up to its 7 number. 7 is my life path number and I’ve certainly been working on THAT this year. 2015 is an 8 year. 8 is a karmic number; a bringer of change. That seems to be tracking with what we’ve got going on. I look forward to the challenges of an 8 year. I’m curious about what I’ll say on Dec 31 next year. I’ll be 50 this time next year. What a concept. Eh, I’ve always been a late bloomer. Some things never change. :)

Happy New Year, y’all.

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Moroccan Lamb and Chickpeas with Couscous

I had a pack of ground lamb in the fridge, so this is what I made. It turned out amazing! I hope my future customers will love my Middle Eastern/Italian/Asian flavours as much as I do. Enjoy!

Moroccan Lamb & Chickpeas
Moroccan Lamb & Chickpeas

Moroccan Lamb & Chickpeas with Couscous
1 pound lean ground lamb
olive oil
1 medium onion, frenched
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used Indian pepper, which is VERY hot. Use cayenne as a sub.)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, small dice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lime zest (about 2 tsp)
1 can (15 1/2-oz) chickpeas, drained
S/P to taste
couple splashes water if it gets dry
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of half lime

2 cups Israeli couscous (I like tricolour), prepared with chicken broth and juice of half a lime

Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet (with lid) on Med Hi. When hot, toss in the ground lamb to sautée. When lamb begins to brown and has released its fat, add in onion and garlic. Stir and reduce heat if the veg is starting to brown. Add in spices, raisins, apricots, tom paste and lime zest. Stir in chickpeas and turn down heat to Med Lo. Put lid on skillet and stir every now and then. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add a splash of water if it gets dry.

While that is simmering, prepare the couscous. As I mentioned, I added the other half of the lime juice and used chicken broth for mine.

Turn off heat, check S/P levels and stir in cilantro and lime juice.

Serve over couscous. Wine pairing: Gewürztraminer