Heather Foeh

Oh, I love this new ad from the ONE campaign.

Want to join? It’s free. Visit www.one.org and sign up.

I’ve been reading a few articles here and there about Knols - the new item from Google on their quest for world domination. (By the way, I say that without any malice. I like things to be orderly and easy to find, so if Google can make the whole world that way, I’ll roll over and let them rule us all. Sorry.) What the heck is a knol, you ask? According to the site: “A knol is an authoritative article about a specific topic.”

I checked out the Knol site tonight and read through a few of these authoritative articles and I was underwhelmed. There seems to be an overabundance of health-related articles. They are written by doctors, so I guess that’s a good thing, and if I ever need more information about Ganglion Cysts, I know right where to go. One thing I don’t like is that there’s not really a browsing method. You can search just fine (hello, it’s Google), but one of the things I love (and HATE) about Wikipedia is that I can keep clicking related links for three days straight if I want to. The Knol site doesn’t have that interconnectedness (a.k.a., quagmire of non-productivity) and I think it needs it. The search box is scary - I don’t know what I want to search for. I want to browse, dammit.

I haven’t really figured out the allure of the Knol yet, nor am I sure what Google will get out of it…other than the fact that there are 2 ads on the right hand side of each topic. But really? Are those two little ads per page enough to make them want to create the Land of Knol?

Anyone else have an opinion??

YAY! I had a great trip to San Francisco. My daughter and I did some great sight-seeing (and nearly froze to death!) and the entire RWA Conference was a blast. I’m so lucky to have so many talented writer friends. I feel better and smarter just hanging around them - you’ve gotta love that!

Now tomorrow I’m back to the real world and my brand new job at Eloqua. I’ll be spending the week in Toronto getting up to speed, meeting people, getting my computer, signing papers, etc, etc. Whew! More later…

Thank you, George W. Bush - you bought me a Kindle with your Economic Stimulus Check.

Seriously, I’ve been wanting a Kindle for a while, but I had a hard time justifying the cost. So when the “fun money” of the stimulus check arrived, I decided it was the perfect moment to take the plunge. And MAN am I ever glad I did! It’s small, it’s super readable, it’s easy to use and I’m thrilled. The only downside that I can see is that it’s too easy to order books. It doesn’t really feel like you’re spending money. You just navigate to the Kindle Store from the Kindle itself, find your book and click Buy. Voila! Super handy and super scary.

So far I’ve reined myself in to just two purchases (however, one of them was the Harlequin 1-click Blaze buy — all 6 July books for $9.99). But I think a magazine subscription is next on the list… I’ll keep you posted.

Good heavens. I’ve been such a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of girl lately that I didn’t even catch that my friend Catherine Morris tagged me! Sheesh! So…better late than absolutely never… here are 6 random things about me. (Catherine - I feel your pain: how to know if they’re random?!)

1. I’m a big nerd. I love the cool things that technology can do. Just yesterday I took my Mini Cooper in for an oil change. They took my key and plugged it into a little thingy hooked up to the service computer and VOILA! out came a print-out saying how many miles my car had on it, what services were needed and which ones were not. I love that. LOVE THAT.
2. I have a huge sweet tooth and really would rather eat cookies than dinner almost any day of the week. I love cake for breakfast, especially Red Velvet (The Official Birthday Cake of Heather Foeh for 39 Years).
3. My pseudonym is Emma Clair. Why do I have a pseudonym when I don’t yet have a published manuscript? It’s the power of positive thinking. I’m visualizing being Emma Clair full time somewhere in the future. And by the way, Emma would love to live in France.
4. My nose is pierced. Now, everyone reading this blog probably already knows that I’m sure. But I still like that about myself. I wanted one for years before I actually took the plunge 2 years ago, and when I look in the mirror, I still really like my little shiny nose stud. It’s my late-30’s rebellion.
5. I cannot possibly watch the Pride and Prejudice miniseries (with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle) enough. It’s like comfort food for my soul. The words are beautiful. The story is beautiful. And HELLO - Colin Firth is also beautiful. He is absolutely superb to watch in that movie.
6. If I had my life and career choices to live over again, I would be an FBI agent. I’d like to be on the technology side of things - thwarting hackers and internet bad guys. Special Agent Foeh has a nice ring to it. Please take a moment to picture me saying it as I flash my shiny badge.

Now, according to the rules, I need to tag 6 other people. However, Catherine already chose three of the people that I would have chosen as well (Michelle McGinnis and Lexi Connor and Nicole Reillan), so does that get me off the hook for six?

• Jane Sevier
• Monika Schulze
• Jeanell Bolton

The rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you
• Post the rules on your blog
• Write six random things about yourself
• Tag six random bloggers by linking to their blogs
• Leave comments on their sites to let them know they’ve been tagged
• Let your tagger know when your entry is up

Tomorrow morning my daughter and I leave for our week-long trek to San Francisco and we’re both very excited! We’ll spend Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday sight-seeing. Then on Wednesday I’ll start attending events at the RWA National Conference, including the Leadership Retreat that day. That night we’ll go to the Literacy Booksigning and do our part to raise money for local literacy funds. The conference fully kicks off on Thursday with a keynote address and workshops. Friday afternoon Michelle and I are teaching our workshop (“Creating a Web Presence”), then Saturday morning I have an appointment with an editor from Harlequin. Yes, at 10:30 that morning I’ll have a mere 10 minutes to pitch my manuscript — no pressure! One of the things I’m most excited about is the weather…the highs are going to be in the low to mid-60’s. That’s heavenly!

I’ve had a few folks ask me where the heck I’ve been and I want to assure you that I’m alive and well and freshly back from vacation. We had an awesome family trip June 27 through July 6 in Paris, France. Below is a slideshow of some of our pictures.

Highlights of the week:

• Our apartment was fantastic - so much better than being in a hotel for a week
• The fountains at Versailles
• The bones in the Catacombs
• A wonderful dinner at L’Auberge de Nicolas Flamel
• Beautiful weather almost the whole week

I’m not sure if we should file this idea under “very unique marketing” or “Oh My God”.

Today I received an email from my web hosting company, 1&1. The subject line was: “Looking for a unique way to show Mom you love her?” The headline: “Give Mom a Customized Website.” I’m not lying - here’s a screen capture to prove it. Besides, I couldn’t possibly make this up. I mean, yes, I’m in marketing, but my creativity does not extend this far.

And here’s a tip for all of you geeky men out there who are flocking to read my blog… do NOT get your Mom a website for Mother’s Day. She Does Not Want It. Trust me on this. I’m pretty darn geeky and even I do not want a website for Mother’s Day. Ever.

This post is for Deb P. who reads my blog. :-)  Thanks for getting me out of the house this morning! It was lovely to see you! Have a great weekend.

Yes, that’s right folks - today I’m 39…my last year in my thirties — eek! I’ve had a wonderful day with some great phone calls, text messages, emails, ecards, packages from Amazon, gift certificates…you name it. My wonderful family took me to dinner and then we returned home and I opened my gifts. What a great day!!

My parents will be arriving back in the States this weekend and my Mom has promised to make me a Red Velvet Cake (my standard birthday cake since my first birthday) and I’m very excited about that.

Each year my Dad sends me a bouquet and this year’s arrangement is amazing (click to see a larger version):