BlogHer

I met a most interesting lady at a weekly dinner last night. Elisa Camahort, one of the founders of the very popular BlogHer.com. 

She's a mover and a shaker. She saw a need for a community of bloggers back in 2006 and a scant 2 years later over 2200 bloggers are interconnected worldwide, providing a tremendous resource in diverse fields from health to finance to law to mommy issues to feminism. The BlogHer annual conferences have attracted keynote speakers such as Arianna Huffington, Elizabeth Edwards and Carol Lin (CNN).

Elisa's accomplishments are impressive. But what really impressed me about Elisa was her passion for what she does. She spoke with fervor about why she started the business and what she was trying to accomplish. She provides a welcoming environment for both women and men to help one another by sharing information. Many of the blogs are quite inspiring - like the cancer survivors. Many are informative and entertaining on topics a little less earth-shattering - like the BeautyHacks comparing Creme de la Mer's $125/oz anti aging cream to Olay's Regenerist Cream at $15/oz. [The verdict: they are both good.]

In a world that is increasingly isolating (if measured by the number of people connected to electronic devices rather than talking with people), BlogHer is an entity that brings people back together.  Way to go Elisa!

A Calmer Gentler World

I used to be a Type A personality with a CAPITAL A! I lived my life in CAPITAL LETTERS. EXCLAMATION MARK! But over the years I calmed down quite a bit. And even more so recently when I resolved to try to take 5 minutes - just 5 minutes a day - to breathe and relax. It's been a struggle to remember to integrate it into my life. But, when I'm in the car waiting at a red light and have nothing better to do, I somehow manage to do it.

I believe there's been a reaction to my action. I see a kinder, calmer, gentler world out there. Take last night. I went to Whole Foods to satisfy my craving for fresh oysters. Felix, the man behind the counter stepped up to serve me, with a smile. I told him what I wanted. As he reached into the tank to retrieve the mollusks, he accidentally squirted me with water - all over. Rather than getting mad, I laughed and thanked him for cooling me off. He was a bit horrified, asked if I was OK, and offered me a towel. But it was nothing. As he was shucking those little guys, he was explaining the difference among oysters, and how to tell if they are fresh. [Tap the shell. If it sounds like a rock, it's OK. If it sounds a little hollow, it is not OK.] By the time he was done, he'd filled my order, given me two samples, and sneaked in two extra oysters to make up for the soaking.

It's a small thing, but rich or poor, we all like to get a little something for nothing every now and again. I knew I'd be coming back many more times to buy oysters from Felix. Felix's act of kindness made me feel gentler as I moved on to the checkout. There, the cashier rang up my produce incorrectly four times. She was getting more and more flustered even though I told her not to worry, I was in no hurry, it was OK. I didn't have the heart to call her attention to another error. So, I headed over to customer service to correct the error.

The customer service manager confirmed I'd been overcharged. She cheerly refunded the entire amount for the produce in crisp dollars bills. I smiled and waited expectantly for her to weigh the red trevesino and tell me what I owed. But, she just smiled back, thanked me for my patience with the cashier, said it was their error, and apologized for my inconvenience. She said, "No charge." For the second time that night I felt calm begets calm. A smile begets a smile. In my Type A world, there would only have been misery. In my calmer, gentler world there is only peace.

The Flirty Guide

My ears were burning! Stacie Tamaki, founder of The Flirty Guide blogged about us yesterday. She has her finger on the pulse of 100's if not 1000's of professionals in the wedding industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. She's very selective about who she chooses to feature on The Flirty Guide, so we were all the more honored when she chose to shine a spotlight on us. Here is what she said:

"Savadelis Films never does anything the fast or easy way, they only know one way to do things: The right way.

The amount of preparation they devote to each client is, to me, beyond impressive. Their professionalism always leaves me in a bit of awe because they are uncompromising in producing films of the highest quality no matter how much effort it takes for them to do so.

Their impeccably edited wedding films range in style from modern, romantic, documentary, to period pieces. You can view two samples here and can also visit their website portfolio page to view more trailers. Especially view "Come What May." It's only 1 minute and 22 seconds long and is one my favorites. From the moment the groom sweeps his bride off of her feet at the top of the staircase, the reception montage is high energy and exciting because of how beautifully it was filmed and edited..

"Fever" (A fun, high energy, dance, reception trailer)

Chuck and Jewel Savadelis are absolutely passionate about creating films that tell the story of the wedding day. I know a lot of companies in many industries say they are passionate about what they do but Savadelis Films doesn't just talk the talk... They produce films that back it up. They work exclusively in High Def and a third camera at each event is standard, not an option. There is nothing accidental, lucky or left to chance when it comes to gathering the elements they'll need to create their finished films. Rather it is planning, forethought and intention that guarantee the quality of their content. After, they insist on editing each and every video in-house to ensure the highest level of quality and control during the editing process.

"Memoirs of a Wedding"
(A venue, pre-ceremony, ceremony, reception montage trailer)

Watch one of their video trailers and you might not know what to call them or what they do. To many of their fans their work transcends traditional videography. Recently, after viewing their "Fever" trailer, I listened to one bride describe their work using words like "cinematography" and "mini-movie" to another bride who had asked her about a videographer recommendation.

I'm so proud to have them on The Flirty Guide and to be able to introduce them to you here today :D"

Thank you Stacie! By the way, Stacie was just interviewed by Ralph Mucci on The Wedding Planning Audiocast because she is widely considered to be one of the Top 10 wedding bloggers in the country.

She's right up there with Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty (we're featured in San Francisco and in Napa),
Christy Weber of Junebug Weddings,
Vane Broussard of The Brooklyn Bride,
Melissa of Melissa's Smitten and
Janie Medley of The Bride's Cafe.

Liberated!

The other day we had a little visitor in our house - a hummingbird! We live in an Eichler-like home with sliding glass doors in every room leading to an interior atrium and an exterior garden. All of our doors were open and we were enjoying a nice breeze. Then we heard some chirping. We looked around and there, up near the top of the 16' ceiling near the clerestory windows was a little hummingbird beating his wings furiously.

We tried to guide him down to one of the open doors, but the chirping got louder, and his stress was increasing. So we left the room and he found a splinter on the beams on which to rest. When we came back, he was lying on the floor, poor exhausted thing. So we scooped him up and gently put him outside. It only took a moment for him to fly into the nearest tree. There are times when I know how frustrated and then how liberated that little bird felt.

Our cat was very disappointed that she wasn't given an opportunity to get 'up close and personal'.