May 20th, 2012
 Nothing much changes in the great big world of human interaction. The last time I had a “real” job (translation: one that required me to be in an office, wear pants with constricting fasteners, and actually complete assigned tasks within a regular timeframe) there was not yet such a thing as Facebook and no one had cell phones that you could do much with beyond that old-fashioned thing known as calling people.
This wasn’t very long ago, mind you. But technology moves along at lightning speed in this millennium, so these past six-ish years have seen a great deal of change in the way people communicate, interact, and isolate during any given workday.
It has not, however, changed the way they crunch their goddamn disgusting saliva-moistened snack tidbits like tiny starved mice trapped between the walls nibbling, nibbling with frantic efforts to save themselves from impending doom ALL BLESSED DAY LONG while innocent others, invisibly positioned on the other side of the single shade of grey corporate partition, sit and try with equal desperation not to slip into irrevocable madness while attempting to compose a logical sentence without being mentally derailed by the sound, again, again, of – what? what are they?? crackers? carrots? panko-crusted Lego shards? – of the gnashing of terrible teeth* and swallowing of terrible throats.
That is not even to mention the phantom slurping of hot liquids, done ever so carefully, meticulously, with a triumphant loud swallow as the coffee, soup, or illegal elixir of pleasure is tamed by breath and conquering lips. Ah, how they savor every gulp over there on that side of the cube farm! I would envy them … if I weren’t so busy thinking of ways to slip odorless poisons into their cups.
Digestive indignities aside, the uncirculated air of the place is also often filled with voices. Most of them blend into white noise, except for the occasional high-volume sales call punctuated by obsequious laughter and the reassuringly false, “No, absolutely, absolutely. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” that clearly indicates someone is about to be taken for a ride.
Sometimes, though, you are treated to a truly outstanding display of repartee, such as the one between cube neighbors discussing at astonishing length the deeply shocking discovery that some unknown coworker had the unmitigated gall to place the personal coffee mug of one of them into the recycling bin. The recycling bin! The nerve, they exclaimed! The insult, they fumed! Worst of all, one informed the other, “You can’t recycle glass!”
With so many years at home, tapping away in relative quiet at my little laptop, in the hours between school bus deliveries and retrievals, I somehow forgot these little things about working in an office. I forgot that that wonderful old existentialist bon mot “hell is other people” applied to others beyond in-laws and Jersey drivers and cashiers at the Smelly A&P.
Now I remember. And now I know why iPods were invented.
This is an original JerseyMomsBlog post. Deanna Q is a freelance writer currently on assignment and missing her home sweet home.
*With gratitude & a fond farewell to you, Maurice Sendak!
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May 20th, 2012
 SpaceOut was included in an excellent feature story by feature writer Mike Bruce, in the “U On Sunday ” Magazine lift out from today’s Sunday Mail Newspaper (Qld). The article “Sharing and Caring” was focused on one of the latest consumer trends sweeping the world – Collaborative Consumption.
The theory of Collaborative Consumption suggests we should lend
or rent out our underused gadgets to save money – and the world.
Collaborative Consumption takes many forms, but essentially it’s a new way of consuming -renting, recycling, sharing and lending goods instead of buying them. It’s about reducing consumption, cutting waste and stretching the life-cycle of products.
The section on SpaceOut Reads :
 Andy Henderson, 48 is another member of the Queensland phalanx leading Australia’s charge on CC. When friend Damion Russell was heading overseas in 2008, he had a household of items that weren’t exactly worth a fortune, but worth enough to hang on to.
Russell was astounded by the cost of commercial storage space and so pondered the possibility of finding storage privately, perhaps a garage, spare bedroom or under a house.
From his frustration a business was born.
In 2009, the pair, with one other partner, founded SpaceOut and currently have over 300 listings Australia wide. It;s expanded to car and boat parking and office space, and even the bog players in the commercial storage game are listing on the site.
SpaceOut suggests individuals charge 50 to 70 percent of the commercial rates, but rates vary greatly depending on location, type and condition of the space. One SpaceOut member is seeking $500 a month for a 50sq m space in Stafford, while another wants $400 for a 240sq m space in Boondall.
“So a homewoner can get a few grand a year basically out of thin air. We like to call it money for nothing,” Henderson says. “Often people are just using a spare bedroom as a place where they can let their own junk accumulate. Now thay can rent it out for $200-$400 a month, just by shutting the door and forgetting about it.”
The Full Article provides a great overview of Collaborative Consumption and definitely worth a read.
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May 17th, 2012
I thought I’d share a portable version of the mini kitchen office I showcased in last week’s video. I keep similar items in a basket that can easily be toted from room to room at our family vacation home in Utah. Since it is not technically my house I don’t feel comfortable leaving bins & baskets out all of the time in the kitchen there, so I came up with this portable system that I can easily move. I’ve posted links to other videos mentioned below. Thanks for watching & subscribing  Maximizing Space: Mini Kitchen Office – www.youtube.com My Loftice (Office in a Loft) – www.youtube.com My New Filofax, Part 1: Calendar Organization – www.youtube.com My New Filofax, Part 2: Project Management – www.youtube.com Reisenthel Basket – www.reisenthel.com I’m on Pinterest!: pinterest.com Check out my Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com Check out my other YouTube channel: www.youtube.com Visit my dog Winnie’s blog for daily posts: www.winniethetzu.com *All items shown were purchased by me. All opinions are my own."
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May 17th, 2012
Updated 8:21 p.m.
By Rob Stigile & Matthew Huisman
Covington & Burling is in talks to relocate its almost 500 attorneys to the new CityCenterDC development currently under construction, a firm spokeswoman confirmed late Monday.
The firm, currently located at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., would occupy 415,000 square feet in the development, currently under construction. In a statement, firm spokeswoman Rebecca Carr said that the firm has signed a letter of intent to negotiate a lease and plans to move into the new space in 2014.
“We can confirm that the firm has signed a letter of intent to negotiate a lease for office space in the new City Center office project that is currently being constructed on New York Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets,” said Carr in a statement.
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May 17th, 2012
- An undisclosed private investor has purchased 1110 Hay Street at West Perth for $29.9m. The 4,400sq.m office building has been purchased from the Gucce Group on a yield reflecting 9.1%. (West Australian 16/5/12 pg26)
- A syndicate comprising Property Bank Australia and Security Capital Corporation has purchased 154 Pacific Highway at St Leonards (in Sydney) for $25.5m. The 6,427sq.m office tower has been purchased from Charter Hall Direct Property Fund. (AFR 16/5/12 pg56)
- VDM has pre-committed to leasing 2,194sq.m of office space at 28 Troode Street in West Perth. The space has been leased from Ascot Capital at undisclosed terms. (West Australian 16/5/12 pg25)
- The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has extended its lease by an additional 5,065sq.m of space at 357 Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD. The office space has been leased has been leased from Australand for a 10 year term at an undisclosed rent. (Melb. Age 16/5/12 pg13 )
- NBN Co. has leased 1,500sq.m of space at 169 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes (on Queensland’s Gold Coast). The office space has been leased from Abacus Property Group at undisclosed terms. (CM 11/5/12 pg82)
- The Motor Traders Association of NSW has purchased a 1,310sq.m office building at 214 Parramatta Road, Burwood (in Sydney) for $5.35m. (AFR 10/5/12 pg66)
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May 14th, 2012
Canadian Comedian, Actor and Promoter: Kris LaBelle releases his 1st video blog of 2012! Please watch and share!
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May 14th, 2012
When it comes to setting up you own business, would it not be ideal if you could find a flexible office solution whereby you could rent as much or as little space as you want? After all when it comes to office space it can be one of the biggest expenses that a small business has to cope with.
Business Articles from EzineArticles.com
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May 14th, 2012
Your surroundings and belongings say a lot about you. They even tell stories about you. We’ve all heard the saying,”You are what you eat.” The same is true about your environment. You are your environment. Your environment speaks volumes about you; tells the truth about you. Look around your office space and note what you see. Is your desk a disaster, so full of paper and other things that you can’t see the surface or find anything? Perhaps you have more things than you have space for. Your environment is directly connected to what’s going on with you physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It’s your reflection. If your environment is cluttered, you have to look at what’s going on beneath the surface and address it to get rid of your clutter once and for all.
On the surface, spaces get cluttered because things aren’t assigned a home; because people shop without a list or without thinking before they buy; can’t decide whether or not to keep something; keeping things because they have a monetary or sentimental value attached to them. In working with people, I have found that those dealing with clutter have had something happen that starts the process of things accumulating and when they get to the point of being serious about getting rid of it, they are ready to get to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual things that are present and cluttering their lives. When the internal connections are addressed in the process of getting rid of the clutter, it’s possible to get rid of the clutter and keep it away for good.
As I mentioned, there are physical, emotional, mental and spiritual connections between you and your environment. Here, I’m going to address the physical connections. When we look beyond the physical clutter we can begin to see the body and mind connection. Let’s look at how clutter relates to the physical body. Often when you have clutter you’re also dealing with health concerns or excess body weight, which has you feel the same way the clutter does—drained, no balance, heavy and wanting to get out of your body. In a cluttered space there is no real life present, there is limited movement or it can be difficult to move about the space, there is no balance, and walking into the space can make you feel uncomfortable or wanting to leave the space. For some, the clutter is a way of protecting themselves, just as excess body weight can be a form of protection. Getting to the root cause of the physical body issues is key in being able to get rid of the clutter in your environment. Weight loss or addressing health concerns opens the door and motivates you to get rid of clutter permanently and decluttering an environment clears the way to weight loss or resolving health issues. Additionally, getting rid of the physical clutter can cause lifestyle changes.
In my next post, I’ll share the mental connections to clutter.
« Procrastination Awareness Month Audio 4
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May 11th, 2012
 Owning a business is exciting. Being an entrepreneur frees you from the clutches of an employer and offers the chance to set your own schedule while doing work you truly love. If you’ve been working from a home office for a few years, you may now be considering the option of renting office space.
While renting an office can bring many benefits, it also comes with certain expenses. As such, before signing an office space lease, closely consider whether this transition is necessary and also evaluate the potential benefits it can offer. Here are some of the details to consider before making this office move.
Assess the Costs
While you may love the idea of moving your business to a professional office space, you must also assess the costs that will come with the transition. Office space costs are quite high in some locations and, depending on the potential rent costs, ensure that this will be an affordable change for your business’s current budget before signing the lease.
In addition to reviewing the rent costs, also consider any other potential expenses such as moving and storage services, utilities and more. By evaluating all possible expenses, you’ll know whether this change is feasible on the business’s current budget.
Review Current Working Conditions
Working from a home basement office with no windows likely won’t provide the best environment for success. If you’re unhappy with your current office space, renting an office may be the best alternative. However, before signing a lease, review several business space options to find the ideal location. A few office building inspections to complete include reviewing the conditions of the properties, the rent costs and the overall working environments.
Create Future Plans
While a home office may be suitable for you during the business startup days, it may not be sufficient forever. Decide whether renting an office space is the right move by creating future business plans. If you hope to expand the company to recruit more local clients and to hire employees, the transition to a professional office space may be necessary. Again, compare a few office buildings before making the final selection to ensure the building you choose will meet the company’s needs for several years.
Making the Transition
If you decide that renting an office space is necessary, the next step is to make the transition. Moving into an office building includes many tasks such as packing up your home office and ensuring that equipment remains secure during the move. Moving and storage services are often beneficial when moving from one office to another and may be necessary for you to successfully make this transition.
Many responsibilities come with being a business owner, including the decision of where to set up shop. If you feel that your home office is no longer meeting your business’s needs, renting office space may be a great option. By renting an office, you can take the next step towards achieving future goals to increase your business’s success.
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May 11th, 2012
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may 10, 2012
You can also check out serviced offices. Serviced office space Nottingham for example, helps you minimize expenses because these office spaces some equipped with office facilities, equipment and even furniture, which greatly helps minimize your expenses. Both of these options also provide receptionists or telephone operators so you need not hire additional staff members out of your own pocket and this will help you minimize your company’s operational expenses. Before you start to look for companies to hire however, you need to set a budget. Setting a price range will help you identify offices you can afford to rent and those you can’t. Either way, you need to carefully go over all available options before you choose a specific company to do business with.
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