Virtual Musings

Zicam finally held accountable!

This week, the FDA finally took the steps to hold Matrixx, the manufacturers of Zicam, accountable for the error of their ways.

As some of you may recall, I wrote about the loss my taste and smell as a result of using Zicam in 2003 (see postings for 08/26/09 and 09/02/09). It’s been a long, stressful, and expensive journey, to say the least! There was…and may still be…only one doctor in the United States who treated this condition and he was in Washington, DC. The treatment was costly, but, as my husband Jeff reminded me, I possibly looking at living with this devastating condition for the rest of my life.

We decided it was worth the risk and I visited Dr. Robert Henkin in January 2004. I am one of the lucky few who recovered my taste and smell. I am still under Dr. Henkin’s care, which requires me to travel to Washington, DC, annually and take medication daily.

Through this process, I’ve met literally hundreds of people online who have had the same experience with Zicam. We all experienced a horrendous burning sensation as it is destroying your cells and the pain literally brings you to your knees. There’s no doubt something bad is happening. Yet Matrixx continues to deny that there’s a problem.

I was part of a class-action suit in which those plaintiffs that used the Zicam spray received a $21,000 settlement. Those of us who used the swabs received nothing because the medical team was unable to confirm (without a doubt) that the swabs could cause such a loss. However, Matrixx claims it’s never paid a settlement.

To date, I've spent approximately $14,000 related to regaining and keeping my taste and smell. There's nothing I can do about that, but I do want Matrixx to be forced in to the truth.

So, after years of so many of us writing to the FDA and other agencies, it’s good to see Matrixx all over the news and being held accountable. On one hand I’m so happy! On the other hand, there are so many of us who have suffered at their hands as they chose to look the other way.

And one last thought..."When you lose your taste and smell, it's like almost half of your world becomes invisible." ~ Anonymous

A Cool Tool Discovery!!!!

In my last blog posting, I wrote about purchasing a new laptop and the learning curve that goes along with new software (in this case, Microsoft Vista and Office 97). Now, I’d like to tell you about a great, easy-to-use, new tool that I discovered thanks to the woman I call my “Technical Goddess,” Heather O’Donnell!

As a Virtual Assistant, I store a multitude of files on my computer…my own as well as those of my clients. I was dreading moving them all to the new laptop. That’s when Heather came to my rescue! She told me about a product called Drop Box, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, and makes it so easy to move, share, and/or store your files online!

Feeling overwhelmed by the learning curve I’d created for myself, I was greatly relieved to find out how easy Drop Box was to use. I just downloaded the free version to both computers and was able to place up to 2GB of files in “my box” on my old computer. Then, I went to “my box” on my new computer and moved the files to their new locations. It was so simple!

Drop Box has two pricing plans:

• Basic Plan provides you with 2GB of space for free!
• Pro Plan provides you with 50 GB of space for $9.99 per month or $99 per year.

For the time being, since I don’t know how often I’ll use it, I’ve selected the Basic Plan. As I was moving files, I filled my “box” with the maximum number of files that would fit and, after moving them to the new computer, I just deleted them from the box so I could reload it with new files.

Wandering in the Land of Microsoft Vista

You haven’t heard from me recently because I just purchased a new laptop and I’ve been installing/ transferring software, moving files, and getting used to having a new computer. As is standard now, it came with the Vista operating system. I admit to being concerned! After hearing so many tales of woe from people who have been using it for a while, it’s a bit like waiting for the other shoe to drop. But so far, so good!

Of course, I couldn’t’ just leave it at that. Oh n-o-o-o-o-o! I also upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 and learn to find my way through that as well. To say I created a learning curve for myself is understating the situation. Over the years, I’ve became very familiar with where things were located in Windows XP and Office 2003. And…no surprise to anyone who knows me…I get frustrated when I’m forced to change old habits. Well, now they went and changed the dang menus on me!

While I think Office 2007 is more logical in some ways, it’s frustrating when you want to manipulate a table or wrap the text in a cell and you can’t find your old friend, the Table menu! I quickly learned to fall back on displaying a menu by right-clicking on whatever I happen to be doing. More often than not, I can find what I need. But thankfully, Microsoft anticipated the problems that people like me would face in making this change and they came up with some great interactive guides.

Check them out! Just go to Microsoft’s Download Center (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx) and search for Office Interactive. The search results give you plenty to choose from and you can download them directly to your computer.

To get started, I downloaded Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint since those are the tools I seem to use most often. I placed the shortcuts on my desktop so I can find them quickly and they’ve been a great help.

Volunteering...Virtually!

I recently read about a way to do volunteer work virtually. Now, as a Virtual Assistant, that’s right up my alley! I visited the Volunteer Match site, “Where volunteering begins,” and was amazed at all the virtual volunteer opportunities! There were 269 of them and they cover a wide spectrum of skills. Here’s just a taste of what I found in the way of virtual volunteering:

• Part-time administrative assistant (two to three hours a week for six weeks) for a pet rescue group.
• Marketing volunteer for a bead museum to enter data into online calendars for beading classes, educational programs, exhibition openings, lectures, book signings and more. Another project is locating bead or jewelry related sites on the internet and reviewing their site and/or online store.
• Prayer partner to join this groups staff and volunteers each morning to pray for the needs of each other, clients, the community, and the world.
• Grant writer for an adult resource and training center to identify potential funding sources, develop grant proposals, draft evaluation plans, submit documents, and follow up with funders
• Tutors for students online via a virtual Study Zone platform.
• Web and Graphics Design with a Christian group.

So, if you want to add “volunteer” to the list of many things that you do, I invite you to check it out.

And one last thought…”Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” ~ Erma Brombeck

My hero…The Duke…John Wayne

I grew up in a very small town in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Mammoth Lakes had a population of about 200 full-time residents in the early 60s. We moved there when I was in the eighth grade and, having moved from Southern California, it was a little like “Little House on the Prairie”! The entire “junior high” group of seventh and eighth graders…all 20 of us!...were in one classroom, with 10 seventh graders on one side of the room and 10 eighth graders on the opposite side of the room.

Our teacher, Miss Metros, was young and very cool! One day, we came to class and she announced that we were going to go on a nature hike. No one questioned her. We just got on the bus…which she drove…and headed to Hot Creek.

Now, actually getting down to Hot Creek was a bit of a hike, but well worth it. Most of us had been swimming there at one time or another and it was great fun. It was a creek in a small canyon that had geysers bubbling up here and there. So, you could jump into cold water and the next thing you know, hot water from one of the geysers was coming down the stream.

Well, we didn’t go swimming that day. Instead, we met a hero in the flesh! John Wayne was there filming “North to Alaska.” We watched him shoot a couple of scenes and then he rode his horse back up the hiking trail. When we hiked back up to the top of the trail, Miss Metros asked one of the crew where we might find our favorite cowboy. She was told to knock on his dressing room trailer door and he would be happy to meet us.

Reflections

At this time of year, it seems appropriate to reflect on the past year. Overall, this has been a good year. I feel very blessed in so many ways, including:

• My business has "settled in." I have four terrific clients who keep me challenged and busy. They are very appreciative of the work I do for them and often share words of gratitude with me.
• I love my career as a Virtual Assistant! I left corporate America three years ago and I've never regretted it!
• My husband, Jeff, and I put our Rio Rancho, New Mexico, home on the market and sold it for the full asking price in five days! That's unheard of in this economic environment!
• We relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jeff was born here and, for him, this is coming home. For me, it's a grand adventure! I've always loved Santa Fe and am so happy to be able to call it home.
• I took a beginning stained glass class. I'm also getting back into other hobbies...cross-stitch, tin punch, and other things that I dabble in. This is part of my commitment to balance my personal and business life!
• We moved my 86-year-old mother and 88-year-old father in to a great retirement community that's only a mile from us. Their social life has greatly improved. It does our hearts good to see everyone treat them so well and them to be so happy.
• Now that we've all moved to Santa Fe, we get to see my brother and sister-in-law more often.
• I "practiced" keeping my work day to five hours a day, which would give me about 100 hours per month. I was better some days than others, but most days I was able to do it.
• Jeff and I attended my high school reunion. Our school was very small, so whenever we manage to organize a reunion, anyone who has ever attended our school is invited! It was wonderful to reconnect with so many old and dear friends.
• I started a newsletter for Lee Vining High School (in Lee Vining, CA) friends and families. It's my hope that we won't lose touch this way and even more people will be able to make it to the next reunion.
• I made the time to make many of my Christmas gifts this year! Somehow, that personal touch seemed important.
• I'm enjoying living in "snow country" again. And, it reminds me how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads and a cozy place to call home.

I hope all of you are also feeling blessed as the year comes to an end. This year seemed to zoom by so quickly! Then, in just a few days, we'll find ourselves debating whether or not to create New Year's resolutions and really stick to them this time! (-:

Here's wishing you a happy holiday season and an incredible 2009!

And one last thought... "Regarding New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." Mark Twain

Giving back...with a click of your mouse!

For a couple of years I’ve been donating to organizations that are fighting:

• Hunger
• Breast cancer
• Child health issues
• Illiteracy
• The destruction of the Rainforest
• The care of animals in need

And it doesn’t cost me anything except a quick click of my mouse!

These organizations are supported by corporate donors who match you mouse click with a monetary contribution. As if that wasn’t enough, 100% of the fees from each sponsorship go to the cause they are supporting.

So here’s how it works! Each morning, I enter the following link into my browser’s address line:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

From there, I have the ability to make donations to up to six charitable organizations. When I visit a site’s homepage, I just click a button to donate. That’s it! That click displays a thank-you page on which sponsor ads are displayed. One hundred percent of the sponsor advertising fees from these ads are distributed to the charitable partners.

Here’s a breakdown of the support opportunities:

• The Hunger Homepage is partnered with two leading charities working to end hunger…Mercy Corps and Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest). These charities build on our efforts by providing food and resources to those suffering from hunger, oppression, and poverty in the U.S. and around the world.
• The Breast Cancer Homepage helps fund mammograms for low income, uninsured, and working poor women through the vital work of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, its partner in caring. It’s also working to increasing awareness of breast cancer through education.
• The Child Health Homepage is partnered with four nonprofit organizations that are reaching out to some of our most vulnerable world citizens: children. These organizations include the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Helen Keller International, Mercy Corps, and Prosthetics Outreach Foundation.

Building my Event Planning Muscles

Last week, I attended a Fred Pryor course entitled “Event Planning Made Easy.” I decided to take this course for two reasons:

1. The previous Fred Pryor course I took (Managing Multiple Priorities, Projects, and Deadlines) was a well-presented course that provided me with some good tools for my Virtual Assistant (VA) practice.
2. I currently assist one client with planning events for her business and assist another client with an annual conference.

This one-day workshop promised that I would “learn the secrets to making meetings, retreats, and even conventions a resounding success.” Past event-planning experience told me I need a class to make the process easier. Well, there’s no question about it…I walked away with a lot of good tools.

The instructor, Bob, is a retired English teacher with a great personality and knows how to deal with adult learners. He had his hands full with approximately 40 to 50 students (as I recall), but used a lot of his own event-planning experiences to support important points and asked questions that kept us involved.

I really appreciate the workbooks that you take home with you when you take a Fred Pryor course. It’s the perfect place to take notes and contains valuable and helpful information. The instructor also talks about tools (sold by the organization and offered at a discount at the class) to further assist you in performing at your highest level.

I appreciated that the Mind Mapping software that I purchased at the Managing Multiple Priorities, Projects, and Deadlines course was also referenced as a resource in this course. I use the tool a lot in my practice for taking notes in meetings and just organizing my thoughts in general. I hadn’t thought about using it as a planning tool and that made me think about a number of other ways I can use it.

But back to event planning! Having planned or participated in the planning of an event, I know how quickly things can get away from you and/or fall through the cracks. This course gave me so many tips and tools to ensure that doesn’t happen in the future.

Never Take Your Taste and Smell for Granted: Part 2

Note: This posting is about a health condition that has been life-changing for me. Because of its length, I posted the first part last week and the remainder this week.

Other things that we count on our taste and smell for happened too. One day I started a fire in my kitchen and couldn’t smell it. Thank goodness I turned around before it got bad. Jeff had to smell the milk products, meat, etc. to ensure they hadn’t spoiled. But the funniest thing happened one night when the dogs got sprayed by a skunk and I brought them into my parents’ house! My Mom started yelling, “Get the dogs out! They were sprayed by a skunk!” I guess it was pretty potent, but you couldn’t prove it by me! But the drawback was…guess who got to bathe them? You got it! The one without smell! (-: One of the weirdest experiences was when I had phantom smells. For example, for about six days, 24 hours a day, I smelled cigarette smoke no matter what I was doing…showering, eating, waking up, etc. As a non-smoker, it was not pleasant. And one other thing that caught my attention was that when I chopped onions I no longer cried. That was a shocker!

During this time, I was supported and educated by a group of people who also suffered from various forms of taste and smell disorders in a Yahoo group called Anosmia   (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/anosmia/) (that is, the loss of the sense of smell). I don’t know what I would have done without them, especially Mick O’Hare. Mick is from the UK and is one of Dr. Henkin’s success stories who continues to post at the Anosmia site. We’ve become great friends through this odyssey and, like Mick, I continue to post at the Anosmia site. Our stories give others hope and hope is all important when you’re dealing with this condition.

Never Take Your Taste and Smell for Granted

Note: This posting is about a health condition that has been life-changing for me and was, in part, previously posted by me when I wrote for The Virtual Wire. Because of its length, I’m posting a portion of it this week and the remainder next week.

In June 2003, my husband, Jeff and I traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, for my step-son’s high school graduation. While we were there, I had the worse cold ever, used an over-the-counter medication, and, as a result, lost my taste and smell.

As I’ve moved through the long recovery process…and not everyone recovers from this devastating condition…one of the symptoms of recovery is “phantom smells.” Well, for the second time in five years, I’m having the same phantom smell! I’m smelling cigarette smoke 24 hours a day and there are no smokers in sight! It feels so real that it’s even giving me headaches, making my eyes burn, and making it difficult to sleep. It also reminds me…once again…to never take these two incredible senses for granted.

Anyway, this brought to mind my original posting on The Virtual Wire and I decided it was worth sharing this information again and bringing things up to date!

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Senses and sensitivity–Part 1
Originally posted August 22, 2006

In last week’s posting, I wrote about visiting Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s a beautiful part of the world, but for me it is a little like visiting the scene of the crime. You see, Jeff and I last visited there three and a half years ago and, as we flew into Seattle, WA, I could already tell I was coming down with a cold. Little did I know how much that would change my life.

It was a doozy of a cold and part of me just wanted to return home and crawl into bed. The cold lingered after we got home, but I finally recovered…I thought. A couple of weeks later, I realized I’d lost my taste and smell! Unless it’s happened to you, you can’t imagine how frightening it feels.

Although I lost my taste and smell in mid-June 2003, it wasn’t until September 2003 that I got in to see an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist. He recommended basic treatment (that is, nose spray and zinc) and said if it didn’t improve in two months, he wanted to send me to the University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital to meet with a specialist who had more experience in this area. Knowing how long it would take to get an appointment, I called the UNM Hospital appointment desk that day and got an appointment for mid-November.