Last week, I set my father (Peter Post) up with an interview on summer attire at work. I got the link to the article yesterday and thought it was hysterical! The bottom line with dressing for work is to know your office environment and plan accordingly. But I thought this article really gave the topic a great sense of humor (and a good dose of reality too). Check it out.
Last weekend I had the honor of giving the commencement
address for Brewster Academy's 2008
commencement ceremony. It was truly a
treat. The school not only invited me
but they invited Drick as well! So, I
had my honey with me on a business trip for a change which was great! The Brewster folks really know how to make
their guests feel at ease and welcome in the town of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. We were treated to not just an amazing room
at the Afton Inn, but also a delightful dinner out the night before.
Doctor and Mrs. Copper (my hosts) did
a fantastic job at easing my nerves. (Yes, I was nervous.) This was my
first graduation speech and I’m pleased to say that it went well. (Despite the fact that my heart was pounding
like a cannon moments before I got up there.) I can certainly deliver a speech,
but that doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous, and it doesn’t mean the speech will
be well received. I knew I had written a
good one, but you still wonder the whole time (especially when you pause for a
joke that no one laughs at) whether or not people are connecting with it. This was a big day for that graduating class
and I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just some stuffy expert up there
pontificating my beliefs, morals, and methods for life onto kids who really
just want the whole thing to be over so they can revel in the joys and freedom of
summer.
I was ecstatic when a number of the students found me at the luncheon following the graduation and not only thanked me for coming, but said that they truly enjoyed the speech. WOW is pretty much all I can think of. I was stunned. Maybe I don’t have enough faith in today’s teens or maybe I wasn’t a very grateful one myself, but I was seriously impressed that these students took the initiative to say something nice to me afterward. It absolutely made my day. So thank you, Brewster Academy, for such a great experience and for turning out such a fantastic group of young men and women! : )
So you really, really need something done by a co-worker who just sent out an email saying she’d be leaving an hour early today. You realize you have 30 minutes to get what you need her to do done. So how do you make it happen?
In my case, instead of just asking Katherine to take care of my editing for me, I offered her a swap. If she can edit my content before she leaves, then while she’s doing it I’ll organize the tip cards she’s so busily trying to get printed and sorted by the time she has to go.
Hello everyone!
Thanks for the welling wishing on moving in. Unfortunately it takes a lot longer than I hoped and man you can really find some hang ups. Thing are moving along though. I'm off on business for the next two days. But I have some good blogs in mind for the rest of the week. Hopefully I'll have something for you to read by tonight or tomorrow morning! It's been an interesting few days off!
Talk to you all soon! Take Care! Lizzie
A while ago (remember back when I was 24..ah ha ha!) Anna, Matt and I flew up to Toronto, Canada to work on a project. It was a whirlwind of a day that started at about 7 am with wardrobe, hair and makeup and didn't end until late that night with a post filming dinner and loads of fun conversation.
Yen, from the Ellis Vision Inc. just sent us photos from the day so I thought I'd share them here. There's also a photo album to the left that will be up for the next couple months.
My new career as a roving reporter....Kidding! Jeff was our sound guy and Gord (in the green shirt) was the director and camera man.
I had to get used to speaking directly into the camera. For interviews they train you not to, but for this project we had to go for it. I think I was still getting used to it here :)
Jeff had to keep switching where my battery pack went to ensure it wouldn't cause an unflattering tumor like lump on me. I felt so Laura Croft of the etiquette world...if there is..such a...thing...
You can check out more of these in the photo album to the left!
I should also let you guys know I'm going on vacation for the next three days (Wed-Fri) to actually unpack and work on my new house! If I can I'll get in a blog or two, no promises though, there's a lot of work to be done. THANKS!-- LP
As I sat in bed that morning waiting for my alarm to go off (Anytime I’m excited, I wake up hours before I’m supposed to, and spend that time thinking, and cat napping until I absolutely have to get up.), I realized I had no idea what the day would hold, all I knew was that I had to have my best game today. At that thought, I grabbed my cell and called E for advice. “Prepare yourself for a marathon. Eat protein for breakfast and relax, they’ll take care of you once you’re there, you just need to keep yourself fed and on point. It’ll be a very long day.” (By the way, here's the link to The Tyra Banks Show)
I gave myself two hours to get ready, which seemed absurd. But sure enough, before I knew it Matt was calling to come and meet me. I checked out, left my bag with the hotel, and we went to grab some protein. I got a delicious BLT, and mowed. We went back to the hotel lobby, grabbed my bags, and waited for someone from the show to come and meet us. When we got to our green room there were food and drinks set out for us, and the senior associate producer came almost instantly to get us. She popped me into hair and makeup, and the women there were fantastic! Afterward, she went over the show and kept making sure I was prepared for what would be happening. She then explained that we would do a quick rehearsal to help block out the staging of it, and so that I would know how the show would move, and what to expect. The run-through was pretty funny, one of the executive producers stood in for Tyra, and one of the stage crew stood in for the guests, and they were hamming it up! It made me feel much more relaxed, especially once I got to see and experience how I was going to move throughout the show.
As we were on stage and I was feeling more comfortable, I did a silly walk over to Matt to release a little energy. As I turned around, there she was, Ms. Tyra Banks. Looking sweet and demure, she was listening to her crew tell her about the run-through. I admit I was thrown by her height. I was in very high heels and she was in flats so she didn’t seem to tower over me even though I know she’s 5’11” and I’m 5’6” flat foot. When we were brought together, we introduced ourselves, and as I shook her hand, I realized just how real she was. Polite and paying attention, she was as normal as can be. The crew briefed her on a few things, and then she went backstage to get ready.
I was nervous when the show started, the run-through was one thing, but the taping is different, and hello, I was really going to be interacting with Tyra. The only thing that really threw me was when Tyra gave me a hug and kept her arm around me. I had no idea what to do, do I put my arm around her? Will her body guard tackle me from off stage? Do I look freaked out right now? Just keep smiling I guess. I can’t wait to see how that turns out. Once we got into the etiquette though, I felt so much more comfortable. Ok, so I know this is what you all want to know: What was Tyra like?
Awesome! If you were looking for dirt there is NONE. Completely professional, she was very nice, naturally funny, and not at all diva-like or pretentious. She’s real. I mean, we didn’t have any deep conversations or anything, but she seems like the kind of girl you’d want to be your best bud. Funny and lighthearted, not full of herself at all, and really wanting to help people-she makes the perfect talk show host.
One tiny mishap actually really made my day. I thought Tyra had asked me to sign a copy for her friend who was waiting just off stage. So after the show I went over to her and signed the book. Turned out that was Tyra’s executive assistant and she wanted the book signed for Tyra! OOPS! While we were waiting for another book to sign, the senior associate producer who had been helping me out suggested that I mail a copy to her, and the exec. assistant said Tyra wanted it that evening to read. That meant a lot to me.
I want to thank Tyra, and all of the staff who produce and run her show, they are a fun group who made me feel so comfortable. I really appreciate that they came to Emily Post for their etiquette needs. Thank You.
I’m back from New York, and it was a crazy trip. On Monday, I arrived (Our flight was on time and smooth sailing, no pizza needed from Jet Blue.) at the Flatotel, unfortunately I couldn’t check in until 4pm – it was 1:30pm. Rather than leave my bag I decided to just take everything over to my friend Dave’s house, where I could change and settle a little until my room was ready.
On the cab ride over, Matt called to remind me that the Nik and Val show in Vancouver would be calling for my weekly segment. Hmmm in a cab, in a noisy city, on live radio….how do I pull this off? HONESTLY—I decided. I told the cab driver what would be happening, and asked for an estimate on the fare. I told him how much to take for a tip and said I’m very sorry about it all, but thank you very much in advance. He was great.
Then when the producer called, I explained the situation to her as well, and when I got on air, Nik and Val even knew that I was in a cab and announced it on the radio. So my secret was out! They thought it was great. I realized though as I got out of the cab to wait for Dave to meet me on the corner of 49th and 1st, that I couldn’t hear what Nik and Val were saying because the city was too loud. So I ducked into a little corner market and finished my interview. I thanked the store workers and apologized when I left, but it was so much easier to hear them in there.
Dave showed me his parents’ apartment, which has a gorgeous roof top, and is extremely cute—lots of little details, and it feels very European (my mum would have loved it). Dave and I went out for Thai food around the corner which was fantastic. At 4pm, we headed to the hotel to drop off my stuff and check out the room.
By room, I mean apartment. This room was way high up, and had a kitchen, office/living room area, king-sized bed with a semi-circle of wrap around windows, and two TV’s. Dave and I researched some restaurants, I had a quick change of attire, and we went to Rosie O’Grady’s for dinner. For a moderately (New York) priced dinner, we feasted on oysters, shrimp cocktail, and filet mignon with a good bottle of Chianti. It was the perfect meal to take my mind off work tomorrow. We met up with Dave’s friend Justin, who was instantly a friend. Funny and smart—I kept thinking he’d be a good match for my sister—the three of us laughed all night long, at midnight when it became Dave’s birthday, we cheered! Thoroughly exhausted and psyched that I would get to sleep in the following day, I headed back to the hotel to curl up.
I woke up the next morning and realized, today I’ll meet Tyra Banks. Pretty darn cool, I thought, as I looked out the windows that displayed New York in front of me. Tomorrow you’ll get as many details as I can give. The show doesn’t air until September and I don’t want to spoil a thing!
So the day has arrived. I'm going to be taping the Tyra Banks Show today. I've got two hours till I go to the show, I'm staying at the Flatotel, (THANK YOU TYRA it's gorgeous and so so so so quiet, which I appreciate more than anything else!) and I'm dying for some bacon and eggs. I'm not gonna lie- I'm nervous. I know I just need to have fun, think about my content, and behave myself. I haven't met too many famous people. The Clintons, and, well... I think that might be it. God please don't let me be star struck and speechless!
It's booked! I'm heading to NYC to do a pool etiquette segment for NBC Weekend Today, it will air tomorrow (Saturday) around 8am. It's a live show and I'll be nervous, so don't laugh! But it should be a fun segment. WISH ME LUCK!
So a few weeks ago my dad and I did something really
cool. We did an interview for the
Associated Press together, talking about generational differences. I love this topic because it allows us to stress
to the American public that etiquette isn’t old fashioned. Rules and manners may change, but treating
people with consideration will never go out of style. Here’s a link to the site. I hope you really enjoy it! Once you're on the AP site, click the blue type that says "See the interactive here".
