Kristie Wells – Page 3 – Musings from Kiki

Paris in December

December 4, 2011December 1, 2013Kristie Wells

Heuer and I are in Paris again for the Le Web conference, and this time we have chosen to rent an apartment located on the edge of the Marais. I have come to love this neighborhood and can’t imagine staying anywhere else now. So much to do here. So easy to get anywhere we need to be on the Metro.

The apartment was lovely, with a nice updated kitchen and good sized living area. The only down side was the loft bedroom has a fairly low roof. Like ridiculously low.

It did give us a good chuckle, and while there was another bedroom on the main floor, the bed upstairs was larger and more comfortable, so we decided to deal with it. Happy to announce I only cracked my head on the roof twice during the week. Heuer won’t admit how many times he hit it.

This trip we were able to take in two new museums, the Centre Georges Pompidou:

And the Musée d’Orsay, where the only photos allowed are on a platform where you can soak in the views of the city, which some will call art:

We of course ate our way through the city as usual, and nothing disappointed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just need to get better at writing the names down so I can remember them and/or offer recommendations.

You can see more photos of our trip to Paris here: Paris 2011 Set

We have decided to take an extra week this time to explore a bit more of this country and will be heading to Chamonix in the French Alps for some skiing [please snow!], Geneva and Annecy. Stay tuned!

Riding in a Zeppelin

October 29, 2011December 1, 2013Kristie Wells

We had a chance to take a 45 minute flight on the Zeppelin Eureka around San Francisco Bay thanks to the team at Airship Ventures. It was a fantastic time soaking in a unique view of this place I call home, including the incredible beauty of the salt ponds, which change color based on the concentrations of algae, brine shrimp and other pond life.

See more photos at: Zeppelin Set

Social Media Best Practices: Airlines and Airports

June 24, 2011November 28, 2011Kristie Wells

I was invited to speak at the 2011 Marketing and Communications Conference/JumpStart® Air Service Development Program in Cleveland, Ohio on June 21st and dug into Social Media Best Practices for Airports and Airlines.

As an ‘outsider’, it was nice being invited into their community and given the chance to share how I see the interactions between airports and airlines with fellow travelers. Some do exceptionally well – others have a long road ahead of them – but as with anything socially based, it takes practice, it takes dedication, and it takes someone willing to put the time in to help others.

My Presentation was called ‘Social Media Best Practices for the Airline Industry‘ and it can be seen below:

View more presentations from Kristie Wells

New trend: 20-30 year olds getting botox

May 28, 2011November 25, 2011Kristie Wells

As a 43 year old woman, I like to stay in the know on the trends to help keep the wrinkle fairy away. I already try to minimize my time in the sun. I drink lots of water. I remember to use a moisturizer a couple times a week.
Kiki-Wrinkle

While it was enough for the first 42 years of my life, signs of age are creeping its way onto my face…and I am far from pleased about it.

I need to do more.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons released a new report showing trends in plastic surgery. No surprise that breast augmentation is still number one, or that many surgical procedures are being replaced by noninvasive treatments.

The report shows the number of ‘noninvasive’ treatments in the last ten years were;

* Botox injections: 5.4 million, up 584 percent.
* Wrinkle fillers: 1.8 million, up 172 percent.
* Laser hair removal: 937,601, up 27 percent.

What *was* surprising however, was that 2.4 million procedures were performed on people in their 30s, an increase of 4 percent. Key words there –> IN THEIR 30’S.

I am used to people having this ‘botox’ discussion when in their 40’s and 50’s, but I never thought about stopping wrinkles before they really form. This is pure genius! Of course this realization comes as I am now in my 40’s and the wrinkles are pretty well set…but it does make the conversation of ‘to do or not to do’ a little more interesting as I consider the impact of slowing the process down so I can maybe avoid the ‘full face lift’ conversation in my 50’s or 60’s. My thoughts now turn to just how much I hate the crow’s feet and whether or not I am willing to inject poison into my system to minimize them.

But it is nice to know there are more noninvasive options to consider. I like noninvasive.

The end of the world shall take place on my birthday.

May 23, 2011May 30, 2011Kristie Wells

Awesome.

There has been a lot of chatter across the web as well as around the proverbial water coolers on the coming of Rapture.

The End of the World and I STILL Feel Fine | Biology Of Technology

It all started with Harold Camping, a minister based in the Bay Area who proclaimed May 21, 2011 would be Judgement Day and those who have given themselves to God would ascend into Heaven and everyone else will spend the next five (5) months waiting for the end of days to come – this day was October 21, 2011.

I can’t imagine the amount of money spent on the 100’s of billboards placed around the nation or the advertising campaigns, both print and online. I bet it was substantial and I wonder what other causes that might have benefited from these funds. Can someone say cancer research? Improving education? Improving medical services for our veterans?

But I digress…

When May 21st came and went, Mr. Camping stood behind his original prediction and reinforced the October 21st date as the real end of days. Now, I am not here to support or deny this proclamation, I am merely here to say:

Party at my house – to celebrate my birthday, and possibly the end of the world. Now, I am told there is a big fire expected, so bring marshmallows, and some chocolate bars. I think making smores would be a fun group activity – and that is how I want to go out of this world, surrounded by the ones I love, doing something fun, together.

I love you all.

Keep your promises. Your reputation depends on it.

April 22, 2011May 30, 2011Kristie Wells

This philosophy was embedded into my head early on in childhood.

My parents built a successful machine shop/parts business with the proverbial blood, sweat and tears, but most importantly, by dealing with their customers openly, honestly and they always – without fail – kept their word.

My parents work ethic is insane, and part of me is glad that gene lives within me (of course, the other part curses it as I want to blow everything off and lounge by the pool). If my dad promised a motor would be built by a certain date, it was, even if it meant working nights and/or weekends to get it done on time. If they quoted a project and it somehow came in more expensive, my mom made good on the original quote.

My parents knew their customers depended on having accurate, trustworthy information and they built a reputation on keeping their promises, and their customers responded positively. My parents owned their business for 30+ years, and were one of the busiest, and dare I say, one of the most profitable machine shops in the area.

They showed me the importance of earning the trust of your customers and building a reputation you can be proud of.

I could not have had better mentors.

I love you mom and dad.

Road Trip 2011: Washington, D.C.

April 11, 2011November 25, 2011Kristie Wells

Cherry_Blossom_DC

Headed to DC for a couple of days, played tourist a bit, met some of Heuer’s American University buddies and spent time with our friends Coleman, Nabeeha and beautiful baby Sanah.

Didn’t take a lot of photos this trip, but was able to get down to the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park and catch the last bit of the Cherry Blossom Festival. So beautiful this time of year, and you can see the few photos I took here.