October 2008 Archives

Vacation's over, ladies. It's time for the onset of labor pains. Even if you weren't away during the month of August, everyone else was. So, the likelihood is that work was slow, the torrent of e-mail had turned into a trickle, and leaving work early, unseen by a vacationing boss, was a sunny possibility. But now, it's back to business. Post Labor Day, we stop wearing open-toed shoes and start wearing darker colors, while working longer or harder hours...or both. Jane ponders, how can one make the transition from summer to autumn seem a little less off-putting?

Jane, prolific penstress that she is, currently has an assignment with a major newspaper on the topic of "Going Green." While the phrase itself has become somewhat tired, the theory behind it, that we should save resources to make the world a better place now and in the future, has serious legs. With thoughts of going green whirling in her head, Jane started considering the steps hotel guests can take to make their stays more environmentally correct.

Now, Jane knows that the last thing a weary road warrior wants to concern herself with during her business trip is saving the world (unless she is Angelina Jolie). However, if you can incorporate some simple "going green" techniques into your everyday life, you can bring those with you on the road as well, and thus join with the hotel industry to develop good earthkeeping practices.

As she stays up well past her bedtime night after night, fueled by a late afternoon Starbucks caffeine kick and sheer determination, Jane has been pondering what lessons we, as businesswomen, can learn from the Olympic Games. Watching a 41-year-old Dara Torres win two silver medals and watching a 38-year-old Constantina Tomescu win gold in the marathon assures us one is never too old to succeed. (38 and 41 in the sports world are equivalent to 58 and 61...or maybe 68 and 71...in the real world). One learns that years of toiling in obscurity can sometimes pay off in the biggest way.

China is in the spotlight this month, as it hosts the Summer Olympics. The scope, range and magnificence of this vast country were brought into focus during the Opening Ceremonies. Quite spectacular, in Jane's HO.