Just wrapped up our first AZVAs “REAL TALK” conference call, and it made me realize two things: I needed to dust off and update the Calendar of Events for Solopreneurs elsewhere on Loosely Speaking to reflect all that’s in store for 2011. I want to organize a second AZVAs retreat for those of you in [...]

These times provide lots of opportunities for extending simple kindnesses, and taking care of “our chother,” as my children called it when they were tiny. After a weekend of exploring Social Media with my bro-ski, our Mom and I loaded up her car for the return drive down to the south ‘burbs. However, the Mom-mobile [...]

On the streets of Chicago, lurching from one chilly January adventure to another. Just a few of our stop offs: Quick stop at the Green Mill, where we enjoyed an Irish Coffee and channeled the filming of High Fidelity and some jazz greats from eras long past. A search-with-a-happy-ending at Webster-Kennedy, purveyor of light bulbs [...]

It was a windy one in Tucson this weekend when Arizona and ASU finished up their seasons with a terrific 3-game series. Even better for our ‘Cats: they took the series after dropping the opener on Thursday night. While in Tucson we met a delightful couple from Grenoble, France, who were also guests at the [...]

We have been looking for the ideal spot (in terms of price, amenities, location, and service) for repeat visits to Tucson, Arizona. We found it this weekend at the Sam Hughes Inn. We enjoyed the other guests, loved the layout of the property, and found it meets our needs perfectly. We explored this cool Historic [...]

This is the final installment in a three-part series on wardrobe management for self-employed women. To read the the previous articles in this series: VA Fashionista Part 1: Review and Edit Your Wardrobe VA Fashionista Part 2: Scrutinizing and Updating Your Wardrobe In this installment, we’re going to talk about how to organize your luggage [...]

Ok, I’m not that far from home, but am writing this in Mexico (Puerto Peñaco, Sonora). While being a virtual worker and working while mobile and away from the office is something I’ve mentioned before, this is different, for me at least. Puerto Peñasco is experiencing tremendous growth and the number of WIFI spots has [...]

Amber Drake (caricature seen at right), owner of Essential Admin, and I became acquainted several years ago and have enjoyed a strictly email-based friendship since then. It was a great pleasure to meet up with Amber and some other Idaho VAs in person recently in Spokane. Amber first captured my imagination when she took her [...]

Many people will tell you that they are drawn to the virtual assistance profession because they believe it will be a flexible fit with their family life. Interestingly, that sounds a LOT like the reason so many women are attracted the education profession. I have worked in both fields and, while there are clear benefits [...]

I may be the only person who was actually in Chicago last Sunday AT Soldier Field whose exposure to the Bears was nothing but a drive-by-with-windows-down. Ok, so technically I wasn’t at Soldier Field but nearby briefly.