And the trailer for the movie for your viewing pleasure…

“If you can dodge a wrench – you can dodge a ball!!”

I have been very pleased with Proflowers ever since I met some of their senior management about 6 years ago when I was with JCPenney.  With an amazing business model that delivers top quality products very quickly, I knew they had to have something that would put a smile on a 3 year olds face.  I found the “Beary Happy Birthday Box“.  It was 7:30 pm PT the night before the birthday, yet I was able to order it and get it shipped for delivery the next day.  The excitement and smiles were awesome and I am thankful that Proflowers had a solution for me to make it happen.

With the help of DealTaker, we have been able to raise just over $6,400 so far (over the initial $5,000 goal that was set).  The team on which I am walking, Affiliate Marketers Give Back, has raised money beyond the $50,000 goal that was set (and it also places us in the top 5 teams raising money for the LA Walk).  All in all the path up to the event has exceeded my expectations and my excitement is extremely high.

I again want to express my thanks to all those around us that have participated with well wishes, encouragement and donations.  That, combined with the goal to raise money and awareness for a cause that affects so many around us, leaves me even more humbe than when I started.  I hope to be able to do my part and complete the walk to the best of my ability.  I plan to be tweeting on my Blackberry throughout the event (http://www.twitter.com/kstraw) and will also be bringing a video camera to capture snippets of the event that I will then use to create a small compilation – I will post that here as soon as possible after the event.

I am forever grateful for all the support.

Kstraw

So one of the things you do when you launch a new product is a logo – check – and a tag line.  Uh Oh, no tag line.  Now tag lines can sometimes make or break you so I wanted the tag line for newatnoon to really stick with you and reflect what the site is.   Now whether this reflects my warped sense of humor or not remains to be seen, but all I could think about was “a nooner”.  Seriously, you can’t voice that sort of thing outloud in the office, so I kept it to myself (this took a great deal of effort on my part).  The problem is “nooner” was the only thing I could think about.  I was totally stumped, sort of like a tag-line block.

Finally, and I can’t tell how relived I was, someone else from the office mentioned it first.  After that all bets were off.  “Newatnoon – putting a twist on a nooner”.   Trust me it got weirder from there, but you get the idea.   Come to find out that once the cat was out of the bag, everyone was thinking the same thing about “nooner” .

As I sit here writing this post the whole team is still throwing around ideas for taglines and how could we possibly fit “nooner” into the tagline.   We haven’t come up with a tag line yet, so if you have any ideas let us know.   After all, who wants a boring “nooner”?

However, after consulting with a good colleague at Road Runner Sports in San Diego, she suggested the Men’s Nike Zoom Vomero+ 4.  Because of the extra focus on cushioning (which is best for the long walk) and the good look of them, I decided to make those the shoes to wear.  Basically, I got the best shoes possible by shopping at RRS online – they provide so much information that the shopping part is easy.  Thank you Road Runner.

I can’t wait to get them this week and start breaking them in - Just in time for the Avon Walk September 12-13, 2009.

I am going to humbly represent DealTaker and our team of dedicated people by walking with the Affiliate Marketers Give Back Team led by Missy Ward.  Missy has been a strong supporter of many charitable projects throughout the years and I am honored to have an opportunity to give back along with a great group of people joining us this year (including Melissa Salas of Buy.com).

The walk is one month from today and I will be geared toward training for the 40 mile walk, raising money via the support of the DealTaker community, colleagues and friends, and working to make a difference in an area that affects too many people around the world.  I will post updates on the Inside DealTaker blog from time-to-time, as well as keep up with a daily journal on my own blog at KstrawWalks.

Where you can, please join me in support – either through monetary donations via my personal page on the Avon site at  -

Kstraw Avon Walk LA September 12-13, 2009

Thanks in advance for your support!!

Most of the time you can find me at my desk working usually with loud music accompanying my mission to put a dent in my work load or scoping out stores for deals and coupons.  On the rare occasion that my chair is empty, you could find me in my backyard tending to the garden, running around the house cleaning, on the floor playing with our dog, in the kitchen whipping up some tasty vegetarian meal,  or taking a walk around town.  I’m one of those people that likes to be doing something at all times.  If you find me laying in bed or on the sofa during the day it’s usually because I’m trying to get rid of a headache or I need a power nap (doesn’t happen often).

A typical day for me starts with waking up to my alarm clock around 9am-10am.  After my usual morning routine I make my way down the stairs and turn on my coffee maker.  There could be a category 5 hurricane angrily whipping at my house, but I would still find a way to make it to the kitchen to hit that little “on” button.  The second thing I do is turn on my computer and get everything started up.  The speakers are turned on, I put on my glasses , I check all the notes that I wrote the day before, I make sure my pink calculator and phone is nearby and I pick out my nail polish of the day (yes, I have my quirks).

By this time the coffee is done brewing and I make a mad dash into the kitchen to make my first cup of coffee.  The first sip is always the best and I smile a little smile as I feel the caffienne rush through me bringing me to life.  Once back at the computer I log onto DealTaker and  I check my 4 e-mail accounts for updates on sales and coupons and I put my personal e-mails in my misc. folder promising myself that I will get them at some point that day (never quite happens).  I log onto IM and say my usual good mornings to my incredibly awesome co-workers.  Surprisingly, despite the fact that some of us are scattered, we do a great job keeping in touch and keeping the lines of communication opened.

For the rest of my morning (between capping off my cup of coffee) and early afternoon I’m posting coupons, working on projects, working on the boards, etc.  Usually, around 2pm, I take a break to whip up an early dinner and enjoy my daily meal away from the computer.  I only eat one meal a day and I try to make sure it’s not at my desk.  I do enjoy a couple snacks a day that I eat while I’m working.  I can very easily tell you what snacks work best at a desk and what snacks aren’t the most accommodating.  Just recently I learned that eating corn on the cob doesn’t work well at the desk.  Once I was done I spent about five minutes wiping corn juice splatters off my screen.

After I eat I try to go outside for a half hour and engage in some sort of activity.  It’s important for me to be outside getting fresh air at some point throughout the day.  Once I’m done enjoying my fresh air and sunshine I run around the house to get a few things done before “Live At Five.”  That’s what I call the start of my scheduled shift.  At this time I work my usual evening shift that ends when most of the population is already sound asleep dreaming about chocolate fountains and running from mosters that don’t exist.

After my shift ends I normally stay on for a bit and catch up on some work or throw out a few more deals and coupons.  My music selection at this time tends to drop down to more soothing music like Enya or Enigma.  Or, sometimes, I turn it off and listen to the late night sounds coming from outdoors or my partying neighbors who always find something to dispute about on their front lawn at the wee hours.   Most nights I turn off my computer around 3am, sometimes a bit earlier if I’m wiped out.  The coffee gets ground for when I wake up, Tanner is taken out one last time, the lights get shut off, my glasses are taken off and put on top of my laptop, I jot down any notes that I might need for the morning, and I make my way upstairs to bed.

I lay in bed thinking about what needs to be done when I wake up.  I take my sip of water before getting comfortable, make sure my favorite pink fluffy blanket is by my pillow (I never grew out of the “woobie” stage in my life), roll onto my tummy and, usually by 4am, ease into sleep.