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About a week and a half ago, I received a call from my friend Charles. Charles was in Australia en route to Bali, en route to Singapore, en route to Paris for an annual conference. This time around, Charles was to be on the road for three consecutive weeks; this is not out of the ordinary. What he told me next was out of the ordinary.

Charles is married to Erica. They've been together for over a decade and they have four children (9, 6, 2.5, 1.5). Unlike Charles, Erica rarely travels, she is a stay at home mom. Charles explained to me that he was to fly Erica out to Paris for a week but they needed someone to help the nanny out with the kids. I said, "Say no more, I am your woman."

Anyone who has ever met me knows that I do not like children - most children. I often refer to children as mosquitoes. I find children to be horribly annoying, always buzzing in your ear. You swat them away and they come right back.

I agreed to watch Charles & Erica's lovely kids for a few reasons.

• I like Charles & Erica and they deserve some time alone (I believe this is their first "real" vacation without the kids)
• I love Charles & Erica's four kids. I have been close with the oldest since she was born but I don't know the other kids as well.
• Their nanny is going to be present the WHOLE time, I am just there to help with dinner, homework and bed time.
• Quite frankly, the last reason is selfish. I do not have children and at times I wonder what it would be like to have babies stuck to my side

After agreeing to help out Monday through Friday, I get a second phone call, this time from Erica. Erica informs me that Charles' meetings were canceled on Monday and that she is going to fly out a day early to spend the day with him on Monday. What does this mean for Leyla? It means, Leyla's services are required ONE day early.... and, Leyla is to fly solo on Sunday night and take the kids to school Monday morning.

Is It Friday Yet?
I arrived at my friends' loft in the west loop at 7p on Sunday night. The nanny was there finishing up with the evening bedtime activities. The kids go to bed between 6:45p and 8:30p. The nanny showed me around a bit and then she took off. I stayed up with the oldest for another hour or so and then I was alone. The house was quiet, it was sort of sad without the cheerful voices which normally guide the household. 10p seemed like 2am.

Sunday night was filled with paranoia (for me). I was instructed to wake each child between 10p and 11p and make them go to the washroom so no one has an accident. This was tough because waking a sleeping child just seems wrong but I am an extreme follower of the rules so I did exactly as I was instructed. I checked the baby 3X and his diaper was dry, I finally went to sleep as soon as the Oscars were over.

I woke up several times throughout the night; I thought I heard crying babies. My friends live in nearly a 5000 square foot loft and the kids bedrooms are far from their bedroom (where I was sleeping). I got up at 1am and 2am, walked to the upstairs bedrooms to check on the two older kids and then to the back bedrooms to check on the two younger kids. No crying. It was all in my head. Finally, I fell back asleep.

600a came very quickly. The oldest insisted that I wake her, she wanted to assist me with breakfast for the kids. We got everyone's breakfast ready, packed their "snacks" into their backpacks and then woke everyone up.



After breakfast, I cleaned a very poopie diaper. I think I used 72 baby wipes and had poop under my long finger nails (don't worry, I washed my hands THOROUGHLY).

School time, I had to get the two older kids to school. I put shoes on the 2 year old and grabbed the baby (no socks or shoes, I ran out of time) and headed for the garage. Thank god for the 9 year old, without her, I would've been lost! Literally.

The kids took me to the car, they told me how to get out of the garage. I almost crashed the car coming out of the garage and I said the "S" word very loudly, multiple times as I tried really hard to steer the car away from a big yellow pole. I suck at driving. I then almost crashed again coming out of the garage - but I made it. I apologized to the kids for using profanity.

The second nanny showed up at 9a and I was relieved. My responsibilities lighten for the rest of the week as nanny #2 will be there 24 hours a day.

Highlights of my adventures in babysitting:

• Homework with the 6 year old where we read for a half hour and then played hangman for 2 hours and then drew pictures of dinosaurs on his chalkboard.
• On day 2, I was 15 mins late, the 6 year old says to me: "Don't worry, we all make mistakes" when I walk in the door
• Tonight, after bath time, the 6 year old "shaved". Apparently, he has a platic shave kit in his bathroom with real shaving cream. After his bath, I watched him cover his ENTIRE face with shaving cream and then scrape it off with his fake, plastic razor.
• The 2.5 year old only wears princess dresses
• The 1.5 year old is a big chunk of joy
• Homework is really boring
• Watching kids is REALLY, REALLY tiring. I slept 10 hours last night!

Me and the six year old and our dinosaur drawings!





Related Posts:
Mommy Blogger I am Not
My Favorite Subject - My Dad

Labels: leyla, Life, Random

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I started this ridiculous 28 Day Blogging Challenge that the infamous @thescottbishop implemented. At first, I was hesitant to join but then I became agreeable and joined his herd of bloggers. That was a mistake and I am here to tell you why.

I started this blog because I wanted a platform; a place where I could say whatever the BLEEP I wanted to say. I started out without much fear but had to curb that and tame it down a bit because my readership grew and I feared I would be held accountable for my words (which is a real fear). As I started to realize how to grow a base of "readers", I found myself writing less for me and more for them. Now, I go back and forth - sometimes I write for my readers and sometimes I write for me. I write about work-related stuff and I write about me-related stuff. Some of you are here for me and some of you are here for the valuable information I give away.

When I started the 28 Day Blogging Challenge, I stopped writing for me, I stopped writing for you - I started WRITING FOR SCOTT BISHOP. My blog became work and I stopped writing. I write for work ENOUGH. I write a blog for a client and I am in the process of writing 90% of the content for a website I've developing for forever and a day. The last thing I need is to put a deadline or some sort of a parameter on MY PERSONAL BLOG.

Here is what happened...
I started strong. I wanted to meet @thescottbishop's challenge. And, for about 2 days, I did. By day 3, I started to hate Scott Bishop with a burning passion. I found myself saying horrible things about Scott Bishop - loudly and in public. I would forget to blog, realize I had forgotten just as I was falling asleep and get out of bed to write a damn post! The first day I skipped a post, I was riddled with guilt and felt the need to apologize to Scott Bishop.

By the second time I forgot to blog, I felt guilt, resentment, anger and feelings of failure. All because of a stupid 28 Day Blogging Challenge. When this happens to me, I bury things. So, I buried MY BLOG! THIS PLATFORM OF MINE THAT I LOVE. All because of SCOTT BISHOP!!!! The last straw was last week when I had horrible dreams about Scott. I dreamed that he had kidnapped me and was making me drive the getaway car as he knocked off gas stations and liquor stores. True story. I really did have that dream. That was when I had to quit.

Clearly, I know that the aggression was mis-directed. Scott didn't do anything wrong! Scott came up with a brilliant idea, a great challenge. The anger was misguided. I was really mad at MYSELF for sucking but my brain is really good at pointing fingers.

What did the 28 Day Challenge prove to me? What were my results? I will tell you - Look at my last post, it was February 19th! Look at my other posts, I rarely skip more than 2 days. What I learned was... When forced to write, Leyla doesn't write!

From this point forward, I write what I want, when I want about what I want! Got it Scott Bishop!?! You are not the boss of me!

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla

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You can see in the right hand column that I sometimes receive free products and services in exchange for a blog post (and other promotion). I will happily disclose that my friend and stylist Todd Fischer manages my mane in return for some publicity. This is a harder job for Todd (who works at Free Nation of Beauty) than it is for me. I have crazy hair! and Todd is a great stylist so it is simple the truth when I say great things about Todd.



For the past few months, Todd has been trying to convince me to come into the salon for a "Brazilian Hair Straightening," which is a Keratin smoothing treatment for frizzy hair, I refused - over and over again. I was concerned about the price, the upkeep, the chemicals, etc. After MONTHS of Todd insisting that I would love the process, I agreed to give it a try. (Just a quick note, this treatment was not free for me but it was discounted)

We took before and after pictures of my hair because I wanted people to realize HOW CURLY and frizzy my hair is when it is simply washed and dried. Todd is a miracle worker, let the photos serve as evidence.



The Steps:
First, Todd washed my hair thoroughly with a clarifying shampoo. At least two washes with a shampoo which is clear of Sodium Chloride and no conditioner before the treatment. The hair must be absolutely clean and free of any product to ensure that the Keratin is properly absorbed into the hair follicle.

We then trimmed my hair because I needed it desperately. Next Todd sprayed the keratin treatment into my hair, section by section, making certain that every last strand of hair was saturated by the treatment.

After my hair was saturated with the treatment, Todd blew it dry. My hair was completely blown out, bone dry. Next was the flat iron process. Todd took pieces of hair, about two inches of hair, and flat ironed my hair. I tried to capture the steam coming out of my hair but it was difficult to catch. The flat iron process took about 35 to 40 minutes as we had be certain that each strand was ironed. The heat infuses the treatment to the hair.




What to Expect

It takes a long time. I was in the salon for close to three and a half hours (including my cut & color). Without a cut & color, you should still expect to spend an hour and a half to two hours in the salon. But, you'll come out looking as fabulous as a P. Diddy era J. Lo at the Grammy's.

There is an odor. I was not bothered while Todd was spraying the stuff into my hair but during the blow dry and the flat iron my eyes burned and it made me cough. I know, it sounds scary but it is in the name of beauty.

Honestly, the process is far easier than I imagined

It is not cheap. The process runs about $350 and lasts between 8 weeks and four months.

Maintenance
You cannot wash your hair for 48 to 72 hours after the process. You also cannot tuck your behind your ears or put it into a pony tail. The hair must remain completely STRAIGHT. (Don't tell Todd but by day 3, I had to put my hair in a pony tail, in fact, it is in a pony tail right now).

The MOST important part of this process is after care. Once you receive the Brazilian Hair Straightening, you must wash your hair with a shampoo which does NOT CONTAIN SODIUM CHLORIDE. Todd recommended to brands of Shampoo: TRESemme which you can find just about everywhere and Pureology which is a salon brand.

You can purchase TRESemme on Amazon.com or Drugstore.com
TRESemme European Shampoo, Vitamin E Moisture Rich, Dry or Damaged Hair 32 fl oz (946 ml)



The End Result




Related Items You Can Buy For Straight Hair:

CHI Turbo Digital Microchip Ceramic Hairstyling Iron

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla, Random

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This is a very important blog post. Knowing your target audience is probably the SINGLE most important thing you can ever know or do in marketing or sales. This blog post is going to be an example of what happened to me this past week and how you should ask some questions of people before you try to recruit them or sell to them.

About a week and a half ago, I was approached by two ladies in a coffee shop. Firstly, let me explain that I am not the type of person one approaches in a coffee shop. Generally speaking, I am there to work, I have a scowl on my face and I make eye contact with no one. Therefore, it is odd that these two ladies dressed like aging, catalog models should approach me.



In any case, I was in a "zone" when approached by Stephanie. She started with the compliment, "Wow, I love your shoes," or something equally stupid. But I fell for it and opened the door to conversation. Soon enough, we were exchanging business cards and I was attending some "networking event" at the Hyatt Regency. I was very unclear of what all this was about, I just knew that Stephanie was a MARY KAY person. And one could tell by the mountain of make-up on Stephanie's face.


Let's get to the meat of this story
Stephanie proceeds to phone me no less than five or six times reminding me about this stupid networking event. She is always super annoying on the phone with a fake yet friendly voice. She has been coached in a very transparent, sales-y way. I recognize her poor technique as a result of my days in recruiting (where I had to listen to six weeks of audio tapes of exactly what to say to people to coerce them into doing things they do not want to do). Nevertheless, she has me hooked out of guilt.

I miss the first "networking event" but she convinces me to come to the second event. This is where it gets good.

I arrive at the Westin Hotel in River North and I see six, pink Cadillacs parked in the circular drive of the hotel. I instantly feel myself becoming enraged. What exactly am I walking into?



As soon as I walk into the hotel, I am POUNCED on by gaudy women wearing make up that would make a pageant girl look dressed down. I immediately asked myself, "Am I in Texas?" Each woman made her way over to me and asked me questions about myself all the while wearing a HUGE grin. The sort of grin sorority girls give you as you pledge their house - or at least I imagine since I was never a sorority girl. I knew instantly that I was being courted by these horrible women to become a Mary Kay sales person.

Each woman said things like "I used to work in Promotional Advertising, I know how it is." Or, "I spent fifteen years working as an engineer for Amoco, I made good money but now I make $275K a year selling Mary Kay." Really? Really? In fact, more than one woman divulged her whopping salary to me.

Red Flag #1
This is another lesson I learned in my very brief career as a recruiter. When someone tells you how much money they make in a year - run! Run fast! You know why? Because if it were the norm, there would be nothing to say. Sure, you make $275K a year due to all the losers who spend $X.XX to get into your MLM scam and never make a dime!

This went on for a total of NINE minutes (to be exact). Just moments before we were about to go into the presentation I started to hyperventilate. I asked the blonde with GIANT CURLS, a fur coat and an absurd amount of make up "How long will this last?" She says, "Why do you have somewhere to be?" Oh no, it's Wednesday at noon, why would I have anywhere to be? You a-hole!

I start to panic and start to get pretty loud. I say, "Listen, I have NO idea why I am here, I think I was mislead into believing this was something else." She says, "Why what did you think this was?" I said, "A networking event" (Which is what Stephanie told me). The blonde says, "OH my, let me get Stephanie."

Stephanie approaches me and in that same annoyingly fake yet sweet voice says, "Oh no, you want to leave?" I say, "Yes, this is absolutely NOT for me." She then says, "Ok, I will call you tomorrow." I say "What? Why?" She is STILL trying to sell me! I say, "No, absolutely not, do not call me tomorrow."


Some lessons for Stephanie

Had Stephanie asked me even TWO questions about ME, she would have known that I was absolutely NOT her target demographic. I refuse to sell to my friends and absolutely hate "network marketing".

Though I do not wear make-up daily, I consider myself a premium brand user and Mary Kay is absolutely NOT a premium brand to me

I identify with women who have a stylish yet very edgy look, personified by the likes of Kate Moss and Angelina Jolie

I've never curled my hair, been to Church or joined a sorority

I eat girls like Stephanie for breakfast

Related Posts:

28 Days of Blogging

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla, Random

I was raised by a fashion loving mother. My grandmother was a dressmaker in Adana, Turkey. When my grandmother was finished with middle school, her parents enrolled her in dressmaker school and she eventually became a sought after dressmaker in the city where she lived. My mother followed in my grandmother's footsteps and started making clothes when she was 9 years old. My mother's whole life has been dedicated to fashion and looking good. My mother was the woman who would go to the grocery store in 4" stilettos and didn't own a pair of jeans until they started making designer jeans in the $100s of dollars range.

In any case, I get my passion for material possessions from my mother who got it from her mother. I don't feel badly about my dedication for aesthetically pleasing, material possessions because I feel as though it is my pedigree. We have never acquired items of beauty to impress anyone or to out-do anyone. My mother and I have a deep appreciation for well constructed items, design, fashion, beauty and that is where our motivation comes for these purchases.


Here is a brief look at some of my favorite things...

Roberta di Camerino handbag


I was in Venice, Italy and I saw these handbags in the windows of the finer shops along St. Mark's Square or Piazzo San Marco. As I would walk up and down the narrow streets, I would see these bags and with each step I grew more and more fond of the style, shape, colors and the Venetian essence that the bags embodied. Finally, I got to a point where I needed to know who the designer of these bags were - as I had never seen or heard of them in the United States.

A store clerk told me that the bags were Roberta Di Camerino and that the designer was local but sold throughout the world in finer stores. In the U.S. the handbags are sold in Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's New York. It didn't really matter to me where the handbags were sold as I was already in love.

It was a difficult decision deciding which bag I would purchase and what size. Many of the bags have bold, deep colors but the one I chose was a pale shade of blue with a deep green handle. The velvet is divine.

I think the reason I love my Roberta Di Camerino bag so much is because I fell in love with Venice when I was there and Guiliana Camerino (the designer) is a native resident of Venice. When I asked around about the bags, people who lived in Venice had wonderful things to say about the designer. I also love the bag because I see it as a piece of art. I like that most people do not know the brand, the women who carry these bags are women who know and appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship. When I see a woman carrying a handbag with the bronze "R", I have instant respect for her sense of style.


My YSL Tribute Sandal



These shoes are the newest addition to the collection of items which keep me from owning a larger condo or saving for retirement. I love these shoes. I stand nearly 5'11" in these shoes (I am 5'5) and I am not ashamed to wear them in nearly any situation.

If I told you these shoes were comfortable, you would likely not believe me, but I am telling you, they are comfortable. Well, comfortable in a relative sense.

When I put these shoes on my feet, I am instantly beautiful. My feet look amazing. Something just happens where you feel special, fantastic and gorgeous. You might be thinking "Well, that is really sad that you need a pair of shoes to make you feel special" - I don't really care if you feel that way. Put these shoes on and you tell me how much of a princess they make you feel. They make my legs look like they go for miles and I look incredible at the craps table at the Bellagio.

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla, Random

My middle brother is a huge Beatles Fan, he has been so since he was a little boy. My dad, who was also a Beatles fan, had a Beatles album from when he (my dad) was a college student in Germany. My bro-ham got his hands on this Beatles album of my father's when he was just a kid...and my bro-ham, he never looked back!

A few years ago, my youngest brother saw Sir Paul McCartney in concert in Chicago. This youngest brother of mine, Selcuk, strongly encouraged me and my other brother Ahmet to see Sir Paul McCartney in concert as well. The only problem was, Sir Paul McCartney was not playing in Chicago again.

Long and short of it. My middle bro-ham, his g-friend, me, and my beau - we all flew down to Dallas to watch Sir Paul McCartney perform. My beau and I stayed at the Mansion on Turtle Creek (where I first met Nic Cage).

The night of the show, my bro-ham, his girl, my beau and I, we all went to dinner at some Tex-Mex place. My bro-ham raised his Margarita glass up and said, "And in the end...the love you take is equal to the love you make." And, at that point, I thought my brother was a poetic genius. He immediately said, "Are you retarded, that is a Beatles lyric, you know we're going to see Paul McCartney, right?

Well, I did not know the line from the song. But since that time, I think about it all the time. And, in the end, the love you take...is the love you make. Yes. Yes! Yes, you're absolutely right. What else would we be here for? You're right!

Ahhh....late, Friday night meaning of life blog posts whilst listening to Iggy Pop & the Stooges, that's what I really need to be doing.

In any case, of all the cases, and lastly, finally, having said all that.... Just believe it is true. Because, you get what you give and don't you want to be the guy who gave it all? I do.

(I'm not too clear on what I was trying to say in the last sentence but ... I think I meant it)

THIS IS ME...RIGHT NOW...



Related Posts:

28 Days of Blogging - The Scott Bishop Challenge! Stars I've Met More Than Once

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla, Random

I really don't think I need to get into my background and love for the Internet, I've talked about that a lot here in this blog. My career started in the ad agency world working in event marketing and I have almost always been employed in that field. In the past few years (about four years), I have become overwhelmingly smitten with social media. Though, I was online probably WAY before most of you were (early 90s thanks to @mknox999 and my bro-ham) I started to use MySpace for work in '05, sourcing bands, DJs and other talent, and it just has not stopped for me.

In the early days of web surfing, I joined newsgroups, posted on message boards, made friends in chatrooms. Some of those friends I am still friends with to this day (15 years later). But this post is about the present.

Today, I stalk people on Twitter, on Facebook and on their blogs. I was thinking about it today (I think about my blog NON STOP since I joined the @thescottbishop 28 days of blogging challenge) I follow people's lives online. I don't even care that much about Celebrity Gossip any longer, these days, I find myself fascinated with every day folk.


I decided to showcase three of my favorite Internet Personalities for you....
Two of these three people I met online. The third, I met IRL and became OBSESSED with online. He is going to find out TONIGHT that I am obsessed with him. I hope you're as strong as you look Scott, because guess what, I am obsessed with you.


They are all my favorites, all for various reasons, but not in any particular order. I will start with the most weird and work my way backwards (or whatever).

Joe Winett AKA @aBigHairySpider

• I am not sure how I came across Joe online but since the time we met, I've become his "Nemesis"
• He is totally strange and more than likely a liar
• He was most recently homeless - which was sad but entertaining in Internet-Land
• I like to see Joe win, but at the same time, I like to see Joe suffer
• I sometimes stay up until the wee hours of the morning reading Joe's blog, mostly in disbelief
• I like Joe's artwork
• Deep down, though we live 1000s of miles away, I feel a closeness with Joe which I cannot explian

Here is some of Joe's finest work




Joe Loves Jennifer Anniston


Joe and I have become quite close






My next online obsession also comes from Twitter. Like Joe, she lives 1000s of miles away, therefore, we have never met. Yet I obsess over her and her life online. We've added each other on Facebook and I often find myself gazing at her photos wondering what it would be like to be her friend. What would it be like to sit on those Manhattan rooftops drinking cheap beer under the stars mocking people from the Midwest.

She is @TwittsMcGee. And she will be famous one day.

• She lives in Manhattan
• She is a concierge in a large mid-town hotel (if you've ever stayed in a "large" mid-town hotel, you can understand where she gets her material)
• Her tweets are to-die-for funny
• Her humor is quite simple, if you do not "get" her humor it is likely because you suck
• I probably give her way too much credit but that's OK because she makes my days go by more enjoyably

My last and final online obsession is....Scott!
Scott and I met OFFLINE first (I know, that is a rarity for me). He and I met through a mutual friend and he made a Kanye West joke directed towards me because I speak too much, think I am more important than everyone else and have a tendency to cut others off. Like we learned about the whole Kanye and Taylor Swift scenario.... I, similar to Kanye, am usually right.

In any case, I find myself spending HOURS on Scott's facebook page looking at his phototshopped pictures. He makes me wish I could have lunch inside his brain with his glorious talent.

• Scott works in the advertising field
• I met Scott in a liquor store - for reals tho
• Scott likes delicious food & booze - like me
• Scott's photos and stuff makes me laugh and I cannot look away
• I don't much else about Scott

Scott is VERY strong


Scott likes piglets (he nurtures them before he eats them.... as bacon)




There you have it! My Internet Obsessions REVEALED!

My prediction....
The next internet phenomena will follow "Reality TV". Brands will find regular people to give marketing dollars to more and more often than they already do. Not just in blogs but on their social media sites and in their photo streams and Flickr. People will start to receive sponsorship dollars to sell brand's products to friends and family in their facebook. We will will make internet personalities "famous" just so we can continue to sell things to random individuals.


Some Other Shenanigans I've Been Up To:

• How To Make Money on Twitter
• Win a Starbucks Gift Card

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla, Life, Online Marketing, Random, Social Media

I've decided to take the Scott Bishop Challenge. Scott Bishop, AKA Real Time Marketer, is someone I met on Twitter, someone I like IRL and someone who's business and marketing ideas I respect. For the month of February, Scott decided to blog everyday - get it, 28 Days of Blogging. I think it was a slight cop out since Scott picked the shortest month of the year.

There were many thoughts behind the 28 Days of Blogging process, one of which was to measure the results of daily posts. Scott challenged other bloggers to take the Scott Bishop Challenge (btw, I have renamed it the Scott Bishop Challenge, he did not call it this) and I am accepting this challenge. Here is the difference between Scott and me - Scott writes great posts on Social Media and other marketing topics. I, on the other hand, write about oat meal, ex-boyfriends, boat whores and social media and marketing.


Post 1 of the 28 Days of Blogging Challenge

I've been eating oat meal since I was a little kid, always Quaker Oats in the little packets, peaches and cream is one of my favorites. When I was a little girl, I ate oat meal all the time. Young Leyla refused to eat anything but oat meal - breakfast, lunch and dinner. My mother grew so frustrated with Young Leyla that she had to convince me that an oat meal tree would grow in my stomach if I continued to eat oat meal for every meal. I still remember being afraid of the oat meal tree growing in my stomach.

In any case, as an adult, I still eat oat meal. It is a quick and filling way to start the day. I bring a packet to work, warm it up in the microwave and I am good to go until lunch time. My ONLY complaint was that Quaker Oats flavored packets of oat meal were too sweet! I would buy a box of plain and a box of flavored oat meal and mix them 1/2 and 1/2.

Finally, Quaker Oats has come to the conclusion that there are other people, like me, who think there is WAY TOO much sugar in the flavored packets of oat meal. The good people at Quaker Oats have come up with a flavored oat meal with 1/2 the sugar. Dear Quaker Oats, thank you for finally making an oat meal with 1/2 the sugar. The oat meal is still on the sweet side but FAR LESS sweet than the full sugar version.

These are the types of posts you can expect from me on the 28 Day Blogging Challenge

Labels: 28 Day Challenge, leyla, Random

I decided to run the Chicago Marathon this year and officially started to make my public declarations as of Monday. I ran the marathon in '00 and trained but didn't run in '01. '00 was my first and only marathon, I ran it in 4:36 minutes, I was 28. This year is my 10 year anniversary of my first and only marathon.

When I first made my "public declaration" on Twitter, I received a few Direct Messages from concerned people. People who don't know me too well, apparently. The main concerns were that I bit off more than I could chew. And, for a minute, they had me pondering if perhaps they were right. But I know better.

In '00 when I ran the marathon, I was in far worse shape than I am today. I was not taking care of myself, my weight was up, I was drinking quite heavily too. I was basically an irresponsible 20-something-year-old who wanted to start living better. Today, I am not nearly as irresponsible with my health.

I've been a runner since I was a kid. In junior high & high school, I often came in the 2nd or 3rd fastest when running the mile in gym. Even in high school, when I was a rebellious teen who smoked cigarettes and refused to ever change into her gym clothes for gym (I just took the detention instead), I ran the mile faster than every girl in my gym class. My senior year, when we had to run the mile for gym, I ran it on the track, outside in a miniskirt sundress and flats and ran it under 8 minutes. I said, I would refuse to change into my gym clothes, I meant it. All the other girls were in their gym clothes, I had a dress on with flats and I still outran almost every girl in my class.

Then I heard comments like "Leyla, this isn't 10 years ago." Really? No kidding a-hole. Bring it, I'm not scared. Plus, my 20 year high school reunion is this year and I'll be damned if I am not going to look good.

I also heard "But your toenails will fall off." And "Aren't you a princess?" I've been running for more than 20 years and I have yet to lose a toenail. I have great circulation but thanks for the concern dude. And, no, I am not a princess. At times, I may look like a princess. I love manicures and pedicures, sugar and spice and everything nice BUT I also thrive on adrenaline and I have an extremely high threshold for pain. I'd make a great hostage or action hero.

I am the type of person who sticks with things I do well. Running is one of the few things I can do well with very little effort. I ran cross country in High School and my coach would always laugh because I would finish a race without breaking a sweat. I am just not good at pushing myself too hard. I could run two miles in under 14 minutes and still finish a race only slightly flushed.

When I ran the marathon in '00, while people were screaming "Come on, you can do it!" to others, I would hear "Keep smiling!" That was at the 18th mile marker. After I completed the marathon in '00, I went out for beers that night.

So, what's left? I start training on 3/1/10. I will read a little. I will not likely join a running club. I will look for inspiration from my Twitter friends like @chanthana and @runnergirl33.

And, I will likely buy some cool running gear - starting with this awesome watch.




Related Posts

• Self Promotion

Labels: leyla, Random

Last week, I had two events, the first was a "TweetUp" and the second was a customer event (which I will talk about in my next post). A TweetUp is a gathering of individuals who talk online (via Twitter). An event where you can meet your online friends IRL (in real life). The second was an event I organized for a client (which I will write about in my next post).

My "followers" on Twitter are mostly marketing, communications, advertising and pr professionals with a smattering of designers/web developers, foodies, lawyers, and finance geeks. The age range is anywhere from 21 to 61 with the average age being about 26 and the median age about 32. Those numbers are guestimates but likely accurate. I have a tendency to pay attention and I know my tweeps well due to my engagement level.



The TweetUP was for Sushi Samba, a former employer of mine, and it was wildly successful. We had about 120 guests throughout the night. We had screens showing our "Tweets" and we had great specials from Sushi Samba including $5.00 mojitos. Sushi Samba donated the proceeds of the twitteROLL, a speciality roll made just for this event, to the Haitian relief efforts.




How did the madness of this tweetup start?
This past summer, I organized my first, larger scale tweetup. We had approximately 45 people at that event and it was hosted at Sushi Samba. That evening, I received a message from @sushi_pro, he was interested in hosting a national tweetup and asked if I would be interested in joining forces. I thought it would be a fun idea and I encouraged him to phone the corporate headquarters of Sushi Samba in New York.

Sushi Samba was interested in the plan and a few months later, we started the process. In each city (New York, Miami, Chicago & Las Vegas), there was a local person who was in charge of fueling interest for the event in their respective city. Sushi Samba corporate managed the logistics with input from each organizer and handled all of the press for the event through their PR & Marketing team. Sushi Samba was also responsible for making sure the venues had the proper equipment and the proper space and staff to host the event.

My roll was easy, well, it was easy for me because I've worked pretty hard for the past year to create a cohesive group of followers on Twitter. I manage my relationship with my Twitter friends on an ongoing and constant basis. Most people would go MENTAL if they were me, but being MENTAL comes quite naturally for me. Actually, I truly enjoy the relationships I've built on Twitter, though it takes hours upon hours, it feels effortless for me.



The key elements leading to success

• We had the full cooperation of the corporate headquarters and they were the ones spearheading the efforts
• Multiple cities were involved, creating a greater sense of purpose
• A great offer(s), there were two drink specials that were actually a deal, additionally, there were special prices for appetizers
• The restaurant also gave each person in attendance a $10.00 gift certificate for their next purchase at Sushi Samba (creating an incentive for the customer to return)
• There was a specialty roll created with a catchy name
• The press the event(s) received surely helped
• Timing was great. We did not have any major conflicting events and we were just beyond the holidays enough where people were ready to hit the events again.
• Members of the Sushi Samba staff who were not directly involved became involved. For example, the chef at the Chicago location @chefcdt was a great contributor and motivator, he did a lot to invigorate his follower base.

How I contributed to the success of the TweetUp
Being that this was my third or fourth event, I had already built up an interest level for my "next" event. I also attend various events of other organizers who helped me spread the word about my event. I have a good feel for who attends these events and I know exactly who to reach out to.

I seeded interest level early on. We started planning for this TweetUp about 2+ months prior to "promoting" the event and I contacted some of my key information spreaders and got them on their mark. When we were ready to talk about the event, I had between four and seven people firing off information, posting on their Facebook pages & their LinkedIn profiles regarding the TweetUp.

I posted the TweetUp on all my social networks regardless of the fact that it was a "TweetUp" - as in Twitter. I think the bulk of the attendees were ultimately from Twitter.

Scheduled tweets for high volume times. I already know when the majority of the people are ON Twitter and when I am most likely to get ReTweeted, so I made sure to log into my Hootsuite account and schedule tweets for those times.

Genuine interest. I don't think it hurt that I love sushi, I know and like the space and I have an existing relationship with the venue.

People like me. Not just patting myself on the back here, it is true. They like me because I am an information share-er, I help my fellow small business owners by spreading their message when they have something worth while to share. I am also a "connector", I do my best to hook my friends up with jobs or leads whenever I can and expect NOTHING in return. And, I am generally a nice and funny person, so even if you have nothing to sell or you're not interested in buying anything either, we can still tweet.


I am glad the Sushi Samba event went off as well as it did, it can serve as a great example of what other brands can be doing to connect with their audiences. I hope that I am able to bring more businesses together with their consumers and their potential consumers. Most of all, many of my friends (new and old) thanked me for bringing together such an amazing group of people from various industries where they could make relevant connections.

Labels: Events, leyla, Marketing, Social Media

I always chuckle at all the people on Twitter who tweet and write blog posts on "How To Make Money on Twitter". In my opinion, the only people who make money on Twitter are the people who try to teach others how to do so. As far as I can tell, it is another "Make Money From Home" scheme that targets those who are either too lazy to get a real job or too stupid to realize it is a scheme.

I found a more simple approach. If all 55 Million people on Twitter each give me $2.00 (or more if they like), I can make a ton of money on Twitter. It never hurts to ask.

So, here it goes.

Last time I asked people to donate to me, I received more criticism than donations (click here and read the comments). I think I raised $8.00 the last time I pulled this stunt. I still find it humorous to flat out ask for money in exchange for nothing.

If you donate to my cause, I promise to thank you publicly, or not. I would love to actually receive a large sum of money so I can write a fun blog post to follow.

Do not judge me for asking.


Related Posts and Other Shenanigans I've Pulled:

Mommy Blogger I Am Not

Self Promotion Takes Some Getting Used To

Leyla is Awesome - Win a Starbucks Gift Card

Labels: leyla, Random

I totally forgot that we just celebrated a WHOLE decade passing. People kept asking "Where were you ten years ago?" and it dawned on me, a whole decade has passed (sometimes I am slow). I wanted to take some time and think about the past decade. It took me a while...but finally, it is here!

2009
This was a horrible year for most of us. The economy tanked and everyone's hopes, dreams, retirement and homes went into the toilet. For me, it was a year of reflection and realizing what is important and realizing (once again) that it takes a lot to take me down. Additionally, I was able to travel to Thailand. A trip I've been meaning to take for some time. This was the year I also made a ton of new friends on Twitter! FOLLOW ME! Maybe we can be friends in '10.



2008
I started this blog. And, as a result, I finally became the number one "Leyla Arsan" on the Google. (I used to be on page 10 thanks to the other Leyla Arsan who is the CEO of something important I presume). I changed jobs. I lost the job I changed to. My dad was hospitalized after a stress test and then my boyfriend broke up with me via text message. It was awesome.

2007
It was the year of Dina Lohan - that was what I called myself this particular year. I cleaned out the friend bin, dumped a bunch of old friends. I met Monica (she is 10 years my junior) and we became very close friends. I found myself going out with 24-year-olds and having a great time. It was the first time in years that I was not hanging out with bitter, 30-something-year-old women who were angry because they were single OR angry because their husbands sucked. I, jokingly, re-named myself "Dina Lohan" because of what I just described, hanging out with people much younger than I. It was this year that we also got our dog Friday - he is a blue pit bull.










2006
I remodeled my condo. My dad turned 70 and my brothers and I took a family trip to Turkey with our father. I met my friend Traci. Traci was a client who became a very close friend.







2005
I took a trip to Turkey with my mom and my brothers. I met my good friend Ellen. I was nominated the President of the Junior Board of the Chicago Film Festival. I think no one else wanted the job, so I got stuck with it. I opened a Friendster and a MySpace account. That was when I got hooked on, what is now commonly referred to as, Social Media.



2004
While working for Accenture, I worked the "Accenture Matchplay." I walked the course and watched Tiger Woods golf about six rounds. But this was a particularly difficult year for me. I broke up with the significant other from '02 - '03. I left Accenture and took the job at Sushi Samba. It seemed like a terrible idea at the time but turned out to be a good thing. 2004 was a milestone year in terms of (once again) self-reflection and realizing that sometimes a bad thing can sometimes be a good thing.



2003
I took a trip for 7 1/2 weeks around the world with my then significant other. We returned from the trip, we broke up and got back together. I got a job working for Accenture in their Marketing Communications department. Finally making the switch to the ever-so-coveted "client side" of the business.

2002
I met the significant person with whom I've ever been linked to romantically (to date). I was laid off from the company I really enjoyed. I started working for DDB (again) almost immediately after my layoff from the previous job. I turned 30. I felt like a princess.



2001
Another really good year. I started working for a company I really enjoyed. I got to go to the MTV Awards for work. I traveled to London (alone), it was my first trip there, I loved it. The "complicated" relationship I was in that year ended as one would have expected, poorly. I met my friend Jen. I became a homeowner. Closed on my first condo two days after September 11th. After September 11th, I think all of our lives changed. Not because we now lived in a society coded by colors but because we felt so much closer to one another as a country. That all changed a short, few years later.





2000
This was a great year for me... I ran the Chicago Marathon. I lost 20 lbs while training for the marathon and the training put everything into focus and I just got better at life in general. I planned my 10 year reunion from High School. I was working in advertising but took a second job working for Charlie Trotter's restaurant. I enjoyed working at Trotter's more than my day job. This was also the year my friend Dean moved back to NY and my friend Jen got married. Leaving me without a worthy partner in crime.

Labels: leyla, Life, Random