WSS #0151: After Hours: Apple Pie, The Martian, Game Of Thrones & Prostates

It's Web.Search.Social's First After Hours Episode!

We're changing up the podcast and hosting an "after hours" episode once a month where we don't talk business or marketing, but rather we talk about "stuff."

Why?

Because we – and you- are more than just the day to day of our jobs. We all have lives and interests and that's what makes us whole people. And the other stuff is also what makes us better at our businesses because we can't be all work all the time.

And It Starts With A Rage About The Mortgage Company

In a great example of how business and life bleed together, we recently had a kerfuffle with our mortgage company that forced us to spend time we otherwise could have been working on dealing with their… let's call it incompetence… instead.

Turns out that our mortgage company decided we don't have homeowner's insurance (we do) and to be incredibly helpful they were going to purchase it for us, at a cost four times any reasonable cost we would otherwise have paid, unless we could prove we had our own.

And to prove it, I had to upload our policy documents to their website. Done and done.

Except… not.

Because a month later I got the same letter ("last warning!"). So I called to ask WTF and the rep listened to my story and said, "Oh, we got your documents. We just couldn't read them."

So I tried to re-upload the documents only to get an error message from the website that since I had already uploaded a file, I could not upload another. And that my documents were being processed… and that they would let me know if there were any problems!

Unless they didn't.

Long, F-word-filled story short, the mortgage company contacted our insurance company to ask them to send the documents, but not before I wasted several hours and days dealing with their nonsense.

You may be wondering if it's now resolved. Well, I'll let you know in a week which is when I was instructed to call back to find out.

But There's An Up Side!

Apparently when I'm in a bad mood, I bake. So there is a bright side to days like this, which usually means something delicious.

In fact just this past weekend I baked an apple pie, made my own crust and all. That same day Ralph posted about it on Facebook and our Poet Laureate Melanie Kissell sent me a message with a chuckle saying something like, "I bet you'll bake a pie when pigs fly."

Just wondering if that means people really do think that all we do is work!

In fact, I quite enjoy cooking. It's fun, it's a great de-stressor and it pays off in something yummy.

So Ralph forgives my bad days when I show up after dinner with cake and pie.

Eight Weeks Of Healthy Eating Pays Off

Remember our "take care of yourself" episode? We talked about the importance of making time for your physical and emotional well being, why you need to eat right and even exercise in spite of all the busyness and the fact that exercise is probably not on anyone's bucket list.

Well, believe it or not that was eight weeks ago and since then we've been eating better and at least for me, I've been on the treadmill every day. One of our clients is a hunter/fisherman and he keeps us supplied with some amazing fresh food. I've personally cut out sugar, processed food and most bread and pasta because… well, calories!

So when I baked (and yes, ate!) the apple pie it was so rewarding. As an added bonus I fit into some clothes I haven't worn for… let's just say way too long!

The Seriously Social Moment

We're adding a new segment to our shows each week called The Seriously Social Moment which will be a short snippet contributed by our own Chief Executive Research Dude, Ian Anderson Gray.

This week he talks about a study that shows which social media tools are considered the best of 2015 by their users. So if you're wondering about a tool, looking for a tool, or just thinking you need a better tool, you'll want to check this out.

Stay tuned for more social goodness in the future!

An Awkward Moment

It starts out as we wish Ian a happy 40^th birthday but then goes downhill from there. Ralph mentions that after 40, most doctors' visits for men end with a doctor's finger inserted into certain anatomical parts.

Then I go and up the awkwardness by complaining that women have it worse because we get poked and prodded in unmentionable places from the day we turn 15. And men don't have to get their boobs squeezed. TMI?

Books And Movies Up Next! Thank God.

Both Ralph and I love to read and we enjoy movies. We recently saw the movie The Martian and Ralph was elated, but I was meh.

Ralph enjoyed the movie tremendously and thought it complemented the book wonderfully. He enjoyed the interpretation and how they portrayed the characters.

I thought the move lacked the charm and depth of the book.

Ralph argues that it's not a matter of whether the book or the movie is better – they work together to enrich the experience. I beg to differ and say that if I had never watched the movie I wouldn't have missed anything. It was a faithful and interesting adaptation but the book was a much better experience.

We actually disagree wholeheartedly, which doesn't happen often!

Then Ralph brings up Game Of Thrones and how the book and the show are both fantastic and enrich the collective story because you get more out of both than you could out of one alone.

I haven't read any Game Of Thrones but I watch the show on HBO. In fact, I won't read the books until they are all written and published. I've been weird like that ever since I started reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series and there was a 20 year gap between the last two books.

Oh, and I hated the last book so much that I stopped reading Stephen King altogether!

But even though I haven't read Game Of Thrones, I can totally see how the book and the show and even all the supplemental materials would work together to make the story better. The difference is that the world and story is so vast, so complex and so diverse that it's almost impossible to get it all at once.

There's Actually A Business Lesson, Too

Ok, so we said no business, but it all ties together. Ralph says that we can take the lessons of movies and books and apply them to our own storytelling. In simple terms, if you post something on Facebook, for example, you can post something different on Google Plus or Pinterest or elsewhere. You don't have to repeat the same thing from one venue to another, but use each one to enrich your story, instead.

Finally, something we agree on.

Books As TV Shows

We're currently hooked on a show called Zoo, which is based on a novel by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. It's a terrible, horrible, stupid show but we can't stop watching. We have not read the book but we wonder how it compares. We see glimpses of an interesting story (told badly) and think the book may hold some promise.

So if you've read it and/or seen the show, let us know!

And while you're at it, let us know what you're up to in your after hours. What do you like to do? What are your favorite books and movies? Fill us in!

Links & Resources

• Get the scoop on the best social tools of 2015
• Visit Ian Anderson Gray and follow him everywhere online – you'll never be short on great conversation or new things to learn again
• Check out The Martian trailer
• Go read the book
• If you're a Game Of Thrones fan, you can't miss ComicBookGirl19's video series about the royal families
• If you're not a fan, start reading now
• Listen to our episode where we talk health and business
• Check out the novel Zoo
• See if the TV show is up your alley
• If you're a pie lover, this is the recipe I followed that made such a delightfully delicious and flaky (and easy) crust. If you want the recipe you'll have to email me – it's in my brain!

 

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