Husker Football season was awesome. Made some great friends in Colorado Springs working with the Fox and Hound and the Coloradans for Nebraska. Hoping to be able to have more activities with our Colorado Springs friends during times other than football.
With college football season over it is time to turn my attention to Destination Imagination (DI)! It looks like a great group of up and coming students in the Rising Stars group. Enjoyed seeing many past Rising Star children and managers at IC Day at St. Mary’s Academy. I hope that my work with them in previous years in the South Metro region helped them feel good about moving forward. It’s just amazing to watch these kids grow up and mature, putting to use everything that DI teaches them to do. Now, how do we keep them involved in DI throughout their life?
by Wendy Frenzel
Tags: Coloradans for Nebraska, Colorado Springs, Destination Imagination, DI, Football, Wendy Frenzel
We are several weeks into the college football season. Our family is Nebraska born and graduates from the University of Nebraska. With that, we love our Nebraska Husker Football.
This is the 3rd year that we have been members of the Coloradans for Nebraska (CFN). We enjoy spending time with fellow Nebraska fans (some Nebraska natives and others with ties to Nebraska). My youngest counts the days down and tell the next time she can see her Nebraska friends at the football watch site.
For the past two years, you would find the Frenzel family at the Park Meadows Fox and Hound in Lone Tree. This year, we are enjoying making new friends in Colorado Springs at the Fox and Hound. The Fox and Hound is one of the official watch sites of the Coloradans for Nebraska (CFN). At these watch sites we work to raise money for scholarships. These scholarships help Colorado high school graduates attend one of the Universities in Nebraska.
So if you enjoy college football, especially the Nebraska Huskers, come visit one of the Coloradans for Nebraska watch sites. If you are in the Colorado Springs area, come introduce yourself to us at the Colorado Springs Fox and Hound. For more information on the Colorado Springs Coloradans for Nebraska watch site, visit http://CFNCoSprings.wordpress.com
By Wendy Frenzel
Tags: Coloradans for Nebraska, Colorado Springs, Football, Fox and Hound, Husker, Nebraska, Wendy Frenzel
Because of the different activities I’m involved in, I have many different Twitter accounts. Then I have personal accounts for Facebook and LinkedIn. Then I have different email accounts as well. I also like to be able to chat online for both business and personal but I don’t want to share my personal chat account address with business associates. With all of these different social networking tools, it’s hard at times to see what is going on - stay up to date – without a special tool to help you or sign on to each of these items often and still keep personal items personal and business items business.
Well I have found a tool that helps me. The tool is called Digsby. It allows me load in all of my Twitter accounts, my instant messaging accounts, my online email accounts, my personal Facebook account, my LinkedIn account, and still create widgets to allow business contacts to instant message me without having my personal information. Best of all worlds with Digsby.
Besides all that Digsby does, it’s a free tool available for downloading. So besides making social networking easier, the pocket book doesn’t get hit.
Because I enjoy Digsby so much on my computer, I wish it was available for my Blackberry Storm. I’m sure it may take some memory but if the widget chat was available only on my Blackberry Storm that would be great since I do have applications for multiple Twitter accounts, for Facebook, and for my emails.
So if you want to learn more about Digsby, visit their web site at http://www.digsby.com/?utm_campaign=vid&utm_content=vid&utm_source=vid
by Wendy Frenzel
Tags: Digsby, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Wendy Frenzel
Along with technology comes people that abuse it. Those abusing it can make one wonder why do we even want to use technology when all we are doing is “cleaning up” after those abusing it.
I know that I don’t enjoy having to log in special to my web site to mark “comments” as spam. But I’m also happy to have that ability so I do not have to subject others that are reading my web site to random letters, content that is better on a pornagraphy site, and links to who knows where.
Before a comment is posted on my site, I must approve it. So on the days the abusers are out abusing technology, I will receive random nonsense comments. Of course I’m emailed when these, or any other, comment is posted. Then I will log in and use the friendly “spam” button to delete those comments away.
So, yes, with technology came those that abuse the technology. But also along with that came ways to combat the abusers of technology so not everyone is subject to the abuse.
This morning Dave Dugdale posted on his Twitter account that he has created another tool to help people check to see if they are emailing a “known” rental scammer.
As Dave runs both PickRent.com and RentVine.com he runs across email addresses of people that are trying to list homes for lease on his web sites that aren’t theirs to lease. They aren’t agents for the owner either but instead scammers that hope to have people send them money and never legitimately lease you the property they have advertised.
So far, I know of two of the properties I have had listed with my property management company, A Vantage Properties, have been “spoofed”. Both times on Craigslist where they have “stolen” the wording and pictures I had. Then when someone asked for more details, they sent interior pictures that did not match the style of the home. Thank goodness, most times when I have a home listed for lease, I put a For Lease by A Vantage Properties sign out front or in the window as most people will drive by a home first. Though there are some people that are moving to an area and are leasing “long” distance (sight unseen) so maybe the scammers are hoping that someone won’t notice until it is too late.
So, if you are looking to lease a home, run the email address of the individual you are talking to through this new tool, http://www.pickrent.com/stuff/scammerdatabase.cfm If you’ve emailed someone that you know is a scammer (you never see inside the home, they are going to mail you the keys from out of country, and other “red flags”), please forward that email address on to Dave by using the “contact us” link on the scammer database page.
Thanks again Dave for helping A Vantage Properties and other property managers, owners, and those looking for homes to lease with more tools to help stay safe from scammers.
Tags: PickRent, Property Owner, rental, RentVine, scammer
Well another one of the properties I have listed had been “relisted” by a scammer. Thank goodness I put signs up at the properties I have listed so if someone goes by, they can see my information and call me. My big hint there is a “scam” out there – when I tell the inquiring party that the home is listed at $X and they respond but I saw it on Craigslist for $N. When I hear that I refer them to my company’s web site for property management (www.AVantageProperties.com) and ask them to read the information about rental scams (near the bottom of the first page). The next thing I do is go to Craigslist and report the ad so it is removed.
Well yesterday I was catching up on some of my Inman News reading and read an article about someone, Sarah Stelmok, that had this happen to her but she followed through with conversting with the rental scammer. This morning I visited her site and read the dialogue between her and the scammer. It is very similar in syntax to the emails that have been forwarded to me in the past by others that have been almost “duped” by other scammers. For that reason, I wanted to add a link to her web site so others could read the dialogue that occured over a period of 3 weeks. It’s just another tool to look for when the price is too good to be true on a home for lease.
This first link is the beginning of Sarah’s conversation with “Mr. Richie” as she first inquired about the home. http://sarahiouslyspeaking.com/2009/06/internet-real-estate-scam-update/
This second link is more details about how “Mr. Richie” was working to get Sarah to forward funds to him via Western Union, what the application looked like, and when she finally let him know that she was the one that owned the property. http://sarahiouslyspeaking.com/2009/06/internet-real-estate-scam-update-2/
Tags: rental scammer, Vantage Properties
Do you Facebook? I, Wendy Frenzel, do.
The main reason I signed up for Facebook was so I could keep up to date on what Heather is doing as she is traveling and going to school outside of Lincoln for the coming year. She told me that she would post information there so she didn’t have to email to all of her friends about what was going on. I know that I will enjoy living through Heather as she visits Paris, London, and more.
I’ve received a few invites to join the Facebook friends groups of people that I work with. It’s nice to be invited. The only thing is I do like to keep somethings private while other items, like my blog, I’m okay sharing with others. There are times where I just want to be able to go to my friends for advice, a shoulder to cry on, a place to rejoice, and more without having people that I work with being “in the know.” Another reason why I’ve created boundaries and try to enjoy weekends without work.
So, please don’t take it personal if I work with you in someway and don’t accept your invitation on Facebook. When I’m no longer working in property management, then I’ll add other people to my Facebook friends list. I do work with a lot of great people that I would love to be friends with in my “next” life. But to make it easier to find me I did create my User Name.
Facebook is now allowing people to have User Names with their Facebook account. This will make it easier to see if your “friends” are there I believe if you know what their User Name may be. It’s also easier to give people your Facebook account so you can invite them to join you. No more saying you can find my Facebook profile at Facebook.com/12c3 but I’m at www.Facebook.com/WendyFrenzel This makes it much easier for people that have a lot of friends and want more to join or for people that have business accounts or … I just like it as it’s easy to remember.
Tags: Facebook, user name, Wendy Frenzel
My mom, Jane Reiselman, came to Denver on Tuesday as James Van Praagh was in town at the Paramount Theater. No matter what your belief in whether he can talk to those that have passed or not, there are some items that you can take from what James said.
One of the things that you should know, James Van Praagh is very funny. When he talks about his life and where he got to where he is, he does so in a way that makes you smile and laugh. It helps you to understand what took him to California in his early 20’s.
You know there are many lessons we learn in our time on Earth. Many times we hear something multiple times and in multiple different ways. Sometimes it sticks while other times it just goes through one ear and out the other. One item that most people are told is to love.
James Van Praagh talked that we need to love and be good to one another. It not only effects us but those around us and then those around them, just like the ripples in the pond would keep expanding out. When we treat some one poorly, it effects many people as well; it ripples out. Many religions talk about a heaven and a hell. James explained that the hell that he knows about through his spirit guides is not a place but a state where after you pass you not only feel the hurt that you caused others but the ripples out.
We are all related to each other. Think Lion King’s “Circle of Life.” This is my analogy, something that I can put my arms around. It helps me try and remember to treat people nicely. Yes, sometimes it may be difficult because we aren’t getting the “nice” vibe back. I guess that is part of the lesson as well.
Yes, I know I have many lessong to learn while I’m here on Earth. I know that I’m not perfect but I try to be the best that I can. I try to smile at people while I walk down the street or in the mall, as you never know if that smile will be the one item that makes their day just a little better. Think the commercial for some insurance company where one good “deed” creates another good “deed” and so on and on. I know that I, Wendy Frenzel, will strive to be the best being that I can be and help others without letting the weight of others weigh me down.
It’s like a saying that Jeff, my husband, keeps in his head and reminds himself of when he feels that he is being “dumped on” by others. “I am not a garbage truck and do not need other people’s garbage.” I guess I just want to find the treasures in their trash.
Tags: James Van Praagh, Jane Reiselman, lessons, love, Wendy Frenzel
Yes, I, Wendy Frenzel, must admit, I like Twitter. I like the ability to write a quick comment / update. I like being able to do it from my phone without sitting at my computer. I like being able to quickly share information about a place that I am at or food that I’m eating or something that the family does / says that shouldn’t be missed.
You know, if Twitter was around when Heather was little, I would have been able to share with the world something she said while at fishing with her “Grampy.” Being the avid fisherman that he was and talker, he shared the cute thing his granddaughter said with many people from all over the world. Today, you see that saying on t-shirts and whom ever licensed it, well, let’s just say, that would have been a great way to send Heather to college. So what was it that Heather had said about 15 years ago….
Yes, what Heather said when she was 5 trying to catch a fish, “Here Fishy, Fishy. Come get your food.” Right after that, she caught her first and only fish as she was ready to go back to Grammy and Grampy’s house and eat it. She was very proud of her fish and her Grampy was very proud of what she said to land her fish.
So now, I can share when Kat comes out of her room after reading jokes and says she finally gets the joke, “Why was 6 scared of 7? Because 7 8 9.” To understand it, it’s a joke to really be read outloud. I think she had read it but never read it outloud. It’s also similar to the joke my mom sent to me about pigs flying and the presendency. I may not have found it funny but when it was read outloud, it made much more sense then just read.
Now it’s time to find an app / widget for blogs that allows my Twitter posts to be more than just an item in a sidebar.
Tags: immediate postings, Twitter, Wendy Frenzel
