Devon Alter

My new favorite toy: The Cricut June 28, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Devon Alter @ 11:18 pm
Tags: , , ,

I am a HUGE fan of scrapbooking. In the past three years, I have put together more than five albums. It always takes me days and days to cut out each picture and strategically place it on the page. But the hardest part has always been adding creative lettering and images to the pages.

Yes, I can go buy lettering, but the sheets always run out of the most common letters and I am left with pages of Q’s, X’s, Z’s and a few other randoms. And when it comes to images, I can buy a pack of themed images, in 2 or 3-D, with or without borders and in a variety of colors, but they don’t always come in the themes I need. (Punta del Este, Uruguay does not have a sticker sheet.)

But thanks to my Mom, I now have access to the AMAZING Cricut machine. This machine can cut almost any shape and any wording I want! They have themed cartridges for images that can be personalized to the theme of my scrapbook! It is my new favorite toy and I love playing on it! I am even planning on making birthday invitations for a friend with it. If you have never heard of it, and love to scrapbook or craft in any way, CHECK IT OUT!

The Cricut

(And for those of you who love to bake, check out the Cricut Cake! – And yes, I want one of these!)

 

Great Customer Service: Amazon.com June 22, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Devon Alter @ 8:42 pm
Tags:

So this week I have been dealing with a difficult situation as a buyer. I ordered a series of books online from various sellers via Amazon. They all arrived on time, and all appeared to be in the condition stated online. But as I started reading one, pages began to fall out, in chunks.

At first, I thought I had just pulled out a page on accident. With a used book, it could happen. But then, pages 15 – 32 fell out all at once. Annoyed, and not wanting to stop reading, I just glued the pages back in to the book. It worked, for a day or two. Then pages 116 -179 fell in to my lap one day. SIXTY-THREE PAGES!!! I was done and wanted my money back, but knew that meant returning the book and having to put a pause in reading the series.

But thanks to Amazon, I am now quite pleased with the situation. I emailed customer service to let them know that I was unhappy. Within a couple of hours, I had a response, personalized to my situation. Not only that, they had processed my refund before the end of the work day! Not only that, I get to keep the book. I have no problem paying nothing for a book that is falling to pieces.

Thank you Amazon, for quick and easy customer service! :-)

 

MTV TJ: MTV Twitter Jockey June 20, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Devon Alter @ 8:58 pm
Tags: , ,

I am searching like a crazy person for a job. While I have become a pseudo professional intern gaining a ton of experience, I still have no job. I recently found out about the MTV TJ competition and would love an opportunity to compete. Even though I only recently applied, and therefore may not make it high enough on the list to be considered, I still applied with hope. They will announce the top 20 competitors on Monday at www.zync.mtv.com!

Go check it out! And at the very least, follow the competition and influence the winner! Follow the competition on Twitter @MTVTJ

 

Piercing Pain and Keloids June 15, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Devon Alter @ 9:33 pm
Tags: ,

Much to my Dad’s dismay, I love my cartilage piercing. Unfortunately, I have very sensitive skin and have had quite a few problems with it. It was pierced three years ago, and I still have issues with it on occasion. This includes the presence of a bump near the piercing on the back of my ear, which is actually scar tissue, called a keloid, and is sometimes very sensitive. Until recently, not one person could give me an answer as to what to do about it. The solution: BC Powder.

What I was told was very simple. Go to any drug store to buy the BC Powder. Mix a small amount of that with a small amount of water, and it will make a paste. Put this on the lump for about 10 minutes every day for a couple of weeks. Gently wipe off with warm water and a clean cloth. Done.

For the first time since I got the piercing, the sensitivity has decreased as well as the size of the keloid. I recommend this to anyone! This will also work well for keloids of nose piercings.

Happy healing!

UPDATE: One thing I forgot to mention. To make application easier and more sterile, fill a plastic, seal-able tube (like an empty pill bottle) with a few packets of the powder and add a little water. Then use a Qtip for application. Don’t double dip!

 

“Elevator Speeches” June 11, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Devon Alter @ 11:03 am
Tags:

I absolutely HATED writing and practicing my elevator speech all through college. On the first day of classes, I was never quite sure what to say, plus many times I already knew many of the people in my class. But while I do think it is a little silly sometimes, it definitely is a helpful tool for all job hunters.

Last week I was working at a trade show with my Dad for the family business, and we did our best to let everyone know about my job hunt. I must have spit out my resume in “elevator speech” format a few hundred times that week!!! I had it so rehearsed by the third day that I was almost spacing out while reciting it to people. But, I knew what I was saying and it has helped me on recent interviews.

For those of you who have trouble with it and find the practice uncomfortable, just take a look at your resume. Make a sentence for each bit of experience you have acquired. Keep it short and too the point. There is your elevator speech!

 

 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.