That's Not What I Was Looking For...

I went to Family Tree Nursery in Overland Park, Kansas yesterday, on a mission to find a small Rosemary sprig I could turn in to a topiary.  I know it takes patience and a lot of painstaking attention for it not only to live, but to get to the shape I want... a sphere.  LOL!  OK, so maybe not so painstaking.  Right away, as I pulled up in my Jeep, smack dab in the front of the facility are several topiaries. Not your average topiaries either. Different shapes, sizes and definitely not what I was looking for... but oh so much BETTER!

For instance, this cute baby elephant topiary is just about true to size. WOW!

This topiary bush looks like coral from way down deep in the ocean, which is a gazillion miles from good ol' Overland Park. It makes me want this even more!

Who doesn't want a llama?  Now you can have one that won't spit at you.

These stars are in two sizes... I couldn't help but think what fun all of these topiaries would be to have in the garden or on the patio with children around the house and neighborhood.

This isn't a topiary, but I like spheres. I couldn't resist the blue hydrangeas and the water feature.  Clearly from the pom pom shaped flowers and this cobalt blue fountain, I was in Nirvana.

I always love checking out the Koi fish pond at Family Tree, even when my kids aren't with me.  It has been moved to a different spot this year.  It now has a little waterfall feature and floating plants. However the fish are my favorite part.  They are HUGE in koi terms and act a bit like dogs.  Very friendly, want attention and you can even touch the fish.   Better yet, you can feed them!

To top  my visit off... I ran into local celeb and world reknown golf icon, Tom Watson.  "Hello Mr. Watson".  I got that boyish grin and a "What are you getting?" in return.  We talked topiaries for a couple of minutes. He had a lot of plants.  Now that I see he's a gardner, I adore him even more!

Social media note... Family Tree Nursery needs to be blogging daily.  You'll see from their so called current blog, they have a pitiful three entries between March 26th and Dec. 29th.   Really? Really.  They will never lack for content to photograph or blog about. Evah!  Plus, if they had a presence on Twitter, it would have reminded me it's that time of year to get my yard in shape and my garden prepared.  I think I'll have to pay them another visit.   : )

Joe Jaffe + 3 Minutes = Rockn Advice for a Service Driven Business

I went to a quick Tweet Up put together by the Social Media Club of Kansas City, because we had a social media hot shot, Joe Jaffe, in town.  The three time author was willing to have a few drinks with us and I was excited!  Here's his latest book... love it... about how to use your current customers to gain new ones.

We all met up at Johnny's Tavern Bar & Grill and we had a really nice time together.  I however, was more fortunate than most. I was prepared to video Joe for a 1 minute interview.  He said he was pretty good at turning a short story into a long one, so I am thrilled with the 3 minutes I received.  He is charming, gracious, animated, provided fantastic information and that South African accent sure makes him easy to listen to.


My question was ... Johnny's Tavern is a service driven business.  How does he see businesses, like them, marketing themselves going forward.  A loaded transition into Flip the Funnel... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6yiLlb09Ds 

and yes, you hear me say "I love you" at the end. ; )

Best of the Jayhawk Keyboard Coaches & Fans Tweeting for #KUBBALL

I have the very fortunate opportunity to tweet on Twitter (among other social networks) for my client, Johnny's Tavern in Prairie Village, Kansas.  The Twitter address is @johnnystavernpv  We are widely known as a KU love'n bar & grill.  With 22 flat screen TV's we get sports minded fans all day long. However, I rarely see my Jayhawks actually play, for I am on Twitter at game time, watching all the keyboard coaches and fans who use #kubball on their tweets, to communicate with eachother.  Throughout this season, I have RT'd some hilarious tweets using #kubball.  That means I sent the original tweet I saw, back out to our 840ish followers.  Below are some of my favorites.  (Thanks @KUSPORTS for starting the #kubball hashtag.  It caught on quick and easy)

The tweets below are compiled from posts on @johnnystavernpv home page... and I've pulled #kubball posts back through Feb. 12th.  These are merely a fraction of the tweets with #kubball, but they were the one's that made me wet my pants a little from laughing.  Now keep in mind, I've missed many other funny tweets with #kubball on it... but they come in like rapidfire during game time, and it's inevitable I'll miss several...  so enjoy these one's below. I don't want to hear about how you would have organized them either.  I tried... I really did. Then I kept finding more and more.  I'll keep better track during #KCChiefs and #KUfball next season. These tweets below are snarky, sarcastic and tongue in cheek remarks.  If you can't take it... turn away.  These tweeple are clever, witty, charming... and they have a lot of fun even when the game gets dicey. Some are professional sports writers, former coaches, KU students, alumni, all walks of life...  I feel honored to have had a chance to get to know and participate with them through our beloved KU Jayhawk Men's Basketball season.  I hope you can join us on Twitter too.


(Get a sandwich and a coffee... so you can get cozy to read these.  There are a lot and THIS is the short version)


@RckChlkPrincess: Roll Call! Where's my swag biatches at?! RockChalk!#kubball


Game against UNI in the NCAA Tourney.  KU lost by one... trailed the entire game...
@BradyMcCollough #KU band playing "We're not gonna take it" ... hmmm .. #kubball

@TitsOnABoor: My son's face illustrates how I feel about this game #kubball http://twitgoo.com/lb50k   (see photo of crying boy)
@billselfsbrain I have less hair on my head than O'Rear has on his mutton chops. #kubball
@ShellyKramer "I need to focus. And I need a flat screen television" says my husband. A rabid Jayhawk fan. Grabbed beer n ran. #kubball
@BradyMcCollough More mock applause. Hilarious RT @hannah_aileen refs got bored playing for the other team RT @jweb actual foul on UNI
 @ryanmgreene Wonder if the refs are waiting for blood shed before giving #kubball a foul call. None on #UNI in 9:30.
@hannah_aileen it's about that time that i lose 5-10 followers.#kubball tweeting storm!
@Spike_Says  @CoachBillSelf tell the boys that alot of us#kansas alumni are OLD and cant handle the cat/mouse play!#kubball

A mishmash of games through the Big12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament and regular season play...
@corinwallace: Lehighs coach looks like a guy who shops at Mr. Guy. oddly likeable! #goodonyoudude #kubball
@SonnieJHawk: I think I heard Sherron say "Nobody makes me bleed my own blood." #kubball
@Lochdog715 Daggummit Roy doing capital one commercials now? Shouldnt you be preparing for NIT? #idontgiveaflipaboutcarolina #kubball
@phogphans Too many fans in the Ford Center sitting on their hands...feel like I'm gunna get shushed. I will NOT be quiet! #kubball
@robknapp: What better way to start a run for a national title than a dogfight with a No. 16 seed? #kubball
in reference to the Lehigh team: 
@goatjc: we cant lose to a team that has poop & pee colors #kubball
@corinwallace: Lehighs coach looks like a guy who shops at Mr. Guy. oddly likeable! #goodonyoudude #kubball
@gavinesq: Whats the difference between College Station, TX and yogurt? Yogurt has active, living culture. #kubball
@NCTRNL: One of these days K-State will be able to buy the rest of the "man-cat" costume... #kubball
@gavinesq: I'm not gay or anything, but Sherron, if you need anything, I mean ANYTHING, let me know. #kubball
@NYCJayhawk Let's just say being at a wedding in houston with a ton of A&M grads just got better. Guess I did care a bit. #kubball
@SonnieJHawk: Okay, I have a new shirt on. Sorry, guys. That entire first half was my fault. #kubball
@breezybriz Hey Pat KNIGHT, THROW A CHAIR! THROW A CHAIR!#kubball #big12ku
@c_millr Head band put back where I found it. Changed shirts. First one wasn't working out. Time to turn it around Hawks! #kubball #supersticiousmuch
@gavinesq Wow. Bill Self seems remarkably calm. #actinglikeaserialkillerbeforehestabsyou #kubball
@91Jayhawk What's the deal with @ESPN Holly Rowe wearing her pants so high? She looks like she belongs on an SNL skit. #kubball
@fyrwood Is it bad that I schedule feeding my daughter around halftime? #kubball


Side note:  most of the regulars couldn't stand announcers @ESPN's Brent Musburger and Bobby Knight, which lead to this tweet among others... @davehiggins1: Visit www.byebyebrentandbob.com to register your opinion of the announcers #kubball #big12

@SonnieJHawk: you wear that sacred shirt tomo, I'll pull my 1988 Final Four souvenir sweatshirt, hat, and cup out of mothballs! #kubball
@billselfsbrain Weather sucks.Wanted to watch the game in my snuggie,but #CindySelf poured me a thermos of Irish Coffee and told me to sack up. #kubball
@billselfsbrain Bryan Davis is old enough to be Sherron's father. #kubball #bryandavisisold Can I have #dannymanning suit up, too?
@tullycorcoran: B.J. Holmes with one of the least creative tattoos of all time. Left tricep: "B". Right tricep: "J". #kubball
@ BaileyMcC: "If you win the first half and win the second half youre gonna win the game" -Bob Knight uh, duh.#kubball
@littlescottie: TX must not want to win. How else can u explain Rick Barnes refusing to let Colt McCoy run the point?#kubball
@jasontarwater Did Clark Kellogg really just describe #mizzou as a sloppy joe? "Tasty but messy?" Did I just hear that? #kubball
@jchsloan Clark Kellogg makes me miss Billy Packer (spurtability? sloppy joe?) and that's hard to do. #kubball#clarkshouldgobacktostudio
@breezybriz: Dexter Pittman looks like he could eat Cole #kubball
@gavinesq: @breezybriz No, Pittman looks like he HAS EATEN Cole. #kubball
@billselfsbrain I'm grateful every single day #Mizzou chose Quinn Snyder over me. #kubball #ku
@JessiaSott Cole Aldrich has a haircut you can set your watch to. I love this team, y'all. #kubball
@jleib Wish #KU would have hired Frank Martin as our new football coach. #jayhawks #kubball
@chrissa21 Wheres the tums? Tied Game? fugggghhhhetaboutit! On to scotch! #kubball
@jasontarwater Whatever KU's defensive philosophy is today is so complicated it looks like they're not playing any defense. Very clever. #kubball
@RckChlkPrincess APB out for Cole Aldrich....if anyone sees him tell him we are playing a game right now #kubball

Game against Future NCAA Champs (wishful thinking since they beat Jayhawks) University of Northern Iowa  UNI...
@BradyMcCollough Not sure if this is coming across on CBS, but Bill Self has turned into a fire-breathing dragon named Selfior.#kubball
@JLangford KU fans spread out, main KU section is made up of what looks like williams fund donors #kubball #theydontcheer
@Spike_Says @CoachBillSelf tell the boys that alot of us #kansasalumni are OLD and cant handle the cat/mouse play! #kubball
@hannah_aileen it's about that time that I lose 5-10 followers.#kubball tweeting storm!
@Jayhawk96 Seven cars/trucks/SUVs at Mom & Dad's... ALL are either crimson or blue. Coincidence? #jayhawks #kubball
@KUMarkMadness If you've never sat courtside: It's impossible to describe how physical, fast the game is. And I still hear fans scream, "Push it!" #kubball
@ruralocity I can't decide whether March snowstorms or 3 point-chucking mid-majors make me angrier today. #kubball
@MarsVars I'm not sure whether to cry, throw up or drink a lot. COME ON, JAYHAWKS #kubball
@billselfsbrain I have less hair on my head than O'Rear has on his mutton chops. #kubball
@kben_ears i am currently wearing TWO jayhawk t-shirts. it better be worthwhile. #kubball
@TitsOnABoor: My son's face illustrates how I feel about this game #kubball http://twitgoo.com/lb50k
@BradyMcCollough #KU band playing "We're not gonna take it" ... hmmm .. #kubball
@FunnyMrBiggs To the #kstate fan I was giving a hard time last Saturday... I am sorry. Now please God let us turn this around.#kubball
@MisterHirsch Is there such a thing as the ref ending a game early because the home team is being embarrassed on their own court? #theyshould #kubball

@KansasHoops The NCAA has just given out the award for the most quiet home fans to Missouri #kubball

@FakeColeAldrich Ostertag just sent me a text sayin i should pose for playgirl! idk if "i" could fit on one pull out page #kubball

When the game is very close or we are losing...

My favorite tweet this season too... @gavinesq Attention #kubball fans: Go immediately to your lucky rituals and await further instruction.

@corinwallace: This is because I watched Kell on Earth instead of the first half!! DAMN YOU BRAVO!#kubball

@gavinesq: Now I cant see out of my left eye.#amihavingastroke #kubball

@KansasHoops Should I change my shirt? I have my @joe_college shirt on "It does not take 140 characters to say Texas A&M Sucks" #kubball

@chrissa21 I'm kinda pissed right now cuz of bad calls. So just sent a text to Knight to throw a chair for me. #kubball
@gavinesq Which #kubball fan is ignoring their lucky rituals? What is wrong with you?

Games at the Big 12 Tournament...

@tullycorcoran Well, it's that time again. A MU fan just yelled at somebody to perform a sex act on him. #kubball#youknowitsablowoutwhen

@chrissa21 In case u didn't hear me last week, I LOVE YOU MORNINGSTAR! #kubball

@c_thibodeaux I'm drenched with unwarranted boos. #kubball

@SonnieJHawk Went to Mizzou arena for my cousin's HS graduation. Get this- they have banners just for making the NCAA tourney. I laughed. #kubball

@MisterHirsch: I would rather have a sister in a whore house than a brother that's a Mizzou fan. #kubball

@scotthamele Why was Missouri late for so many games last year? Everytime they passed a sign that said "Clean Restrooms" they did. #kubball #jayhawks

http://twitpic.com/17053v - I saw this girl during lunch today... check out her Jhawk tattoo! #KUbball  (photo of the back of girl with two Jayhawks n sunflowers)

@friesner Who sits in the fieldhouse???!!! RT @RockChalkJBlog: These seats aren't meant to sit in for 2.5 hours. Ugh #kubball

@BradyMcCollough After that missed free throw, K-State fans must feel like Mr. Belding when his brother Rod(ney) ruined the school rafting trip. #kubball

@jleib Wish #KU would have hired Frank Martin as our new football coach. #jayhawks

@DScottFritchen The crowd is booing. Apparently they wanted Samuels to be choked into submission.

@KCSuzy Now I'm tearing up. <3 RT: @KUSports: A touching photo of #sherroncollins welling up with coach Self pregame http://bit.ly/9f9T1a  #kubball 

@chrissa21 Wheres the tums? Tied Game? fugggghhhhetaboutit! On to scotch!#kubball

@ swonder44 Turge-on?? Suddenly Brent goes French?#kubball

@kundaic Well this is wierd. Every1 around me is discussing toxins in food. I can't stop thinking about what the hawks need 2 win. #kubball
@KCJetSetter: To the kid right behind the #kubball bench playing a PSP and not even watching the game, lets trade places.

Oklahoma State Game...

@megfie: a little bummed I cant consume enough alcohol to get me through this half#kubball

@RckChlkPrincess APB out for Cole Aldrich....if anyone sees him tell him we are playing a game right now #kubball

@jasontarwater: Wife just asked: "Is OSU playing that well or is KU playing crappy?" My answer: "Yes." #kubball

@StopHawk: I blame the headbands the cheerleaders wore from the last home game. #kubball

@chrissa21 Maybe just the color orange in general is bringing the Jayhawks down. A little nauseating in that quantity. #kubball

@corinwallace: Im pulling out the plan to listen to "friends in low places" backwards.#kubball

Missouri Game regular season... 

@Topcitykid5 Hey big money donors get back in your seats damnit, game is not over!!! #kubball the students are still there.

@scearstower I want to sue ESPN for cruel and unusual punishment...Bob Knight is the worst thing to happen to sports commentary #kubball

@MCG5: Cole Aldrich's brother and Eric Chenowith... separated at birth, apparently. #kubball

@91Jayhawk It's hilarious watching all the C-team #kubballplayers watch the pop up video on the scoreboard at AFH instead of listening to their coach.

@gavinesq: I keep asking this but is this an ass kicking or an ass pounding? #kubball

@scotthamele They are handing out the jumper cables at Missouri basketball arena right now. #kubball

@TKatherman: Kansas, I love you but those head bands... very head-wound-harry-ish. #kubball

@kgenhull No way. Tebow=abstain. Collins=3 kids. RT @RockChalkJBlog: Digger Phelps just compared to Sherron Collins to Tim Tebow. nooo. . . #kubball

@UDKbasketball Serious question:Has Xavier Henry stopped smiling since the Texas game? Havent seen it yet #kubball

I get a lot of facts and stats from #kubball fans too...

@KUSports @bmart24 #sherroncollins has only lost 2 games at Allen Fieldhouse, both during his freshman year 2006-07 (Oral Roberts/TA&M) #kubball

@mikegone  I see a theme: Syracuse, bucknell, okie st, Tennessee. Stop playing teams in orange? #kubball

@UDKbasketball: 3 by Marcus means I get to bring out my favorite stat. Jayhawks are undefeated when he hits a three.#kubball

@HH57 Bill Self has the same number of Big XII titles as he does losses at Allen Fieldhouse. Six. Stud. #kubball

@scotthamele KU's all-time 2,001st win feels pretty good. Moves into the the no.2 all-time wins spot #kubball #kansas

@jasontarwater And Kansas is also the only team to not lose within a week of being named No. 1 this season.#kubball

@mikekatzif Looks like Kansas might need a little extra 2nite against Tex A&M. Good thing I practiced my 10 ft jumper#kubball

@phogphans Congrats to @CoachBillSelf for victory #400...here's to many more ahead! Rock Chalk Jayhawk! #kubball

@UDKbasketball Scouts from the Heat and Grizzlies just left the building. Not much left to see. #kubball

@UDKbasketball According to pop up video, Withey chose number 5 because Danny Manning wore it with the Clippers. Suck up. #kubball

@tullycorcoran Fun Fact: Thomas Robinson voted "Most Likely to Suffer a Concussion" by a media panel. #kubball

@breezybriz Let's all watch Cole and 3 others hit half court shots again... #kubball   

@bobfescoe damn its good to be a Jayhawk I freaking love this place #kubball