Elissa’s Neighborhood

Although almost every day at Six Apart is Take Your Dog to Work Day, Friday was extra special because it was the official Take Your Dog to Work Day! Plus, as lovers of blogs and animals, we think it's great that active blogger and Human Society's President and CEO, Wayne Pacelle, thinks having dogs around the office is a good reminder of "who we're working for."

We realize some people have it ruff and aren't lucky enough to be able to bring their dog to work, but hopefully these pictures taken at Six Apart last Friday will get your tails wagging... And let me tell you, it's harder than it looks to get all the doggies and their fetching owners in one picture.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the summer solstice. For ancient civilizations, this day was akin to our modern day New Year's Eve and was viewed as a time to reflect and renew. So why not kick off your summer celebration with a new theme?

See all of our themes in the Design Area.

Or choose from one of  these brand-new themes. (Available under "New.")

Those Sand Hill Road folks pay more for gas than anyone I've seen.

 

A couple of months ago, we told you about Blog It powered by TypePad, the first cross-platform blogging application for Facebook the enables you to post to your Vox blog - and ALL your blogs - with a single click.

Within a week, Blog It had nearly 4,000 active users posting tweets and creating blog posts, as well as updating their status messages with the title and link to the published post. Today, Blog It's Facebook application has nearly 10,000 users. But here's the thing: You're not always sitting in front of the computer when the inspiration to blog strikes. And at Six Apart, it is our goal to provide you the tools you need need to blog where you want, and when you want.

Which is why this week we introduced Blog It for iPhone, a free web application just like the one we introduced for Facebook - only now - on your iPhone. Built specifically for iPhone's Safari browser, Blog It for iPhone enables you to post blog entries or status updates from wherever you are to more than a dozen different online services. And just like the original Facebook version, you can choose to share your posts with the people you know across various social networks.

To start blogging with Blog It for iPhone, go to  http://blogit.typepad.com with your iPhone's Safari browser and install the Blog It icon onto your mobile desktop. Then, all you have to do is click the Blog It icon and start creating posts!

Whether you're riding the bus to work, cheering on your team courtside, or enjoying a picnic by the lake, now it's easier than ever to Blog It.

We will be performing scheduled maintenance on Vox tonight (Friday, June 6, 2008) from 11:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. PDT. Although we don't anticipate this maintenance to be highly disruptive, we always like to give you advance notification when there is a slight chance of some downtime.

As always, thank you for your patience - and have a great weekend!

Update: There WILL be downtime between 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. PDT. so please plan accordingly.

Get your closets ready because the 2nd Annual SHOP SF Event is less than two weeks away, and Gen Art is offering Voxers an exclusive 25% discount on VIP and General Admission to this one-of-a-kind shopping fête.

The event will showcase over 40 local designers specializing in stylish clothing, jewelry and accessories for both men and women. These local designers were culled from the Gen Art alumni, local art schools, as well as the Bay Area's hottest emerging designer boutiques. With so many amazing looks to choose from, you'll be sure to find head-turning styles perfectly tailored to your individual taste. After all, that's what we think being a Bay Area resident is all about, don't you?

When: Saturday, June 14th

VIP Preview Hour: 12:00 - 1:00 P.M. (Includes access to the VIP lounge, Shu Uemura Lash Bar, complimentary coat check and a gift bag.)
General Public: 1:00 - 6:00 P.M.

Where: 511 Harrison Street (at 1st Street0
San Francisco, CA 94105

RSVP for the event at Gen Art and enter offer code VoxShopSF to save 25% off VIP or General Admission.

Wondering how you can say "Thank You" to Gen Art for their generous offer? Raid the closet of your boyfriend, husband, father, or best male bud, and bring a paper bag full of menswear (in good condition) to donate to The Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Donations will go to help more than a thousand people trying to overcome poverty, homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence in the Bay Area. Plus, for your kind offering, you'll receive a Goorin Bros. hat or accessory.

Let us know in the comments if you'll be attending this exciting event. We can't wait to see you there!

The Purple Ribbon Project is an international project with the long-term goal of bringing an end to all interpersonal violence. While none of us can hope to stop interpersonal violence on our own, the Purple Ribbon Project encourages us to change our own behavior by being a responsible role model, setting an example, and promoting violence awareness and respect.

The Purple Ribbon Project believes in order to stop the violence, we must first see to it that every man, woman, and child is aware of the problem. We must ask them to consciously stop tolerating, enabling, or engaging in this self-destructive epidemic among humans. Stopping violence is everyone’s responsibility.

What can you do to participate in this effort? First, you can answer today's QotD, "What could we do to create a world with less violence?" or respond to today's Vox Hunt and "Show us something purple." You can also wear a purple ribbon or tie one to your car or find ways to be a positive role model.

Learn more about how to get involved with the Purple Ribbon Project and let us know about your efforts to make the world a more peaceful place in the comments.

As the end of the school year draws near, I am looking forward to one thing in particular: I expect the number of exposure notices to drop significantly. We all know about the lice notices, it seemed like I was receiving one (or causing one to be received by others) every few days for months. But I didn't tell you about the others that have been regularly rolling in: pink eye (which she got), scabies (which she didn't), strep throat, hand, foot and mouth disease (isn't that for farm animals?), impetigo and scarlett fever. Just so you know how grossly misinformed I am, I thought scarlett fever was a serious disease. It's not. It seems that I'm confusing the colors of my fevers.

When Cassandre was little I shrugged off these notices. She almost never got sick and over time I just chalked them up to cya on the part of the school. Recently, however, I've developed a fear of the little white notes and the maladies they represent. Our battles with lice (won, I think, she said knocking on wood) and encounter with pink eye, and having met the classmate with scarlett (not yellow) fever, have resulted in me not being able to shake the warnings off the way I could before.

I expect the number of notices to drop, but not to stop. You see, I'm sending them to french camp, at the french school and the same rug rats they hang out with today are the ones they'll be running around with tomorrow. Except that since it's "camp" (and I don't mean that the way the Nazis did even though it is at school and some of you might not think that is very camp like...) anyway, I was saying that since it's camp she'll also get exposed (ha ha) to a whole new set of mystery dates. Kids who come in for two weeks and never come back.

It seems that not everyone needs day care the way I do and many parents actually keep their kids home during the summer. Or send them to real camp, or even sleep-away camp. I loved sleep-away camp. It was my first experience getting away from home and tasting independence. Of course I was horribly shy and it took me practically the whole summer to warm up to people (yes, I was that girl, the one you think is a total bitch until you realize she's just shy) but sleep-away camp is where I learned to ride a minibike, flirt with boys and steer a canoe - all very valuable life skills.

But I digress.

My girls are too young for sleep-away camp and they need to keep up with their French language skills over the summer so they don't fall behind. Plus, french camp is fun. No really. It's just like regular day camp but in another language, full of games, field trips, pools and running around. I wish I could go.

Really I wish I could go to sleep-away camp.

I got another notice today, this one for Roseola Infantum: here is what it said, italics are all mine.

What are the symptoms? Fever (often high) and a red, raised rash.
How is it spread? Direct contact with the mucous or saliva from the nose or throat of an infected person. And this is how you know we're dealing with kids. No matter how much I love you, if you are over five feet tall there is just no freaking way I am coming into contact with your sickly mucous membranes. 
When do symptoms start? 5 to 15 days after exposure to the virus. Good, because there's nothing I enjoy more than waiting for fever and a red, raised rash.
Need to keep the child home? No. Unless child is unable to participate in activies. Hello ground control, are you kidding me? I mean isn't that why you're sending this freaking notice home to me in the first place? Because some kid got sick and got dropped at school anyway?
Return to school/childcare? Children may return to school/childcare after fever disappears. Or when you have given them so much motrin that no one can tell that they're sick anymore.

Oh right, like you've never done that.

 

Remember when I said that the ESPN crew took some footage of Xav and me fly fishing in Chile? Look! We made the promo! Best part is that we don't talk. ;-)

 

Not that you need a reminder to go shopping, but just in case it somehow slipped your mind, we wanted to make sure you didn't forget about the Billion Dollar Babes Spring/Summer Sale this weekend in Los Angeles. Stock up on all the hottest designer styles at up to 80% off retail prices.

When: Friday, May 30th & Saturday, May 31st

Why: Well, we already mentioned the fabulous deals and steals, but on top of that, the lovely ladies at Billion Dollar Babes are offering a very special offer exclusively for Voxers. Visit http://www.bdbinvite.com/ and enter voxvipla in the promo code box to receive an early start time and first look at the sale!

San Francisco Voxers: Mark your calendars. The Billion Dollar Babes Spring/Summer Sale will be here Friday, June 6th and Saturday, June 7th. You, too, can register for an early start time and first look. Visit http://www.bdbinvite.com/ and enter voxvipsf in the promo code box.

Happy Shopping!