Vivian Greene

Kisses™ and Volkswagen To The Rescue!

“Can a Kisses™ or Volkswagen initiative save Dade County Water & Sewer?”
asks Vivian Greene pictured at a Warner Bros Display
International Licensing Show, NY.

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I wonder if an initiative of Volkswagen could help me solve my problem with Dade County Water & Sewer?

Cram the entire Customer Service into a VW? No, not exactly.

But VW reminds me of what has created my success all along. And maybe…maybe…it would work with Miami Dade Water & Sewer.

You see they keep billing me hundreds of dollars for a leak they claim I had last year. I never had a leak. At least, that’s what the plumber and their own experts who kept coming out to my house said after I called the mayor in desperation.

I mean…I use purified water, and I can shower at the local Spa, but I do prefer a toilet to kitty litter.

When I paid a monthly $100 which I agreed to do while we explore the problem, they came to turn off my water anyway. They claimed they had not received my $100 good will payment. Funny. They cashed the check.

The nice Mayor’s office got DCWS to change the meter. Then DCWS said, I still owed more money. Thanks for fixing the leak.

There was no leak. I didn’t fix anything. They turned off my water again last Thursday.

Maybe Volkswagen can help me. God knows, I need a car too. And the message of the Volkswagen initiative and mine are just about the same.

The VW initiative is about FUN. They’ve shown that FUN can change people’s behavior. They must not be having enough fun at Dade County Water and Sewer. I must think of something and save them.

Truth In Lending came to my rescue. They paid the alleged Water bill. The water was turned back on late Friday afternoon.

Are we having FUN yet?

No. Now DCWS wants another $160 by December 7 for “penalties.”

Goodness, they must not have any fun working at DCWS at all. They should learn a thing or two from Volkswagen.

VW has shown that FUN changes the behavior. If you haven’t seen Piano Stairs yet…take a quick peek at this:

So what next? How can I get to Dade County Water & Sewer and make their life more fun so they have better things to do than this silly (and costly) stuff? Do I go dance on John Renfrow’s desk? I think he should personally answer my letter. Maybe I should send it daily – hundreds of copies:

Why is DCWS so anxious to go to court? I’ve tried so hard to avoid this. Let’s face it, Miami Vice has more demanding problems than my toilet.

But if I must go to court, and pay $700/hr, I’m still going to ask the judge to order DCWS to have more fun. They must be suffering from LackofFunitis.

That must be the problem. Because there is no leak. Because there is no reason to be this inefficient. Because there is no censured censured censured. Imagine how many people Dade County Water and Sewer have offended. Stress is toxic. You give it out, you breath it in.

I’d like to save Dade County Water and Sewer. I’d like all the money this has cost me back so I can share some fun and steward the money for good, like I do with all my work at www.VivianGreene.com. I’d like to see a world full of Volkswagen drivers with flowers on their cars.

Everyone should have more fun. Dance, eat, drink, and remarry (renew vows or new partner or new water meter). Like my book says: Just Get Up And Dance!

What a court order! Give Dade County Water and Sewer a sentence of 30 minutes a day to dance Disco con Salsa.

Maybe Gloria Estefan, or KC (he lives in my neighborhood) can help me? Volkswagen has the right idea. And as Marie McDonnell from Truth In Lending said, “The city has it wrong.”

As I always say, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

My thanks to Volkswagen for their shining example. I hope Kisses™ can save Dade County Water and Sewer.

Kisses® are drawn with their eyes covered because
“All that is real is seen with the heart.”

Kisses™ and Volkswagen To The Rescue!

Vivian Greene
Invest In Love inc
“All that is real is seen with the heart.”

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© 2009 – 2011, Vivian Greene. All rights reserved.

Dance, Baby, Dance!

I’ve been called a lot of things lately. My new name is “Anonymous” or “Unknown” and appears with my quote, ” Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Not always, of course. Just often enough to occasionally get me sued. Why me? Because if I sell exclusive rights to a publisher, or manufacturer, to make thousands of things with the quote –I’m obligated to protect the company’s investment.

Occasionally, it’s an innocent mistake. When I first started in business, Sparky (Charles Schulz) introduced me to Aviva Enterprises. The owner, Eliot Steinberg, used my idea for “Gucci Pucci” luggage featuring Peanuts, and Kisses™ Jewelry.

One day, Eliot called me and said, “I feel so silly. Here we’ve been making your jewelry and I didn’t even notice my daugher, she’s two, was sitting on your faces.”

I thought maybe he’d been drinking.

“Sitting on what?” I asked.

“Your high chair!” he exclaimed.

“My what?”

“Your copyright is right on it! Your high chair cover.”

“I make greeting cards, not chairs.”

I thought maybe I should have a drink. But I don’t drink, really.

The high chair cover was indeed covered with my Kisses™ character’s faces.

A college girl had made a collage of my greeting cards in a repeat pattern and sold them to one of the biggest vinyl manufacturers in the country. Kisses™ was selling like crazy on baby bumpers, strollers, diaper bags, and many items I knew nothing about. Babies?

Talk about copyright infringement!

“Dance, Baby, Dance!” was as close as I came to the word “baby” at that time, the height of the Disco era.

I didn’t sue the college girl. I was in college myself three years earlier. I hired her. The textile company paid me a huge advance with royalties and we created more designs.

Hmmm…. maybe I’ll call Elliot, or send him this, and see if his grand babies use the high chair?

The nice thing about this is even if no one remembers my name, or calls me Anonymous, the characters live on and on.

In fact, here’s one of my favorite pieces of animation. Bill Melendez who was Sparky’s best friend, and made these cartoons died recently. He was like a surrogate father to me. He took me to the movies with Big Helen (his wife of 65 years who was barely 5 feet tall) to see THE BEAR, and taught me to drink tequila and fly a kite. But that’s another story.

Of course, one of the main reasons I love this video so, is because they’re dancing!

Dance, Baby, Dance!

Vivian Greene
Invest In Love inc
“All that is real is seen with the heart.”

© 2009 – 2011, Vivian Greene. All rights reserved.

“Life’s not about waiting for the storm to pass…
It’s about Learning To Dance In The Rain.”
~ Vivian Greene

Truly understanding the power of gratitude can change your life forever!

The title of this beautiful book was inspired by a great quote from Vivian Greene. “Life’s not about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about Learning To Dance In The Rain.”

How true it is! We all face adversity in our life. However, it’s not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude, learn how to dance in the rain?

It almost sounds too simple to feel important , but one word…gratitude, can change your attitude, and thus your life, forever.” ‘

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

Learning To Dance In The Rain

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…
It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

See that rainbow over my shoulder?
My cup runneth over

I don’t ask why
I say thank you
and I dance in the rain

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…
It’s about learning to dance in the rain”

~ Vivian Greene
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Vivian Greene’s Success Recipe:
Equal parts love, money and values. Mix Vigorously

==> www.VivianGreene.com
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© 2009 – 2011, Vivian Greene. All rights reserved.