The End...

On January 1st of this year, I started this blog.  The intent was to get me writing on a regular basis.  

Mission accomplished.  Not only am I now writing regularly, I actually have a website for my stories, and I am a weekly blogger at APOOO.    

It's time that I turn more of my attention to my fiction writing.  Which means that I will have less time to play here at Are You Kidding Me.

But, you can still find me every Friday at APOOO for my take on mid-life stuff.

And of course, you can find me at Diva Fiction Bytes, if you are interested in fiction, my thoughts on the writing life, books, movies, or whatever else comes to mind.  

Thanks for checking me out, and helping me immerse myself into the writing world.  

Have a great 2009.  See ya' around the web.  

Oh Happy Day!

plus

equals

HAPPY ME!!!

My MacBook and my Blackberry are now friends.  I can sync my music, calendars, contacts, etc!!!!  Yay me.  Thank you to Apple for the latest updates that allowed this wonderful union!  

Creativity

Don't seem to have any creative juices flowing this morning.  May take my notebook and go people watch at Starbucks or Panera's until my muse decides to come back home.  Sigh.  

Setting My Intentions

I don't do resolutions.  I mentioned that waaayyyy back in January when I started this blog.  I simply don't need another thing on my To Do list.

I do set intentions for the new year.  And no, in my book, this is not the same as goal setting.

Intention setting is what I want to "be about" for the coming year.  

In 2009, I intend to be consistent.  

• Being consistent in my relationships will ensure that my family knows that even though I am spending a lot of time pursuing my entrepreneurial endeavors, they are still my top priority. 
  
• Being consistent with exercise will help me drop a few pounds, find my waistline, and a live a healthier life.
  
• Being consistent professionally will allow me to establish my reputation as a business owner and grow my business. 
  

If you want to know more about intention setting, check out Christine Kane's blog. 

Soulful Christmas

If you are in the Christmas spirit, check out my post over at APOOO today.

Man Shopping...

I wrote this piece today to post on my website.  And then I got a message from Charmaine wanting new material.  Well, here it is.  

The setup:  a woman has a best friend who is always on the look out for relationship material for her single friend.

The backstory:  my BFF Adrienne used to do shit like this to me all the time.  Now that I have been "happily committed" for the last two years, she is now on a mission to get me hitched.  

Enjoy.  Tell me if your friends are as nuts as mine.  

BTW, Adrienne did indeed call me at home one Saturday to tell me about some guy she was checking out in the grocery store for me.  And she did indeed get his card.  Sigh.  I can't make this shit up.  LOL

I present:  Man Shopping.

I have always wanted a BFF.  Like Oprah and Gail.  Batman and Robin.  Ethel and Lucy.  What I got instead, was Adrienne.  The woman who had decided that it was her mission in life to get me dating, married, and mommied before all of my eggs dried up.

Adrienne was a “by the book” kind of person.  Meet the love of your life while still in high school.  Check.  Attend state university and get that degree in business.  Check.  Get married to high school sweetheart one year after college graduation.  Check.  Buy the house with the white picket fence (I’m not kidding).  Check.  Have twins within a year of moving into Picket Fence House.  Check.  Hound your BFF every year for not keeping up.  Check.

I am more of a free spirit.  Enough with the rules and the sheep mentality.  I did the business degree, and the MBA, and spent a few years working for The Man.  I decided working for me was a lot more fun.

Here are a few things that I believe:

·      That it is perfectly ok to live in a condo (no repair issues or yard work to contend with.  That’s what you pay all that money in association fees for.) 

·      Never getting married and not having kids (or even pets for that matter) is ok. 

·      Marriage is all about the subjugation of women (but that’s just me).

·      Best friends are the biggest meddlers on the planet.

Still, with all of these differences, Adrienne and I have been friends for a long time. She’s the youngest of seven; I’m the oldest of five.  We were born nine months apart (she’s older) so befriending and bossing me was a way to throw her weight around, since she was always being told what to do by six older sisters.  We “get” one another in a very real way.  I get that she will never stop trying to make my life a cookie cutter version of her own.  She gets that it is in my nature to go against the establishment for no apparent reason (her words, not mine). 

Which means that I am always being subjected to set-ups, blind dates, and “look who I ran into” situations.  I mean really, I know you guys remember the The Date I had just a couple of weeks ago with the Urban Narcissus. 

And I am no longer surprised at what Adrienne does.  She actually believes that the right man will change my mind about marriage and parenting.  Whatever. 

That’s why it came as no surprise to have this conversation at 9:30 on a Saturday morning:

Adrienne:  Hey Girl, what are you doing?

Me:  Nothing.  Drinking some tea and trying to figure out what I am going to do with my day.

Adrienne:  Umm.  I’m at Publix.  Why don’t you run over here and help me pick out a cake for dinner tomorrow?

Me:  What?  Help you pick out a cake for Sunday dinner?  What’s up?  Is the President coming to dinner? 

Adrienne:  Hold on. 

I hear lots of mumbling with a few words coming in, then fading out:

            …on the phone with … trying to… stubborn…

Me:  Adrienne!  What the hell is going on?  Who are you talking to?

Adrienne:  Hold on- just give me a minute.

(To the person at the store:  Finish your shopping.  It should take her about ten minutes.) 

Me:  Adrienne- who are you talking to?  What is going on?

Adrienne:  Look.  I need you to put on something cute, but casual, and meet me in the parking lot at Publix in about ten minutes.  I’ve got someone I want you to meet.

Me:  Someone you want me to meet?  This morning?  At Publix?  What the hell?

Adrienne:  Look, he’s really cute.  I met him in the juice aisle.  He was trying to decide on the V-8 or the cranberry juice.  We started talking, and I told him about you.  And I told him that I could get you here in a few minutes so he could check you out.  Girl, he runs his own business- I knew you would like that.  He’s an accountant, so he should be good with money.  He’s got a nice body, and….  Oh shoot.  Wait.  He’s getting in line with his cart.  Now you have five minutes.

Me:  Goodbye Adrienne.  I’m not coming down to the grocery store to meet some dude.  You have really lost your mind.

Adrienne:  Girl, he is FIONE!  I am going to give him your business card.  I got his already.  You need to come see him.

Me:  Bye Adrienne.  Finish your shopping and then go back to the nuthouse.  I can’t believe they let you out.

Adrienne:  And I can’t believe you are going to miss this opportunity.  How are you ever going to get a man if you…

Click. 

Really.  There is only so much a person can take.  And I’m not even mad.  After all, she is my best friend. 

 

 

Another Saturday...

I just can't seem to get my butt in gear today.  I've been up for hours.  Had plans to read, run, and do a little writing.  Instead, I wasted an obscene amount of time surfing the net.  As if I don't already do that all week long.  Now I'm doing on the weekends?  Sheesh.

Going to shower and the girl and I are heading over to The Man's for an afternoon of the following:

movie matinee

the library

the Apple store (as in Macs and iPods)

dinner- probably Mexican or wings

ice cream while watching DVDs on The Man's HUGE 50something inch flat screen in his man cave.  

Sounds like a good time will be had by all.  

And if you are on the net all day, pop over to APOOO and check out my post Gifting Yourself.  Let me know what you think.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

My two favorite things don't like each other.  Yes, my Blackberry Curve and my MacBook are not the best of friends.  They are not even associates.  The don't speak to each other at all right now, and I am so upset about it.  

I downloaded software from the Blackberry website to facilitate communication in this relationship.  No dice.  My newer MacBook just isn't trying to hear what the Blackberry is saying. 

I went outside the family and sought assistance from a professional (i.e, bought the Missing Sync).  Again, they refuse to play with one another.  They guys are just currently not compatible, and they may not be for a long time. And that makes me sad.

But I'm not giving up.  I'll continue to try to make this relationship work.  It must.  For my professional and personal sanity- it will.  

 

Diva Fiction Bytes

I am very happy to announce the launch of my new website DivaFictionBytes.

Stop by and check things out when you get a chance. Read the Freebies, leave a comment, tell a friend!

Blog Pimpin...

It's Friday after Thanksgiving.  I'm having a leisurely morning in the bed with the computer- just checking out the blogs and places I haven't had a chance to visit in a while.  And I have noticed something very interesting... 

It appears that there is a new way to have ads on your blogs- between the posts.  Now, I don't know how long this has been happening, but since it's new to me- I'll call it new. How annoying. Is everyone now blogging just to make money?  What happened to blogging because it was fun and you could say what you want, about your favorite topic (or your navel lint), and because it was fun (I know.  I said that already.)

 

But, what do I know?  I complained when PDAs and cell phones copulated and produced "smart phones".  And now I'm hooked on the Crackberry.  

Commuter Woes

This morning I got up and tripped over the laundry on my way across the hall to my office.  

The Holidays are Coming!

That means that I can eat, sleep, read, and watch television all I want.  Yep.  That's what I do during the holidays.  I don't shop (until the absolute end so that I can catch the sales).  My decorations are few (a 4 foot tree- so I don't have to do much trimming.  Stockings hanging from the mantle and I'm done.  No outside lights and all that jazz).  My parties are few and far between.  

DIT and I play board games,  The Man and I curl up on the sofa with movies and the remote, and the dog wanders up and down the hall from one favorite sleep spot to the next.  What more could you ask for?

Energizer Bunnies...

is the title of my post over at APOOO today.  

Have a great weekend.  

H-O-L-L-A!!!

Permission to read Fiction...

Late last night, I had a phone call from my online buddy Laurel.  We talked about work, politics, reading and much more.  And during that conversation Laurel suggested that I write a blog giving folks permission to read fiction.

Now, this may sound odd, when you hear it, but I instantly got where she is coming from.  

I am an avid fiction reader, but lately, with my journey into self-employment, I have been reading more business blogs, and even went to the library last weekend to get books marketing, startups, and branding.  And let's not forget all of the news that I get from online newspapers. 

As a writer of fiction, I want to hear that folks are out there reading it.  I mean really, I'm not writing this stuff for myself.  OK, well maybe I am.  But I still want others to read it.  

So, here are a few reasons you should get your hands on fiction of your choice:

1.  Fiction allows you to escape from your present situation.  You can go to England or Spain or Russia, or where ever.

2.  You can learn about just about any subject and you won't feel like you are in a classroom. Many writers spend untold amounts of time researching topics just so they can get it right in their stories.  

3.  It's a great way to spend "me time".  Folks generally tend to leave you alone when you have a book in your hands.

4.  If you see yourself in one of the characters, you don't have to admit it to anyone (unless you want to).

5.  Fiction is a great way to cure boredom.  If you're lucky, you can lose track of time, and wish that the book would never end.

6.  You will make some writer very happy.

There are other reasons to read fiction, but I think you should pick up a good book and begin your own list.  You'll be glad you did.  

Git 'er done!

That is the mindset that I am in.  I am ready to get my website stuff done so that I can begin concentrating on the launch of my business.  Which means that I will be focusing on marketing, on top of writing the best stories that I can.  And I have to say- I'm feeling really good about things.

I'm sure reality will rear it's ugly head and try to kick my ass.  LOL

Until then, back to work for me.  

And, yes, I know my pic is one of celebration.  I'm just acting as if I'm already where I want to be.  This is counselor stuff.  Sheesh!

Being Your Own Boss...

means saying no to things that are not helping you move your business forward.

No- I'm not going to the fair.  

No- I'm not going to watch tv.  I'll DVR everything for the weekend.

No- I'm not going to surf the net today- unless it's work related ( :-) )

No- I'm not having lunch with the Divas today- I'll catch up with them next week.

No- I'm not going to kick up the leaves in the yard 'cause it's so much fun.  Besides, there will be more if I wait a few days.

When my To Do list is shorter, they I will say yes to the things listed above (except the fair, 'cause I really hate the fair, and it's gone now anyway), and much more.

And that's how it goes when you are running your own business.  

Mac Daddy

The Man did it.  He went ahead and bought a Mac.  

He loves it.  I know he does.

Now we have to figure out how to use video chat.  You know, for the times when one of us is traveling.  I'm just saying.

APOOO Friday

Today's post at APOOO.  Enjoy.

Lessons Learned

First, I want to commend John McCain on a most gracious speech last night conceding the race.  I suspect that this is the man that folks have seen in the past.  I wish we had seen more of him during the presidential campaign.  His angry, disconnected representative was not cool.

Having said that, I hope that the nation (and especially the Republicans) has learned a few things.  Like:

- every vote does indeed count

-this country is diverse. You can't ignore millions of people (consider them on the "fringes") and think that you will get elected

-you cannot ignore the needs of the people.  Pretending that the economy is good doesn't make it so

-even if your team doesn't win, you have to remain part of the process.  Lasting change is internal, not external

The people have spoken.  Now we have to get our asses to work.

Barack Obama...

is the 44th president of the United States of America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And I am here to see it, my mother is here to see it, and my daughter has watched the entire process from the very beginning. It is truly a beautiful thing.