I was at work yesterday when my boss was having a conversation with a client about the client’s beagle. “Melisa has a beagle,” my boss told her. “You do?” asked the client. “Is your dog stubborn?” “Oh my goodness. Don’t get me started,” I replied, before, well, getting started. After we exchanged a few “my beagle is a troublemaker” stories, my boss asked, “How old is Roxie again?” That’s when it hit me. Her birthday had been on Wednesday, and it totally slipped my mind. “She turned seven yesterday! Oh my gosh. I’ve never missed a birthday!” I spent the next forty-five minutes before leaving for home feeling guilty for…
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Here’s What I Know.
I am in the middle of manuscript-editing craziness, hence the lack of regular posting. My brain is on fire ninety-nine percent of the time, my house is a mess, and even with my mad skillz in multi-tasking I don’t feel like I’m getting anything done at all. Well, except for the editing part, which is THE most important thing at the moment since I have a deadline, so I guess I will rejoice in that victory for the moment! Due to the job at hand, the days seem to bleed into one another and time flies. In the interest of lowering an anchor for a moment, I thought I’d make…
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BlogHer ’11: The Year Of Fewer Parties and No Blisters
A couple of days ago, the arrival of the first invitation for an event happening the week of BlogHer ’11 (San Diego!) in AUGUST, five months from now, started excited heart palpitations (and in some cases, anxiety) among many bloggers. My good friend and BlogHer ’11 roomie Momo Fali wrote an excellent post today about her thoughts regarding events at this–or any–conference, and it made me want to share my thoughts and experiences, too. But first, go read Momo’s post, not only because it’s fabulous, but also because she explains how conference sponsorship for brands happens to work. I’ll still be here when you get back. Done? Great. Here’s what…
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Shaken.
I am, ninety-nine percent* of the time, a pretty confident person overall. Though I am not good at everything, of course (who is?), I recognize that I have talent in certain areas and choose to emphasize those rather than showcase the set of personal skills which I consider to be lackluster. Some of my best talents are listed here in no particular order: 1. Mothering.2. Organizing and executing theme parties/events.3. Making paper notecards.4. Finding the perfect gift.5. Arranging flowers.6. Baking (and decorating) cakes.7. Giving advice.8. Listening.9. Planning vacations.10. Being a good friend.11. Building things out of cardboard.12. Writing. Ah yes, writing. Yesterday, for the first time since I sat in…
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Just When You Think Everything Is Smooth Sailing…
When you last heard from me, it was Wednesday and I was waiting for a pair of red shoes to arrive at my house, a day ahead of an event that was “Red dress or red shoes optional”. I was very excited to have finally found something that would work for me, and paid for express delivery (something I NEVER do), in order to get the shoes early enough to wear around the house for a couple of hours before making the commitment to wear them for six to seven hours on event night. I checked the UPS tracking on the shoes during the day on Wednesday, and there was…
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Taking “Obsessive” To A Whole New Level.
I have recently been involved in a self-created comedy of errors and thought, if nothing else, it might be an entertaining story to post here. You see, I am going to a special event in the city this Thursday evening. Part of the event proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign, and the invitation says “Red dress or red shoes optional.“ When I first put this event on my calendar a couple of weeks ago, I wasn’t all that concerned about what I would wear. After all, I am no fashionista. Anyone who knows me can vouch for that. I don’t even know if I…
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On Having A Brain That Won’t Turn Off
I’m a thinker. I can’t help it. I’m also a worrier. Can’t help that, either.I have to add “Control Freak” to that list, too, while I’m at it. This combination is a deadly trifecta for anyone who enjoys, well, sleeping. Or relaxing. Normally I don’t sleep much anyway; harboring extreme jealousy of those who claim to get their eight hours every night, I usually hover around the six-hour mark when it comes to the actual amount of time I’m in bed. Sleeping time runs anywhere from four to five hours. When many of you are enjoying your zzzz’s, I’m solving important problems, like “what happens if something that is totally…
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Ready For My Closeup…Sort Of. (Part 2)
Did you read Part 1 yet? You should, before moving on. Click here to read it. When I woke up at 2:30 a.m. I was completely annoyed. Naturally my thoughts went to the photo shoot, and then to other “work” related items. I tried my best to think about things like puffy white clouds and wide open meadows, to no avail. I was wide awake. I made myself stay in bed until about 4:40, and that’s when I got up and started getting myself ready. The hair, though it took a really long time, turned out really well! I followed Lynn’s (my hair stylist) directions and was beyond pleased, even…
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Ready For My Closeup…Sort Of. (Part 1)
One of the details I’ve had to coordinate, concerning my soon-to-be-published book (yay!), is my author photo for the back cover. My publisher suggested that, since the book is about Chicago, I have my picture taken in front of a recognizable Chicago building or landmark. No problem. I have my favorites, and it took me about a half of a split second to create the mental short list of locations for the shoot. In fact, if you’re one of my long-time readers, I bet that YOU could create a mental short list of locations for my photo shoot. It took me less than half of a split second to figure…
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Thank You. And You. And You.
I’ve been working on something exciting for the last four hours: the Acknowledgments section for my book. It has been difficult for me, not only because there are so many people to thank, and not only because there is no possible way I could list every single one of my friends, and not only because I hope there are no hurt feelings about that fact, and not only because my brain is a jumbled, thankful mess at the moment, but also just because I’m having a hard time editing myself. I mean, I’m just not the type of person who can write, “To so-and-so: thanks for everything!” I have to…