Gift to Myself for My Birthday

It seems 38 is not such a bad place to be.  I have been gifted with good skin from my Mom and Grandmother so I don't look quite like a cougar yet.  I have friends all over the world and all over the interwebs.  I really don't need much.  So what to you get for the girl who has everything?

Since I am ME I would probably know.  This morning, I gave myself a dose of good health.

"GA!"  You say, "That is boring! How about a new pair of shoes or a cute purse?  What did you do? Drink one of those crazy Green Monsters or your Overnight Oats?"

Nope...what I did this morning was push myself.

"No!!!" you say, "Why on earth would you want to do that on your birthday? You could have slept in, cuddled with the doggies and then been late to work because you stopped at Starbucks overslept."

What happened was the voices inside my head told me, to take it easy this morning because it was my birthday.  I could have rolled over and slapped the alarm a couple more times but...the fact that I was another year older made me get up and out the door.  I was tired, I really was.  Last night Halo Reach came out at midnight and of course P had to go get it and play it which woke me up and/or kept me from sleeping well.  So after I walked the doggies, I set out to run.  As much as Annie Lennox told me 'One more time for the womenkind' and Cowboy Troy enticed me to 'play chicken with the train,' the voices kept telling me, "It's your birthday, you can stop at 3 miles.  It's like a gift to yourself."  I knew better.  I knew the best gift I could give myself was to push on to my 4.5 miles on my 38th birthday.  Even when the voice told me it was ok to stop and walk (which it usually is) for a bit, I felt a deeper need to power through, to prove to myself that even though I was 38 years old and I had too much pizza the night before, I could do this.  I could round the bend a the top of the hill and keep going.  I could run past the STOP sign that was usually the end of the run for me.  I COULD GO ALL THE WAY!

And I did.

Happy birthday to me!

Bloggy Bootcamp Philadelphia ReCap - (Extended Version)

For a shorter re-cap from me, click here

My head is still spinning from Bloggy Boot Camp in Philadelphia this past weekend.  If you read my post on Friday, you'd know I was a little nervous and unbelievably excited at the prospect of meeting all the wonderful ladies that I had 'met' online over the past couple years and meeting new SITS girls that I didn't know before that were newbies and vets. 

Now knowing Tiffany (in all her pretty glory and melodious voice) I knew this was going to be a special event but I was blown away by everything that was packed into an 8 hour conference.

Scary Mommy aka Jill Smokler showed us how to grow our blog in "an organic and authentic way" by following some basic social media etiquette.  You must visit her.  She is an amazing person and blogger.  I also commend her for not killing her husband when he brought a puppy home while she was away.  We have dogs but I would kill my husband if he did that to me and then I'd let the new dog take over his half of the bed.

Nap Warden aka Cynthia Wheeler rocked an awesome video about blogging and why your design is important.  I loved seeing her show us why a 250 pixel heading is a good way to BUT...that rule is made to be broken at the right time and blog.  She is a super talented illustrated and designer and in love with all things Adobe.  Someday Cynthia, they will be begging you to represent them.  I know this.

Better in Bulk aka Laura Franklin's presentation could not have come at a better time for me.  She wore her beauteous DSLR camera proudly around her neck (I hope she got a massage later) while she showed us how to get the best out of our cameras.  You know how we bloggers LURVE our pictures!  Her top 10 Tips are now inside the camera bag of my NEW NIKON D3000!  I might have to laminate it. ;)

Uppercase Woman aka Cecily Kellog in her very quiet and unassuming way (giggle, giggle, giggle) explained how we can find our voice when it comes to our blog.  Ok, that is all wrong.  Cecily showed us how to ROCK our inner voice through our blogs.  Her 'be yourself' no nonsense attitude made me want to run out and attack all those opinions I have that I have not shared on my blog out of shear fear I might offend A reader.  Ok, then I calmed down and realized she was showing us how to be ourselves and still connect with our readers.  Cecily just rocks and I really hope I can put my voice out there like she does.

During our PR 101 section Just Precious aka Julie Meyers Pron, The Centsible Life aka Kelly Whalen and Philly Burb Moma aka Shannon Ott made the somewhat confusing and overlapping worlds of PR, Advertising and Marketing understandable.  Their instructions on adding a "Blog Package" vs. a "Media Kit" to your blog were invaluable.  Having people from the industry teach you about the industry was unbelievably helpful.  They are also local gals so I was mucho proud to have them speaking. While the PR virgins were getting their info on, the vets were in another room gabbin' it up about what they were up to with the next steps to their blogs.  You'll have to check in with some other attendees for that info. 

Feels Like Home aka Tara Ziegmont blew us all away with her roadmap to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  The brain on that chick is amazing.  She explained how shearch engines work and how to use them to get people to find your blog.  What happens when you type your blog name into a search?  want it to be up top?  SEO is the way to go.Oh, I am also breaking her rule at this moment with a long post.

Open Sky's go to guy for social media, Ted Rubin, showed us not only the intriguing world of Open Sky and having your own easy as pie shop on you blog but showed us how relationships matter.  He uses the phrase ROR or Return on Relationships a good deal and he knows what he is talking about.  It is all about the networking whether you are blogging, running a business in a brick and mortar store or doing your business online.  He also likes scotch.  My kind of guy.

It all ended with drinks, feather masks, a little bit of JC Mellancamp dancing at the cocktail party sponsored by VirtuaWoman.  I wish I could have partied all night with these ladies.  I was having such a good time.  Alas, this chickie was local and took the Lansdale/Doylestown home at the last possible minute.  Please read my shortened version of the conference here and my do's and don'ts and general suggestions if you are Campin'  at another event.

Bloggy Boot Camp - My Brain is Full (Short Version)

If you'd like to see my full re-cap go here.  I highly encourage you to visit because I have included each speaker what they spoke about and links to their blogs.  They are amazingly talented women and they probably have posted info about their presentations on their blogs.  If you can't get to a Bloggy Boot Camp, stalk these ladies.  I cannot say enough good things about them. 

Ahem, to begin Tiffany is pretty...even without Photoshop actions to make her look rested and her voice is that of a thousand butterfly wings over lavender, beating not in unison but in a melodious tempo to sweeten the air and soothe the mind.  :)

Ok, here's the lowdown on Bloggy Boot Camp.  My brain is full.  That is all.

Just kidding!  I still remembered to shower and keep up basic hygiene on Sunday and Monday.  I did wear my bra on my head but my husband caught me before I went out the door.

But I digress, you don't want to hear about my awesome fall style, you want to hear about Bloggy Boot Camp in Philly. 

Here is what I LOVED about Bloggy Boot Camp:

• Everyone was Tweeting about it in the days leading up to it.  Tiffany sent out a Twitter list and we all tweeted excitedly.  BTW - if you are not doing Twitter and you want to meet other bloggers, run, don't walk and get yourself a Twitter account.
• A meet up the night before was a great way to get to know people early.
• I got to FINALLY meet Kathy, Tiffany and Jill aka Mama Kat, SITS girl extraordinaire and queen of the R Family Diaries and Scary Mommy.  It was like a backstage meet and greet with your favorite bands.  if you go to a Bloggy Boot Camp, the bloggers you love WILL be there and they will be so happy YOU are be there!  
• I was able to use all my social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, etc) while the conference was going on.  This was great because people got to document some of the wonderful things that were said, right then and there for those that could not make it. 
• I got something from each and every speaker.  There was not one I wanted to leave for a bit for or get a cup of coffee because it didn't apply to me.  Everything applied to me or to my blog or will in the near future.  
• Every person there, was glad I was there and I felt the same way about everyone else.  It was a love fest and I was happy to be a part of it.  Whether you have thousands of followers, or not any, everyone was there because they love to blog and want to support those who do.  There was no toxic talk, no comparison of money made, in fact it was barely spoken about.  Why?  Because that is not the measure of a good blog and everyone there agreed with that.

What I did not love about Bloggy Boot Camp:

• I did not stay in the hotel with the other bloggers. :(  I was very local so I thought it would be fine to take the train in to Philly for this.  Boo!  Never again will I make that mistake for any conference.  I didn't have a place to go between the conference and the party.  Luckily because Nap Warden aka Cynthia and Every Day Childhood aka Kelley, they let me hang with them and eat pizza.  :)   I missed the late night stuff and the additional bonding.  I really hated to leave when I had to.
• I did not take enough pictures.  I vow to bring a camera EVERYWHERE now.  Whether it is my new 'big' camera or the point and shoot, look out because I am going to git ya!

My advice for future campers

• If you have a laptop, bring it, if you can bring a power strip bring it. You can probably make money off letting people rent space on your power strip during the day.  Kidding!   Just bring one if you can.  I promise people will be grateful.
• Stay overnight if you can on the day of the conference.  See above.  
• Tell Tiffany she is pretty.  She is so it's not hard but she really likes to hear it.
• If you don't have time to buy business cards, print some up on your computer.  You'll do a lot of talking but having a card is a great way to follow up with people if you only got a second to chat.

In closing, have a to-do list a mile long but if I never went to Bloggy Boot Camp, I wouldn't have a list of cool ways to improve my blog.  I'd be stumbling around in the dark.  Thanks to BBC, I am in the light...and I have cool sunglasses for it too. :)

Social Media Overload or Why I Need Bloggy Boot Camp

It started out simple enough a few years ago.  Start a blog and and write.  I like to write always have.

Then it happened ...comments.  People read what I wrote and liked it!  They even took time to tell me they liked it.  Then I started reading other people's blogs then they read mine...followers!  I blogged daily, sometimes more than that.  I came up with "My Island" and people loved it!  I met up with a blogger in Massachusetts, As Cape Cod Turns, while I was on vacation and we hung out.  It was awesome!

Then I was a featured blogger on SITS.  OMG!  The comment love was so addicting!  I met more bloggers and followed more blogs until...

B U R N O U T

I didn't blog for a long time.  I thought about it often and I admit...I lurked.  I felt guilty for not nurturing my blog.  I missed writing.  I watched too much tv. 

So I started again, a little at a time to get back into the swing of things.  It made me happy so I decided to put more effort into my blog.  I bought a domain name but wasn't sure how to migrate it also, it seemed the game had changed.  Between Facebook, Twitter, something called BlogFrog...what the heck is that?  Keeping up with all those Tweets should be a full time job oh and was I writer on my Facebook fan page or a business?  If I was going to participate in Health Living Blogging could I only write about healthy stuff?  Am I persona non grata at BlogHer now that they pulled their ads from my tiny blog?  What about stats and how much should I care about them...and how do I get to do reviews and giveaways? 

I must be doing something wrong. :(  I started to get lost again and then...


Da da da da!  

I saw it, help from the gals at SITS!



And it was coming to Philadelphia.

It was like a bunch of things all fell into place the week I discovered I could go.  Finally someone, actually a lot of talented someones, would all be gathered together to help each other make the most of what they love doing, writing, blogging, networking and I could get some help!

I am so excited to share a freezing hotel conference room on Saturday (and Friday night at dinner) with a ton of other funny and talented writers I can barely contain myself!  It is going to be a crazy weekend for me but it will all be worth it I know.  I will gain knowledge, insight and most of all...

a new bunch of friends who blog.  Can't wait to hang with you all!

Writers WorkShop: The Best Movie I Ever Memorized

This week's choice was a no brainer for me.  I have this odd gift for remembering just about everything about any movie I have seen.  I even remember things about movies that I don't want to remember like 'From Dusk Till Dawn'...ick is all I have to say about that.  I pretty much kick ass when it comes to movie trivia, as long as I have seen the movie at least once. 

One of my favorite movies of all time is Clue.  This movie, to me, is hilarious.  It has slapstick comedy, bad accents, Nurse Kelly from MASH and best of all...Tim Curry.  The rest of the cast are amazing comedians as well and I just wish they had worked together more.  The dialouge is quick and witty and smart.  It reminds me a little of how Gilmore Girls was written, not the comedy but some of the rapid fire dialouge.

I am not joking when I say that I had this movie memorized when I was younger.  In fact, if I was watching it today, at this very moment, I would be able to recite it word for word.  Why?  I wore out the VHS tapes of the flipping movie.  It was more of an obsession for me and I can't explain exactly why.  It is similar to one of the books you can read again and again.  They give you a sense of comfort and home.  I think this type of comedy gave me that.  I have it on DVD now and on cold nights I will sit and watch and laugh and laugh like I am watching it for the first time.  Maybe it's the laughter that gets me.  There are few things that I can watch that make me laugh every single time I see it...there is one other one but that is another post.

Basically think of the board game Clue.  All the characters are represented with a few additions.  They are all being blackmailed in McCarthy era style and someone dies, then someone else dies, etc.  They then have to figure out who the murderer is.  It could be any of them and they all have a weapon, a la the board game.  The simpleness of the plot makes the comedy easy and the twist 'endings'... and yes there are three different ones that were played in different theaters across the US... smart and well calculated. 

Below you will find 'Clue in 52 Seconds'.  It is a very well edited snapshot of the movie that a guy did for a class and put on YouTube.  In total it is 1:24 but well worth it.  Better than the trailer.  If you have never seen the movie give it a go, I think for many people it might have that Anchorman quality - meaning you have to see it more than once to really start laughing.  For me, it was love at first Tim Curry.

The Quran Buring or Don't Give Matches to Idiots

I am filled with hate.  Wait...that can't be right.  I don't want to hate.  Hate is what is causing the problem in the first place. 

Maybe it's not hate but an loathing of ideals. 

No, it's hate. 

What I'd like to do is go to each and every person that sent Terry Jones in Gainsville, Florida a copy of the Quran to burn and ask them what is the most precious book they have in their possession.  No undoubtedly, many will say their bible but some others might mention a photo album or a scrapbook of memories.  Maybe it was a book their read to their child or was read to them as a child.  Books that have no replacement value but are priceless because of the meanings they hold.  They treasure the meaning.  I'd like to hold it.

Then I'd like burn it in front of their very eyes.

They would hate me for it.  They would hate my action, they would hate me.  They might even try to kill me for doing it out of sheer rage. 

Do you think then, Jones supporters would understand what the burning of a book the Muslims consider more than holy actually means?  If their actions in killing me for burning something precious of theirs are justified in their eyes, why would they expect something different from another human being just because they are Muslim? 

Do they really think that the burning of the Quran is going to stop Muslims from being Muslims?  Do they really think an entire religion is going to shut down and say, "Oh my we are scared of this preacher man Terry Jones.  We should give up our religion and become Christians because that is obviously the only RIGHT religion." 

Nope.

What it will do is make targets out of US Citizens around the world.  Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  After someone is killed overseas, in the name of Allah, do you think Terry Jones will worry that the blood of that individual is on his hands?

No, I am sure that he will go the way of Pontius Pilate and wash his hands of the action.

Happy 'New' New Year!

No, I haven't cracked quite yet. 

I don't like 'celebrating' in the freezing cold where the longest day of darkness just passed eleven days prior.  I don't like celebrating by waking up the next day, wondering what I promised myself the night before. 

What I DO like is running at 7am when the sun is not high enough to be too hot.  I like passing the smiling faces of kids on their first day of school...and the bigger smiles of their parents.  I love the smell of the fall fresh cut grass and watching the geese start to fly V-formation.  I love that my CSA delivery is going to have kale and acorn squash in it today, a sure sign of fall.

I decided this morning from now on, the Tuesday after Labor Day is MY New Years Day.  It's a day of celebrating the wonderful summer, the gorgeous fall weather to come and the coziness that winter will bring. 


This is probably the best idea I have had in a long time. I will be celebrating by making a fire in the outdoor fireplace this evening and enjoying a cool dinner outside, maybe even some cider. :)


Want to celebrate too? What will you do to celebrate this version of New Years?