The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Back in the saddle again...

After a full week away from my blog, I realize how much I missed writing for the pure pleasure of it -- writing for myself. What's actually been going on is a huge spurt of writing projects -- for OTHER people. I say this joyfully because after all, I am a freelance writer, and the fact that business is coming to me with NO marketing efforts on my part is simply amazing and exciting. Not to mention very gratifying. In the past few weeks, I have literally been innundated with new project work: I finished a rush job on a proposal for someone bidding on a city contract in Boston - my first government proposal and way more complicated than I, or the client, expected, but a great end result all the same (I sure hope she gets the contract!); I created a strategic alliance to ghostwrite articles for another writer who wants to sub-contract certain projects out, and got the go-ahead on the first project for her; I am editing a small book; I am about to start writing another proposal for someone in New Zealand, of all things, for a jazz event to be held on a historic... Read more →

Farewell 43... Hello 44!

It is Thursday, May 19th at 2:50 AM Eastern time and I'm officially a year older (wiser... sexier... more beautiful), and I'm tolerating celebrating a birthday! It's goodbye 43, and hello to 44! (How the hell did THAT happen? Seems like just yesterday I was 24!) 4 seems to be the magic number for me this year. In numerology, our lives flow in 9-year cycles, with each year having a predominant theme. The 9-year cycles repeat themselves of course, so the themes also repeat -- but as we age the context or influence of that theme will evolve with us. You calculate your "personal year" like this. Calculate the numeric value of the month you were born (May = 5, December = 12, etc.). If you were born in October, November or December, add the 2 digits together so you get 1 digit: December would be 1 + 2 = 3. Calculate the numeric value of the day you were born. If it's a 2 digit day, add the two digits together, and together again if necessary, to get down to a single digit. I was born on the 19th, so 1 + 9 = 10; then 1+ 0 =... Read more →

A year well lived

Every year, just before my birthday, I find myself reflecting back on the year behind me, as well as looking forward to the year ahead. I think it's always a good idea to take time out once in a while and pat yourself on the back for things you've done well and goals you've reached... sort of like giving yourself your own "performance review". The trick is to stay focused on the positives -- because we're already much too good at being down on ourselves for what we're NOT accomplishing. How often do you stop to celebrate your achievements? How often do you give yourself an "attaboy/attagirl" for doing something and doing it WELL? I think birthdays are a natural time to celebrate not only your life, but the ways in which you are living your life successfully (by your own standards of success, of course). Thinking back to what was doing -- and even more importantly, who I was being -- during the past 12 months: I took regular weekly French lessons to support my goal of becoming more fluent in the language, since I plan to move to France. I made some major decisions about where I want... Read more →

Don't complain and don't over-explain

Today I caught this post from Seth Godin's blog, concerning eBay's recent decision to (a) redesign their logo for eBay Stores, (b) why they bothered to do it at all, and (c) why they clearly felt the need to over-explain the decision. Seth hit it on the head: eBay was clearly afraid of a backlash for this decision... but from who? Do they want to try and please everyone? The fear was evident in the excessive lengths eBay went to, to try and justify this corporate marketing decision... but I'm wondering why they felt the need to justify it at all? These are not the actions and words of a bold company. This got me thinking: What is it with our sometimes compulsive need to over-explain ourselves? Why do we, whether as public companies or individuals in our own private lives, feel we must justify every single thing we do? Are we THAT insecure with ourselves? Are we THAT afraid of even the tiniest bit of criticism? What kind of impact is that fear having on our lives, our careers, our businesses? I realize there will always be appropriate times when we DO need to care, to some extent, what... Read more →

Can I get a Perrier on ice please?

I must have been having a Catherine Zeta-Jones in "America's Sweethearts" moment here: OK, people... you've had me sitting here in this stupid dress for an hour trying to look my cutest... any chance we can break for some apple juice? I need my hair and makeup touched up, and THIS time let's do a better job of hiding my uni-brow. My precious darling cat needs to be taken to her private litter-box... where the HELL is my personal assistant? Kiki? Where's Kiki? That girl is never around when I need her... do I have to do EVERYTHING myself? And who's SMOKING?! Read more →

Travelin' Shoes, Paris Style

My feet are getting itchy for some travel. Unfortunately the budget won't withstand a vacation right now... so as a small compensation, I've launched a new experimental blog where I can write about Paris in a lot more detail than I want to do here. Check it out, send your comments, add it to your blog feed service to get future updates, and tell your francophone friends! Diary of a Parisienne (at heart) I'm still working on the layout and design (such as trying to customize the banner with the graphic above), but the content will remain and will grow in the coming weeks. My hope is to use this for travel writing samples as I want to score a travel column in some publication somewhere! (Hey, if you know someone and can refer me...) Hope you enjoy it and merci pour votre interêt! Read more →

The Wedding Dress

My mother and I were looking through some old family photos today, and found this: I said: "Mom, better take a good long look at this photo. It's the only time you'll ever see me in a long white dress and veil." She laughed and said: "That's for sure. You're kind of past wearing the white poofy dress anyway." Nothing like a mother for saying the thing you were thinking in the first place. At least her tone of voice implied she thought I might still get married SOME day... just not in THIS get-up! Read more →

The Joys of Retail Therapy

It's not that I had a lousy day or anything. Actually it was a pretty mellow day - a great coaching session with a delightful client; and a interesting offer to ghostwrite a book for a very energetic woman in Georgia (no, not the Runaway Bride!). I even had an impromptu picnic dinner with my niece before dropping her off at the dress rehearsal for her latest play (we swear she will be famous someday and she is already, at 12, talking about her "acting career") and where I learned she recently "dumped" her first "boyfriend" Nick with the "let's still be friends" speech (where do they pick this stuff up so young?). Nick to his credit, sounds like a class act, having taken this blow to his young ego pretty well by agreeing he wanted to remain friends. I digress... Sometimes, even on a GOOD day, a girl just needs a few hours of "retail therapy". What precipated today's spending binge (although I'm proud of myself for really keeping the spending under control) was the unhappy discovery that my ONLY pair of boot-cut jeans has a spot that has actually worn out. Although my niece claims that ripped jeans... Read more →

Think there's no harm in a lie? Think again!

If you managed to catch even a few minutes of the news in the U.S. in the past week, you've heard of the "Runaway Bride" - the 32-year-old woman from Georgia who, after terrorizing her fiancé, family, friends and community for nearly a week, turned up in Albuquerque (give me 2 points for spelling this correctly on the first try!) with one whopper of a story. I DO understand that planning a wedding, ANY wedding, comes with enormous pressures. And in her case, planning a wedding on such a massive scale (600 guests?) is especially unnecessary wasteful challenging. And if she had doubts in her mind about the whole thing, then of course she has the right to step back and catch her breath. As I heard Oprah say recently, "Doubt means DON'T." It's not that unusual for someone to have second thoughts and decide to back out or postpone things at the last minute, and I would never think unkindly of someone for doing so -- because at least in doing that, the person is being HONEST that they are simply NOT ready, for whatever reason. In the case of this particular runaway bride, I think something very different... Read more →